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Fight for Life is the fourth episode in the BBC series Planet Dinosaur. The episode first broadcast on 5 October 2011.

Plot[]

The episode begins with a pod of Kimmerosaurus hunting some angel sharks. Despite the peacefulness of the scene, John Hurt explains how the dangers lurking in the Jurassic seas and introduces "Predator X", a large pliosaur that ruled the Jurassic seas. In a database scene, a Tyrannosaurus skull is compared to a Pilosaurus skull. A Pliosaurus funkei (referred to as Predator X throughout the episode) approaches the Kimmerosaurus pod but is spotted before it can get close enough. Now that it no longer had the element of surprise, the Pliosaurus attacks the smaller plesiosaurs and chases them into a shallow lagoon.

The episode then cuts to North America, where a herd of Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus coexist in a mutually beneficial relationship: the Camptosaurus act as lookouts while the Stegosaurus provide protection. The herbivores are grazing peacefully, but lurking nearby is an Allosaurus. One of the Camptosaurus spots the Allosaurus and alerts the herd of its presence, but after a Stegosaurus walks through its field of vision, the predator has disappeared. Believing that the Allosaurus had disappeared, the herd goes back to grazing, but just as they let their guard down, the Allosaurus strikes and chases after the Camptosaurus. Unfortunately, they are too fast for the predator to catch, so it focuses its attention on the slower Stegosaurus. The Allosaurus targets a smaller Stegosaurus and attacks it, biting its plates and its neck. However, before it could inflict any lethal wounds, a larger Stegosaurus whacks the Allosaurus with its tail, injuring the predator with one of its thagomizers as a result. Thought the wound isn't fatal, Allosaurus is left in excruciating pain and is forced to sit down as the Stegosaurus leave. The Allosaurus surivives. John Hurt then talks about the Allosaurus vs Stegosaurus evidence.

Back at the Jurassic Seas, Pilosaurus chases the Kimmerosaurus pod into a shallow lagoon, where it tries to catch one of the smaller plesiosaurs but is unable to use its full power in swallow water, so it leaves without securing a kill. The episode then switches back to Jurassic North America, where another Allosaurus is seen stalking a pair of Camptosaurus. After closing in on the unsuspecting herbivores, it attacks them and chases one of them down. Once it had caught up with the Camptosaurus, the Allosaurus uses a devastating, hatchet-like bite, which John explains in detail on how it worked, to inflict serious wounds on the Camptosaurus, causing it to bleed out and die from shock. However, just as the Allosaurus is about to feast on its kill, a Saurophaganax arrives and chases away the smaller allosauroid after a short fight.

John Hurt then talks about violently ripped apart plesiosaur bones, and the episode switches back to the Jurassic Seas, where the Pilosaurus is seen hunting a Kimmerosaurus. The Kimmerosaurus is feeding near the ocean surface, far away from the safety of the shallows, and so seeing an opportunity, the Pilosaurus attacks the smaller plesiosaur from below. The Kimmerosaurus tries to swim to the shallows, but due to the injury it sustained from the pliosaur's attack, it is unable to make it to safety and is killed by the Pliosaurus. Having secured a meal, the Pliosaurus begins thrashing the Kimmerosaurus, eating half of it while letting the other half of its corpse to sink to the seafloor. The episode ends with John Hurt stating that creatures like Predator X "ruled the oceans for more than 100 million years".

Appearances[]

Featured Creatures[]

Dinosaur Database Exclusive Creatures[]

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