National Geographic: Dinosaur Hunters Page #3

---

expedition here,

Mark and Mike made an

unprecedented discovery:

A nest with eggs and inside

one was an embryo -

the embryo of an Oviraptor,

like a dinosaur

on the half shell.

Here was the vicious

carnivore, the "egg thief,"

just a tiny baby

about to hatch.

It was an important discovery -

a secret moment

in the very beginning

of this strange

dinosaur's life.

This year,

they're hoping to

find out more

about the Oviraptor

and its fate.

There's growing excitement

on the far side of the ridge.

They think they've found

a completely

new kind of dinosaur,

a relative of the Oviraptor,

and it may shed light on

what ultimately happened to

the dinosaurs.

We have no idea what this is.

It's a really big animal.

It might be something new.

This specimen

has a lot of important

implications that go beyond

just being a really

beautiful object.

So it's exactly

what we wanted to find...

we hope.

The skeleton is

what's important.

Mark and Mike believe that

these bones may help prove

an exciting theory -

that some dinosaurs

actually evolved.

They evolved into creatures

that are still alive today.

The bones tell the story.

There are uncanny similarities

in the skeletons of

certain dinosaurs -

like these and modern birds.

Almost without doubt,

they shared

a close common ancestor.

And each new find

may help prove

that dinosaurs

did not really go extinct,

that birds, in fact,

are dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs need to be thought

of as incredibly

successful animals

that exist with us today.

We just call them birds.

Our skies are filled

with dinosaurs.

It's a bad metaphor

to use to call something

like dinosaur-like,

you know... just

because it's old,

obsolete, ugly,

stupid, and slow.

I mean, that's not what these

animals are all about.

I mean, it's like the swifts

flying around here and things

I mean,

they're a type of dinosaur.

And that they're

still with us now.

And the closest relative

to birds

is these small carnivorous

dinosaurs

we've collected

in these red rocks.

At day's end, hopes are

high that this new find

will help connect the dots

between dinosaurs and birds.

The feeling of anticipation

is palpable,

if not always exactly in key.

First thing in the morning,

they're back at the site.

So, we hope we got something

we can identify eventually.

Mike, work on that.

Kill that beetle,

while you're at it.

As they pry the rock open,

they sense trouble.

Look at that.

Yeah.

I don't know what that is.

Bunch of... maybe.

I'm afraid to say.

Could it be a theropod,

maybe?

No.

Well, it could be, but...

It's not known to science.

I think what we're lookin' at

is that there's a dead

theropod right there.

It's gone and we're

excavating an ankylosaur.

And the ankylosaurs

are among the most common

dinosaurs around.

It's not a

new dinosaur at all.

It's not even

related to birds.

I'm sure that

this is an ankylosaur.

You want us to just go away?

What they want to do now

is give up.

Today, the dinosaur hunters

have tracked down

approximately zilch.

Well, you win

a few and you lose a few.

That's just...

I don't feel too good right now

I'm tired.

They've spent

two fruitless days

working in the

blistering heat.

But tomorrow will

be another day -

with any luck, a better one.

Instead, nature decides

to add insult to injury.

As Mongolian would say,

"Ich boro." It's raining.

Sounds like I'm bored.

Yeah,

it sounds like I'm bored.

The sun burns off

the disappointment.

It's a new day and a new dig.

This find is not

a new species.

It's not related to birds.

And it's not an Oviraptor.

But it probably was

the Oviraptor's prey.

It's an animal called

Protoceratops.

They called these guys

the cows of the Cretaceous.

They were sort of everywhere.

They roamed around,

they think,

maybe in herds.

It's full of spikes.

We actually call it Spikey

now.

We've sort of bonded

with this one.

These are the eyes

and the snout.

So we're looking at

the skull from the top.

These are... cheek spikes

and the frill covering

the neck here.

Protoceratops was a bizarre

dinosaur,

a hog-sized animal

with a beak like a parrot's,

a strict vegetarian

that grazed the ancient Gobi.

Around its head was

an elaborate shield,

but the shield didn't protect

it from its enemies.

Enemies like the Oviraptor.

And that's exactly

what the team digs up next...

Oviraptors.

A pair of them

lying so close together

they seem to describe

an ancient romance.

Yeah,

we're kind of fond of them.

We're trying to figure out

what names to give them.

Ozzie and Harriet.

Romeo and Juliet.

Batman and Robin.

Well, we have a hypothesis

they were holding hands

and they were sort of

reaching for each other

across the miles.

The star-crossed Oviraptors

are given the permanent

nicknames of Romeo and Juliet.

We have one hand

just down here.

This is the other one.

Christa now is gluing

another hand.

And this is, of course,

the neck coming up

and the head and the hip bone.

And over here we have a claw.

It's a long hard process

to excavate the past.

But they've done it before.

Over the last few years,

they've uncovered a world

of almost preposterous beings.

Some are related to birds.

Others are even

related to us.

Our tiny ancestors -

mammals that lived

alongside the Oviraptors.

Most of these mammals

were small,

like early mice and shrews.

But these insignificant

creatures

gradually evolved

into all the mammals

of our world - the cats,

the aardvarks,

the whales

and even human beings.

But sometimes evolution...

has to take a back seat

to hygiene.

We don't have much water here,

so it's kind of hard to

get things clean.

I thought

I packed more shorts.

For some reason, I messed up.

I've got these on delicate.

Yeah, personal grooming is

a passion of the camp here.

The team spends a lot of time

making sure

that they're groomed,

looking their best

at all times,

because you never know.

There may be some

formal affairs

in a nearby village that

you might need to attend.

There are only

a few days left.

It's time for the second

act of Romeo and Juliet:

the Oviraptors await

a sheltering shroud

of rags and plaster.

They're now

in the skillful hands

of preparator Amy Davidson.

I love skeletons.

I actually never was that

into dinosaurs as a kid,

but I've always loved bones.

And I have a background

as a sculptor

and I've always admired

the skeleton that

we all have inside us.

It's some of the most

beautiful sculpture on earth.

And these fossil skeletons

look almost as well preserved

as yesterday's camel skeleton

But they are a dinosaur.

These fossils are forever.

It almost lasted forever.

For 80 million years,

Romeo and Juliet lay together

reaching toward

each other in death.

What were they like in life?

Did they hunt together?

Share food with each other?

Fight with each other?

Or was this love

among the Oviraptors?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes