In life, he was the most magnificent beast
ever to take to the wing.
He ruled the sky supreme,
flying far and wide over the lands of the dinosaurs.
This is the story of the last journey
this giant ever made.
It is the beginning of a period in earth's history
called the Cretaceous,
and the movement of the continent is not only breaking up
the giant northern and southern land masses,
but it continues to push up sea levels.
This has opened new seaways and coastlines.
Where once there was solid land,
now there were rugged cliffs
buzzing with a colorful abundance of flying reptiles
called Pterosaurs.
Pterosaurs have filled the skies for 100 million years
and many species are now huge.
Wing spans over six meters or more are common.
But there is one species that dwarfs them all.
He is Ornithocheirus.
12 meters from wingtip to wingtip
with a body bigger than a man's,
he is the undisputed king of the skies.
This giant is over 40 years old.
Most of his life has been spent wondering the globe
in search of food,
but every year, there is a dramatic interruption
to this nomadic lifestyle.
It will soon be time to find a mate.
On the rock ledges around him,
the mating season for another Pterosaur is well underway.
The bizarre-looking Tepejara.
Pterosaurs wings are thin membranes of skin
that stretch from elongated fingers on their forelimbs
to the ends of their hindlimbs.
Their bones are hollow and very light-weight.
They are masters of the air,
but on land, they are cumbersome,
with their legs joined up by the wings.
Squatting on all fours,
the males try and claim a prominent area
from which to display to the females above.
They show off their colorful crests
until one competitor backs down.
A large crest is also a lure to the females.
A potential mate soon makes a cautious approach,
her head dipped in submission.
As in any competition, there are losers.
Unable to secure himself a good display patch,
this male is perilously close to a blowhole.
Down here, he has little chance of attracting a mate.
Instinct is telling the Ornithocheirus
that it is time to move on.
He must leave these shores
and return to his breeding site in Europe
on the other side of the world.
For this giant of the sky,
it will be the last great flight he ever makes.
What he is about to undertake
is the most astounding journey in the animal kingdom.
From the shores of the great southern continent,
he will travel to North America,
cross the Atlantic seaway and fly onto the islands
which mark where Europe will one day be formed.
Spread out below him
will be the majesty and spectacle
of a world ruled by dinosaurs.
In just a few days,
he reaches the southern tip of North America.
Below him, a column of Iguanodon stretches along a beach,
raising the edge of a dense forest.
1,000 tons of dinosaur are on the move.
Hundreds of mouths are searching for a fresh place
to satisfy their enormous appetites.
The young play around the adults.
Although these herbivores walk on four legs,
Iguanodon can run on just two.
This makes them quite nimble.
Certainly more so than the lumbering plant-eater,
Polacanthus, that is accompanying the herd.
The wall of flesh travel slowly onward,
following the path of the Ornithocheirus.
But there is a setback ahead.
The climate in the time of the dinosaurs
is warm and tropical.
There are only two seasons: dry and wet.
Now it is the time of year for tropical storms.
In moments, the short stretch of coast is drenched.
Welcome relief for thirsty plants and lean rivers.
But it is a disaster for a migrating Pterosaur.
The Ornithocheirus is grounded by the heavy rain,
frustrating its urge to get to the breeding site.
He shelters as best he can.
The fine downy fur that covers his body
needs to be kept dry.
For the iguanodon herd, the rain is no hindrance.
These are among the most successful dinosaurs on the planet,
populating every continent,
thriving on a variety of vegetation.
The river estuary provides them
with an ideal break in the forest.
There is fresh water
and the banks here are thick with lush podocarp scrub
and tree ferns.
One reason iguanodon are so successful
is that they have developed a new way
of tackling Cretaceous plants.
Most dinosaurs can only crudely slice food with their teeth,
but Iguanodon are the first herbivores
to have back teeth that can grind up vegetation
before swallowing.
This ability to chew
speeds digestion of even the toughest plant material.
The forests near the Equator
are also witness to another landmark in evolution,
the first simple flowers have arrived,
adding a dash of color to an otherwise green world.
It is the start of a new relationship with insects.
Attracted by the color and smell,
this wasp is feasting on the pollen within,
but will unwittingly spread it to other flowers,
speeding up the plants reproduction.
The plants that have evolved this feature
are beginning to flourish,
and soon will dominate the flora of the world.
The next day, the weather starts to improve.
The Ornithocheirus waits impatiently in his cave
and busies himself with grooming.
He is plagued by biting parasites
that tap into the blood vessels on his wing membrane.
If he is to find a mate,
he must be in prime condition.
He has to keep the parasites in check.
In the morning air,
smaller reptiles are now out on the wing,
but the Ornitocheirus is so large,
he must wait until the heat of the day
creates warm updrafts of air
strong enough to lift him.
But time is short.
His body is already showing the first signs
of readiness for mating.
Faint colors have started to bloom
on his beak's display crest.
At last, he can resume his epic journey.
For thousands of kilometers,
he follows the coast of North America.
Like all giant Pterosaurs,
he uses his enormous wings
to ride on the warm air currents that rise over land.
His whole body weighs less than 100 kilograms
and this helps him glide effortlessly over huge distances.
But soon, he must face open water.
This is the young Atlantic.
But it's still only 300 kilometers wide.
To reach the other side,
he will need all his gliding skills
to exploit the air currents that form over waves.
Along the way, he must feed.
But flying low brings its dangers.
Hungry monsters watch him from below the waves.
An entire day on the wing
and he has arrived on one of the most western
of Europe's islands.
Once again, the landscape is dominated
by a huge herd of Iguanodon.
This time, though, it is a larger, European species.
Up to three tons a piece.
These animals are again accompanied
by a spiky Polacanthus.
These armored herbivores
are often found around Iguanodon herds,
presumably for mutual protection.
There is safety in numbers.
They are being watched by a pack of carnivorous Utahraptors.
For the moment, they are biding their time.
Meanwhile, another conflict is looming.
A small Pterosaur fishes the clear waters of the lake.
It's success has not gone unnoticed by Ornithocheirus.
The giant turned bully.
On the cover of the pencil pines,
a female Utahraptor has been stalking.
Her chosen prey are the Iguanodon.
Somewhere close by are the rest of the pack.
With lethal claws, this five-meter killer is well armed.
And long fingers help her to latch on
to swift-moving larger prey.
Raptors have the short legs of a sprinter
and do not pursue their prey for long.
This one saves her energy for later.
Eventually, the herbivores lose their nervousness
and they start to move on.
As the iguanodon file down to a lake to drink,
a Polacanthus lags behind to gorge on conifers
and becomes separated from the herd.
The Utahraptor soon reappear,
tails held rigid for balance.
But the Polacanthus displays his formidable defenses.
For a predator, there are far easier meals nearby.
The whole herd has reached the lakeside.
In the background, the Ornithocheirus sits safe on his rock.
The raptors are closing in.
The Iguanodon sense the threat and start to get nervous.
After one unsuccessful attack,
the raptors are being more cautious
and it is paying off.
They are within striking distance.
This is the first kill the pack have made for over a week.
They will eat as much as 100 kilograms each in one sitting.
The youngest of the Utahraptors hovers nearby.
There is a strict pecking order to this feast,
and the large adults come first.
However, the youngster is hungry
and he tries his luck.
The response from the adults is immediate and intimidating.
This is not a confrontation he can win.
High above, the Ornithocheirus
has to leave these killing fields
for a safer place to pass the night.
He finds what appears to be an ideal spot to rest
before his final push to the mating grounds.
However, from within the dense forest,
he is being watched
by the relatives of the raptors.
These, though, are birds.
Flying dinosaurs that share the same ancestors
as the carnivorous raptors.
Instead of scales, they have evolved feathers
which cover their bodies and turn their arms into wings.
At this time of year, they have eggs to protect
and the presence of the intruder
sets off a change reaction of aggression.
Next to the Ornithocheirus,
the birds look no bigger than insects.
However, their tiny feathered wings
are more resistant to damage
than the skin membrane of the Pterosaur,
especially among the branches and twigs of dense forests.
In the far future,
the Pterosaurs will surrender the skies to the birds.
Driven on, he eventually reaches
the huge island of Cantabria,
which will one day be the bedrock of Spain.
He is exhausted by his 14,000 kilometer journey.
Ahead lies the mating ground.
Every year of his adult life,
he has returned to this same spot to mate.
Already the beach is full of male Ornithocheirus,
noisily competing for space.
As the old male approaches,
he knows from experience
that the nearer the center of this intimidating throng,
the more attractive he will be to the females.
He heads straight for the dominant position
he's occupied in previous years.
Right in the middle.
But this time,
he faces a challenge to his supremacy.
Again and again he tries to land
but the males on the ground fend him off.
Eventually, his weariness tells
and he has to land elsewhere.
His position among the males has been usurped
by young animals.
They advertise their vigor and size
to warn off rival males
and to attract females out of the air.
For the outcast,
the world has been turned upside down.
Now banished to the outskirts of the mating area,
he will be lucky to attract a female at all.
In the blistering heat of midday,
his instincts force him to keep trying.
The females are unmoved.
The center of the beach.
A female just landed
and now submits herself to a male
who flashes his red crest to impress her.
Mating itself is brief.
Afterwards, the male will resume displaying
in the hope of attracting yet more females.
The female, herself, will now leave.
Three days later,
and at last, the breeding sight is emptying of males.
It is still fiercely hot.
Our Ornithocheirus has yet to mate.
Worst still, his fruitless exertions under the blazing sun
have taken a heavy toll.
Heat, stress, and lack of food
have all but killed him.
The king of the skies has lost his majesty.
His life has run full circle.
In his time, he traveled the globe,
but death finds him here
in the very same place where he first mated
some 40 years ago.
On the beach around him are others
who lost out in the struggle to reproduce.
But nature is seldom wasteful.
They have become food for the next generation.
The Pterosaurs continued to rule the skies
for millions of years.
While on land,
the dinosaurs spread to every part of the globe.
In the next episode,
we will see how they even conquered
the most extraordinary environment of all,
the dark forests of the South Pole.