Episode 6.4 · 19 min

the Jurassic and early Cretaceous world of dinosaurs, the origin of birds, and the breakup of Pangae

How did dinosaurs come to dominate the land, diversify into radically different bodies, and give rise to birds while Pangaea broke apart? From the early Jurassic to the early Cretaceous, this episode follows long-necked giants, theropods, and beaked plant-eaters through changing landscapes, revealing how feathers preceded flight, why Archaeopteryx links birds to theropods, and how separating continents helped create distinct dinosaur communities.

Watch this film on YouTube ↗

Visual credits

46 sources

Sources and credits for imagery used in this film, including material incorporated into explanatory animations.

PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 100 Ma elevation grid
Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Adapted as shaded-relief paleogeography.
PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 125 Ma elevation grid
Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Adapted as shaded-relief paleogeography.
PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 150 Ma elevation grid
Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Adapted as shaded-relief paleogeography.
PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 190 Ma elevation grid
Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Adapted as shaded-relief paleogeography.
Natural Earth 1:50m Coastline
Natural Earth
View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain
Rasterized and plate-reconstructed for map overlays.
Scotese and Wright 2018 PALEOMAP plate model
Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Rotation parameters used to reconstruct map graphics from 190 to 100 Ma.
Natural Earth 1:50m coastline reconstructed to 150 Ma
Natural Earth; Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright
View original source ↗Source licence: Natural Earth: Public domain; PALEOMAP: CC BY 4.0
Simplified and reconstructed to 150 Ma with the PALEOMAP plate model.
Plate model: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5348491
Stegosaurus skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History
Vicpeters
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Wall of Bones, Quarry Exhibit Hall
NPS Photo
View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Confuciusornis sanctus specimen
JensKunstfreund
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Fruitafossor forelimbs
Neil Pezzoni
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Archaeopteryx lithographica (Berlin specimen)
H. Raab (User: Vesta)
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Berlin Archaeopteryx: arm and wing-feather detail
Emily Willoughby
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Berlin Archaeopteryx skull detail
H. Raab (User: Vesta)
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Cropped from the source image and reframed for video.
Diplodocus neck, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
Dosseman
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Cropped from the source image and reframed for video.
Diplodocus skin impression
James St. John
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Sinosauropteryx lingyuanensis holotype detail
R. Qiu, X. Wang, S. Jiang, J. Meng & Z. Zhou
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Cropped from the source image and reframed for video.
Caudipteryx wing feathers
Yaser Saffar Talori, Yun-Fei Liu, Jing-Shan Zhao, Corwin Sullivan, Jingmai K. O’Connor & Zhi-Heng Li
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Cropped from the source image and reframed for video.
Microraptor gui specimen
Tiouraren (Y.-C. Tsai)
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Rhamphorhynchus muensteri fossil
James St. John
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.0
Upscaled, matted and overlaid with a drawn trace.
Montsechia vidalii fossil slabs
Joanbanjo
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Cropped from the source image and reframed for video.
Umoonasaurus skeleton
Geekgecko
View original source ↗Source licence: CC0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Diplodocus carnegii skeleton
James St. John
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Morrison Formation near Arches
Kent G. Budge
View original source ↗Source licence: CC0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Diplodocus skull
James St. John
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Hauterivian reticulate pollen grain, Plate 1 photograph 3
N. F. Hughes, A. B. McDougall and J. L. Chapman
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Cropped to Plate 1 photograph 3; neighbouring panels excluded; padded and upscaled.
Barosaurus lentus mid-cervical vertebra, Figure 3D
Daniela Schwarz, Eberhard Frey and Christian A. Meyer
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Cropped to Figure 3D; adjacent panel corner removed; padded and reframed.
Carnegie Allosaurus model
rklopfer
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 2.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Greylag goose flying in the sky, Sweden
ronib1979
View original source ↗Source licence: Envato Elements License
Excerpted, muted and reframed.
Raven Preening on Wooden Post in Natural Setting
MediaFuzeBox
View original source ↗Source licence: Envato Elements License
Excerpted, muted and reframed.
Crocodile Floating in Murky Water with Vegetation
BlackBoxGuild
View original source ↗Source licence: Envato Elements License
Excerpted, muted and reframed.
Sea Turtle Swimming Underwater Near the Surface
uwphoto
View original source ↗Source licence: Envato Elements License
Excerpted, muted and reframed.
Archaeopteryx lithographica (Berlin specimen)
H. Raab (User: Vesta)
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Berlin Archaeopteryx arm and wing-feather detail
Emily Willoughby
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Sinosauropteryx lingyuanensis holotype
R. Qiu, X. Wang, S. Jiang, J. Meng & Z. Zhou
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Microraptor gui specimen
Tiouraren (Y.-C. Tsai)
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Rhamphorhynchus muensteri fossil
James St. John
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Diplodocus neck, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
Dosseman
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Caudipteryx wing feathers
Yaser Saffar Talori, Yun-Fei Liu, Jing-Shan Zhao, Corwin Sullivan, Jingmai K. O’Connor & Zhi-Heng Li
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Montsechia vidalii fossil slabs
Joanbanjo
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Diplodocus skin impression
James St. John
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.0
Reformatted and reframed for video.
Berlin Archaeopteryx skull detail
H. Raab (User: Vesta)
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Cropped from the identified source; rendered/rasterized and padded to landscape. No scientific content redrawn. See crop_box and visual review.
Sinosauropteryx lingyuanensis holotype detail
R. Qiu, X. Wang, S. Jiang, J. Meng & Z. Zhou
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Cropped from the identified source; rendered/rasterized and padded to landscape. No scientific content redrawn. See crop_box and visual review.
Caudipteryx wing-feather detail
Yaser Saffar Talori, Yun-Fei Liu, Jing-Shan Zhao, Corwin Sullivan, Jingmai K. O’Connor & Zhi-Heng Li
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Cropped from the identified source; rendered/rasterized and padded to landscape. No scientific content redrawn. See crop_box and visual review.
Montsechia vidalii fossil slabs
Joanbanjo
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Cropped from the identified source; rendered/rasterized and padded to landscape. No scientific content redrawn. See crop_box and visual review.
Diplodocus neck detail
Dosseman
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Cropped from the identified source; rendered/rasterized and padded to landscape. No scientific content redrawn. See crop_box and visual review.

Research references

Selected sources from the episode’s research and scientific figures.

Music

Meditation From The Star Orion
OctahedronMusic · Envato Elements

Footage and image usage

Credits and usage times retained from the published edition or its production credit record. Where present, times identify visual appearances, not documentary chapters. Source and licence corrections are listed in the visual credits above.

BlackBoxGuild - source: Original source ↗
Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright - sources: Original source ↗ Original source ↗
Daniela Schwarz, Eberhard Frey and Christian A. Meyer - source: Original source ↗
Dosseman - source: Original source ↗
Emily Willoughby - source: Original source ↗
Geekgecko
H. Raab (User: Vesta) - source: Original source ↗
James St. John - sources: Original source ↗ Original source ↗
JensKunstfreund - source: Original source ↗
Joanbanjo - source: Original source ↗
Kent G. Budge
MediaFuzeBox - source: Original source ↗
N. F. Hughes, A. B. McDougall and J. L. Chapman - source: Original source ↗
Natural Earth - source: Original source ↗
Natural Earth; Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright - source: Original source ↗
Neil Pezzoni
NPS Photo - source: Original source ↗
R. Qiu, X. Wang, S. Jiang, J. Meng & Z. Zhou - source: Original source ↗
rklopfer - source: Original source ↗
ronib1979 - source: Original source ↗
Tiouraren (Y.-C. Tsai) - source: Original source ↗
uwphoto - source: Original source ↗
Vicpeters
Yaser Saffar Talori, Yun-Fei Liu, Jing-Shan Zhao, Corwin Sullivan, Jingmai K. O’Connor & Zhi-Heng Li - source: Original source ↗
Original animations and figures created by this channel.
BlackBoxGuild — 9:19-9:23
Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright — 0:22-0:27, 1:02-1:03, 1:02-1:04, 1:03-1:05, 1:04-1:08, 1:18-1:28, 1:28-2:13, 4:01-4:03, 4:01-4:14, 10:42-10:54, 14:20-14:38, 14:37-14:50, 15:08-15:21, 14:49-14:59, 15:20-15:23, 14:57-15:10, 15:22-15:51, 14:20-15:06, 14:20-15:51, 17:54-17:59, 17:58-18:00, 17:59-18:01, 18:00-18:22, 18:01-18:22, 17:54-18:22
Daniela Schwarz, Eberhard Frey and Christian A. Meyer — 8:07-8:12
Dosseman — 7:21-7:32
Emily Willoughby — 11:01-11:12
Geekgecko — 16:16-16:23
H. Raab (User: Vesta) — 11:23-11:27, 11:45-12:02
James St. John — 5:32-5:37, 7:15-7:21, 5:08-5:12, 14:05-14:11
JensKunstfreund — 13:01-13:06
Joanbanjo — 17:00-17:05
Kent G. Budge — 4:14-4:19
MediaFuzeBox — 11:38-11:45
N. F. Hughes, A. B. McDougall and J. L. Chapman — 16:49-16:54
Natural Earth — 1:41-2:13, 14:20-15:09
Natural Earth; Christopher R. Scotese and Nicky M. Wright — 4:07-4:14, 10:42-10:47, 10:50-10:54
Neil Pezzoni — 7:01-7:05
NPS Photo — 4:26-4:31
R. Qiu, X. Wang, S. Jiang, J. Meng & Z. Zhou — 12:13-12:18
rklopfer — 9:42-9:47
ronib1979 — 7:52-7:55
Tiouraren (Y.-C. Tsai) — 13:40-13:46
uwphoto — 16:09-16:14
Vicpeters — 9:47-9:54
Yaser Saffar Talori, Yun-Fei Liu, Jing-Shan Zhao, Corwin Sullivan, Jingmai K. O’Connor & Zhi-Heng Li — 12:36-12:41

How this film was made

Created and editorially directed by Anders Lunde using a custom production system developed over six months. AI assists research, drafting, programming, and visual production; I review and edit the material and make the final editorial decisions. Narration uses text-to-speech. Visuals combine custom-built scientific animations, AI-generated reconstructions, and credited scientific imagery.

Generated reconstructions illustrate scientific interpretations. They are distinct from photographs, specimens, and measured data.

More about the creator and production →

Visual credits

PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 100 Ma elevation grid

PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 125 Ma elevation grid

PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 150 Ma elevation grid

PALEOMAP PaleoDEM 190 Ma elevation grid

Natural Earth 1:50m Coastline

Scotese and Wright 2018 PALEOMAP plate model

Natural Earth 1:50m coastline reconstructed to 150 Ma

Stegosaurus skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History

Wall of Bones, Quarry Exhibit Hall

Confuciusornis sanctus specimen

Fruitafossor forelimbs

Archaeopteryx lithographica (Berlin specimen)

Berlin Archaeopteryx: arm and wing-feather detail

Berlin Archaeopteryx skull detail

Diplodocus neck, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Diplodocus skin impression

Sinosauropteryx lingyuanensis holotype detail

Caudipteryx wing feathers

Microraptor gui specimen

Rhamphorhynchus muensteri fossil

Montsechia vidalii fossil slabs

Umoonasaurus skeleton

Diplodocus carnegii skeleton

Morrison Formation near Arches

Diplodocus skull

Hauterivian reticulate pollen grain, Plate 1 photograph 3

Barosaurus lentus mid-cervical vertebra, Figure 3D

Carnegie Allosaurus model

Greylag goose flying in the sky, Sweden

Raven Preening on Wooden Post in Natural Setting

Crocodile Floating in Murky Water with Vegetation

Sea Turtle Swimming Underwater Near the Surface

Archaeopteryx lithographica (Berlin specimen)

Berlin Archaeopteryx arm and wing-feather detail

Sinosauropteryx lingyuanensis holotype

Microraptor gui specimen

Rhamphorhynchus muensteri fossil

Diplodocus neck, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Caudipteryx wing feathers

Montsechia vidalii fossil slabs

Diplodocus skin impression

Berlin Archaeopteryx skull detail

Sinosauropteryx lingyuanensis holotype detail

Caudipteryx wing-feather detail

Montsechia vidalii fossil slabs

Diplodocus neck detail

Research references

Music

How this film was made