BBC Walking with monster 1




This is Earth. Four point four billion years ago. A toxic world with no hope of life. Then everything changed. Another planet, Thea, smashed into Earth and the two planets fused, creating a brand new world. Our world. Even today, Thea lies right beneath our feet. A smaller chunk of Thea became our moon. And slowly our oceans formed. Until life on Earth was ready to begin. But who would inherit this blue planet? This series tells the extraordinary story of life before the dinosaurs.

A time when strange and savage creatures fought a ruthless battle to rule the Earth. Amongst them were our own earliest ancestors, whose survival would decide whether we humans would exist at all. As they evolved, these bizarre creatures created the blueprint not only for our bodies, but for everything living today. This is life's forgotten story. An epic war for our world. A war between monsters. This is our planet, five hundred and thirty million years ago. Nothing yet lives on land, but in the ocean it's a different story.

Life has already been evolving for millions of years at a slow and steady pace. The seas are full of simple, soft bodied creatures, blindly drifting in the currents. Now, however, in the coastal shallows below, evolution has stepped on the accelerator. Predators have taken their first bite. This is Anomalocaris, Earth's first super predator. This two metre long monster owes his success to a monumental evolutionary landmark. Eyes. They may look bizarre but they're not unique. Many predators in the Cambrian seas have also evolved eyes. And so have their prey. The consequences have been explosive. Being able to see and react to enemies has triggered an arms race between hunter and hunted.

This battle continues today and is a major force behind the variety of life. To combat being visible and vulnerable, eighty percent of creates in these shallow seas have sturdy skeletons on the outside of their bodies. These armoured animals are called Arthropods. In the future, they'll give rise to insects and spiders. But in these crowded waters there's competition everywhere, and even the mighty Anomalocaris's defences are constantly put to the test. Rigid armour splits if bent too far, leaving the loser vulnerable. To a completely different threat. This is Haikouichthys. He's the size of your thumbnail, but he's an evolutionary giant. He's the first ever fish. Our earliest known ancestor. He's unique, because instead of having armour on the outside, he's tough inside.

He's evolved a primitive backbone. He's the very first vertebrate. Forerunner of all future backboned animals, from the dinosaur, to the elephant, to us. His flexible backbone makes him more manoeuvrable than spineless Anomalocaris. He can scavenge flesh, then dart away unharmed. Our tiny backboned ancestors have survived a sea of monsters, but there are still many more battles ahead. They must adapt or die. Evolution takes over. As millions of years pass, fish build on their basic design. The muscles around their backbone evolve into a powerful tail and fins appear.

They evolve a distinct head. He may not look like you or I, but this odd fish is becoming the blueprint for our own bodies. This is Cephalaspis. She's a peaceful grazer who sucks up algae through her jawless mouth. But she's also developed a tough protective head and thick scales. Our ancestor's arthropod enemies have also been evolving and they're ready for round two. A hundred million years have passed and the fight for survival has filled
the Silurian seas with variety. Some creatures here would be recognisable today.

Sponges filter food alongside sea urchins. The orthocone is a distant relative of squid and cuttlefish, but he's as long as a truck. This world is terrorised by a new improved generation of armoured arthropods. Meet Brontoscorpio. He's a metre long monster scorpion with gills and a stinger the size of a light bulb. He zeros in on his next meal. But Cephalaspis has evolved an early warning system. Special sensors on her skin detect the tiniest vibrations in the water. We've inherited similar senses. They make us sensitive to touch.

With her defensive headgear, Cephalaspis can't swim fast for long. She must rest frequently. Soon she'll tire completely. Cephalaspis suddenly changes her path. She's picking up bad vibrations. Something Brontoscorpio can't detect. Pterygotus is the Titan of sea scorpions. The biggest arthropod of all time. More than three metres long, she's the size of a crocodile. She has turned the tables on Brontoscorpio. He'll make a good meal for her young. In such dangerous seas there's nowhere to hide. When breeding seasons comes, the Cephalaspis congregate to head for the one place they might escape a scorpion's grasp. Fresh water, inland.

Land at this time is like an alien planet. It's a barren expanse of roasting rock hotter than the Sahara. The air would be toxic to us. It has much less oxygen and three hundred times more carbon dioxide than today. But some forms of life have gained a foothold in this furnace. The first pioneering plants. Cooksonia has a unique survival strategy. It's the first plant to send shoots upwards, trapping extra light to help it grow. This basic design will eventually lead to our tallest forests. The Cephalaspis convoy ploughs upriver, away from the sea.

They're making the marathon journey back to the spawning grounds where they hatched. Incredibly our fish ancestors already use memory. They use familiar landmarks to navigate. Their toughened heads protect a vital weapon. One of the first complex brains. It's much more developed than their scorpion rivals who have no memory at all. It's thanks to these primitive fish that we can think and solve problems today. But the fish have underestimated their enemy.

It is the arthropods and not our ancestors who have taken the first momentous steps out of the sea into dry land. Brontoscorpio has a huge advantage. As well as gills he has simple lungs made up of hundreds of thin layers of tissue. He can't breath in and out like we do. He just absorbs the oxygen into his blood. Equipped to maximise the little oxygen available and with their armour to protect them from the sun, the scorpions patrol the shoreline,
scavenging on whatever the sea washes up next. Finally the fish approach their destination.

They've navigated their way back to the spawning pool, where their lives began. Weak from their long journey, now they have to cross a ridge of rock to make it from the river, to the pool. The first fish make it through and start to lay their eggs. But the exhausted Cephalaspis have company. Passing scorpions have stumbled on this bounty. But the fish have numbers on their side. The clever Cephalaspis have navigated their way, while Brontoscorpio are only here by luck. They're soon stuffed to the gills while the fish keep jumping.

One scorpion is still hungry, but he can't feed. He's become a prisoner in his own skin. His rigid skeleton is now a handicap. It can't grow with his body. He needs to shed his hard skin and then grow another, expanding while the new one is still soft. For such a large creature, this is a long process. Next morning, there's no sign of life in the spawning pool. The scorpion has missed his chance. Our ancestors have survived. They've laid their eggs
and are returning to the sea. Brain has triumphed over brawn, and soon they won't be such soft targets.

Evolution starts to give them weapons to fight back. Over millions of years, the fish's gills adapt to form the first jaw with the very first teeth. Now they're equipped to go on the attack. Some develop tougher bones and muscles in their fins and shoulders, which become the first limbs. This is where our arms and legs began. With this four-limbed design, our ancestors finally haul themselves out of water on to land. This is the giant amphibian, Hynerpeton. The prototype land dweller for the next three hundred million years.

Hynerpeton are over a metre and a half in length, much larger than most amphibians today. They've carved out a home along the water's edge. Arthropod enemies still exist, but they've shrunk since their Brontoscorpio glory days. Still, life for this pioneer is far from easy. It's a whole new world. In the last fifty million years, plants have developed into trees. And with nothing around to eat them, they've grown into vast forests pumping oxygen into the air. Hynerpeton has evolved complex lungs to exploit this new oxygen. His lungs are sacks, just like ours, and he breaths like we do.

Forcing air in and out so his blood can absorb more oxygen. We still rely on the design developed in this strange amphibian. Hynerpeton can breath on land, but he's still water bound. His skin is much thinner than ours and it dries out in minutes, so he has to keep it wet. And water is a danger zone. The fish are now our ancestor's enemies. Primitive sharks are constantly on the hunt. But even sharks are small fry in comparison to some flesh eating fish. Hyneria weighs two tons. And is five metres long. She's an insatiable carnivore. The amphibian limbs are his saving grace.

For now. As the burning sun dips, Hynerpeton can spend more time on land. This stretch of shoreline is his territory and his trump card with the opposite sex. Hynerpeton females are choosy and will only go for males who can defend their turf. They also only mate during a short season. The male's future depends on passing on his genes and tonight could be his last chance. As night arrives, so does the competition. Another male with his eye on this prime patch. To avoid injury, the males demonstrate their strength in a strange push up contest. This rival is not up to the challenge, but now our male may be too late for love. Dawn. And all the females in the area have mated and moved on.

Hynerpeton seems to have missed his chance. The only attention he's attracting comes from the dark waters of the lake. A female finally answers his call and the male seizes the opportunity. Amphibian eggs are soft and their young have gills, not lungs, so they must be laid in water. Where amphibians are most vulnerable. Hyneria can attack like a killer whale after a seal. Only just missing her prey. But she has remarkably powerful fins. And she takes the male by surprise. The end for this Hynerpeton.

But the amphibians are about to find a way to leave the dangers of the water behind for good. The key to their future success lies in changing their eggs. They evolve a hard waterproof casing which protects the young inside from the drying sun, so they can be laid on land. The babies will hatch out, fully developed, air breathing and independent. They're the first ever true vertebrate landlubbers. The very first reptiles. But as they move inland,
they'll face an ancient enemy. More deadly than ever before.

The arthropods are back. Next time on Walking with Monsters, we enter the world of killer bugs. From huge flesh eating spiders to three metre millipede relatives. And we meet the first giant reptiles, our strange sail-back ancestors who face their toughest enemy yet. Each other.





Best Roach Killer 2020 Best Wood Glue Best Power Inverter
Best Electric Knife Sharpener Best Outdoor Solar Lights Best Lawn Fertilizer
Best Wood Stove Best Insect Repellent Best Deer Repellent
Best Drain Cleaner Best Lawn Edger Best Gaming Monitor
Best Memory Foam Mattress Best Gaming Keyboarda Best Air Mattress
Best Air Fryer Best Gaming Mouse Best Coffee Grinder
Best Gaming Headset Best Gaming Chair Best Tool Belt
Best Soldering Iron Best Pruning Saw Best Backpacking Tent
Best Torque Wrench Best Car Battery Charger Best Adjustable Wrench
Best Digital Caliper Best Concrete Cleaner Best Cordless Screwdriver
facts about Italy facts about Germany facts about Poland
facts about France facts about Hollland facts about Mexico
facts about Peru facts about Spain facts about Pakistan
facts about Costa Rica facts about Ireland facts about Egypt
facts about Jordan facts about Armenia facts about Israel
facts about Philippines facts about Panama facts about Russia
facts about Madagascar facts about Haiti facts about Hong Kong
facts about Bahamas facts about Kenya facts about Benin
facts about Guyana facts about Tunisia facts about Malawi
facts about Norway facts about Scotland facts about Sweden
facts about North Korea facts about Bolivia facts about Argentina
facts about England facts about Portugal facts about Finland
facts about Malaysia facts about Greece facts about Canada
facts about Croatia facts about Cambodia facts about Bangladesh
facts about South Africa facts about Hungary facts about New Zealand
facts about China facts about Thailand facts about Vietnam
facts about Saudi arabia facts about Iceland facts about Venezuela
facts about Ireland facts about India facts about Chile
facts about Indonesia facts about Singapore facts about Jamaica
facts about Japan facts about Brazil facts about South Korea
facts about canada facts about Italy facts about Columbia
facts about Mexico facts about USA weird facts North Korea
facts about Slovenia facts about Australia facts about Country
simple facts Venezuela simple facts South Korea simple facts New Zealand
simple facts Jamaica simple facts Greece simple facts Canada
simple facts China simple facts England simple facts Argentina
simple facts Bolivia simple facts South Africa simple facts India
simple facts Thailand simple facts Australia simple facts Bangladesh
simple facts Japan simple facts USA simple facts Czech
simple facts St.Vincent simple facts Ivory Coast simple facts Switzeland
structured settlement company structured settlements annuities structured settlement buyer
small business administration structured settlement purchasers houston tx auto insurance
selling structured settlement selling annuity structered settlement
caraccidentlawyer auto accident attorney Torrance attorney orange county
attorneys orange county personal injury accident lawyer car accident lawyers los angeles
cheap travel insurance los angeles motorcycle accident state of california car insurance
selling a structured settlement hughes net business structured settlement need cash
fast cash for house maritime lawyer houston personal injury attorney ocala fl
home equity loan reverse mortgage us bank home mortgage
personal loans for bad credit peer to peer lending home equity loan rates
refinance mortgage personal loan rates first time home buyer programs
cash out refinance home mortgage rates mortgage lenders
homeowners insurance home insurance state farm car insurance
comprehensive insurance commercial insurance cheap auto insurance
cheap health insurance indemnity car insurance companies
progressive quote usaa car insurance insurance near me
term life insurance auto insurance near me state farm car insurance
comprehensive insurance progressive home insurance house insurance
progressive renters insurance state farm insurance quote metlife auto insurance
best insurance companies progressive auto insurance quote cheap car insurance quotes
allstate car insurance rental car insurance car insurance online
liberty mutual car insurance cheap car insurance near me best auto insurance
home insurance companies usaa home insurance list of car insurance companies
full coverage insurance allstate insurance near me cheap insurance quotes
national insurance progressive home insurance house insurance
health insurance quotes ameritas dental state farm renters insurance
medicare supplement plans progressive renters insurance aetna providers
title insurance sr22 insurance medicare advantage plans
aetna health insurance ambetter insurance umr insurance
massmutual 401k private health insurance assurant renters insurance
assurant insurance dental insurance plans state farm insurance quote
health insurance plans workers compensation insurance geha dental
metlife auto insurance boat insurance aarp insurance
costco insurance flood insurance best insurance companies
cheap car insurance quotes best travel insurance insurance agents near me
car insurance car insurance quotes auto insurance
auto insurance quotes long term care insurance auto insurance companies
home insurance quotes cheap car insurance quotes affordable car insurance
professional liability insurance cheap car insurance near me small business insurance
vehicle insurance best auto insurance full coverage insurance
motorcycle insurance quote homeowners insurance quote errors and omissions insurance
general liability insurance best renters insurance cheap home insurance
cheap insurance near me cheap full coverage insurance cheap life insurance
horrible serial killer beautiful phenomena deadly UFO attacks
most mysterious sounds creepiest website most toxic ghost towns
coronavirus explained deepest hole in the world weirdest discoveries
what is darkest material facts about mars facts about sun
most dangerous plant most science facts most venomous snakes
most dangerous animals dangerous africa animals most venomous spider
dangerous gangs all time weird and gross candy weird history story
most bizarre hobbies most bizarre trends most banned foods
most dangerous jobs make money online way facts about Jamaica
most dangerous countries most visited cities most evil people
best airports in the world best capitals in the world best places in the world

will refinancing hurt my credit va loan multi family va loan after chapter 7 va home loan specialist us bank home mortgage top insurance companies tax debt relief program tax credit for college students structured settlement loan small business loans personal loan rates permanent life insurance payday loans online no credit check loans national guard va home loan mortgage life insurance maximum fha loan amount low cost health insurance Irs Tax Debt Relief Program how to get preapproved for a va home loan how long does a credit card balance transfer take homeowners insurance companies home loan interest rate home equity line of credit health insurance free car insurance quotes fixed annuity fha loan foreclosure waiting period does opening a checking account affect credit define insurance brokers current mortgage rates cost to refinance home loan Compare Vehicle Insurance cheap travel insurance bad credit car loans average home insurance cost

1 comment: