Hello, folks. It's me, the conductor. Today, we're going
To meet a dinosaur called spinosaurus. He's one of the
Biggest carnivores ever. So come on along with me on the
Dinosaur train. All aboard!
♪ Dinosaur train
[Train whistle blows] dinosaur train
Once up a time there was a mom
Her name was mrs. Pteranodon sitting on her nest
She heard a scratch, and then said
Oh, boy, my eggs are hatching one by one, her kids popped
Free baby pteranodons, , ,
I'll name you tiny, shiny, and don
But tiny said wait, there's one more, mom
The last little baby was a different size
With teeth and a tail and big green eyes
He didn't look anything like the rest
What am I doing in a pteranodon nest?
But dear old mrs. Pteranodon said
Oh, this is your family and I'm your mom
You may be different, but we're all creatures
All dinosaurs have different features
Come on, buddy, we'll take a vacation
I'll get us a ticket at pteranodon station
We'll travel the world in sunshine and rain
And meet all the species on the dinosaur train
Dinosaur train dinosaur train
Dinosaur train we're going to ride...
Ride, ride, ride, ride [train horn blows]
The dinosaur train ♪ [roars]
Guess what, team. Today, I'm taking you someplace extra
Special to fish.
Where, dad, where?
Through the time tunnel, to the big misty sea, smack in the
Middle of the cretaceous time period.
Yeah!
Cretaceous!
[Brakes screech] hello there, pteranodon
Family. Where to today?
We're going fishing at the big misty sea.
Well, reel me in and weigh me.
You kids are lucky. That's some mighty fine fishing. All aboard!
[Pteranodon children giggle] [train horn blows]
I'll zoom down to the water and catch a fish this big!
Well, I'm goi to swoop in and catch a fish as long as
This bench!
Gee, buddy, sorry about all the flying and fishing talk. I
Know you can't fly.
Oh, it's ok, tiny. I love being official fish spotter
And eater.
Hey, you know how we sometimes lift you up and fly
You to the train station or the big pond? We could hold your
Arms and fly you over the water so you can fish, too.
Wow! Would you guys really?
Absolutely.
Ok.
Yay! I'm going to catch a fish this big!
Oh, I have to work while you all fish. At least I won't run
Into the old spinosaurus.
The old what-a-saurus?
Oh, right. You kids have never been to the big misty sea
Before. You don't know about the old spinosaurus.
Ooh.
[Pteranodon whimpers] whoa!
He's huge!
One of the largest carnivores to ever roam the
Earth.
Look at that giant crest thingy on his back.
Made up of bi sharp, pointy spikes.
It's called a sail fin. And you'll get a better idea of how
Big he is if you run into him.
"If" we run into him? How could we miss a guy that big?
Well, the old spinosaurus is a cranky old feller. Wants to
Be left alone.
Ooh, fine with me. I'll leave him alone.
He stands on two legs, like me. And look, he has three-toed
Feet. I have a hypothesis. The old spinosaurus is a theropod.
Just like you. Yes, buddy, he sure is. Good observation.
Buthy does he hang out at the big misty sea? He must eat
Meat instead of fish. He's a theropod.
Maybe he eats both. We can test your hypothesis, if we see
Him.
Oh, my, how time flies.
Ahem--time tunnel! Time tunnel approaching!
Big misty sea station in another part of the cretaceous
Time period.
Bye-bye, pteranodon family.
Have fun fishing. Oh, and say hi to the old spinosaurus if
You see him.
We will!
Oh, I won't.
[Train horn blows] whoa, it's so foggy. Now I
Know why they call it the big misty sea.
With all this fog around, it'll be easy for that cranky
Old spinosaurus to sneak up on us.
Well, the conductor said he won't bother us if we don't
Bother him. Don't worry. Just stick close to me.
Good idea, dad.
Ok, team pteranodon, let's go catch us some fish!
Ready to fly, buddy?
Yeah, let's do it. Hang on, buddy!
Whoo-hoo! This is so great!
[Water splashes] hey, I can see the jurassic
From here. Just kidding.
I see fishies.
Ready to scoop up a fish, buddy?
Yeah! Time for lunch. Or is it brunch? Or maybe lunch-fast.
Don, pay attention. Dive, dive!
Whoo-ha!
No fish that time.
Do it again.
Buddy, do you have to yell so loud? You're scaring the
Fish away.
Sorry, tiny. I can't help it. It just comes out.
I'm getting tired, don.
Let's put buddy down for a minute.
Yeah. How about over there on that big, weird-looking rock?
Whew. That's hard work.
Sorry, buddy. I think we have to fish without you for a
While.
That's ok. I'll be your spotter. I can see almost
Everything from up on this big rock. Look. It even has this
Nice frill thingy I can lean against. Hey, don, shiny, I see
A school of fish right below you!
[Buddy and tiny gasp] good eye, buddy!
Hey, you kids!
[Roaring, rumbling] ah!
Our rock--it's moving. It's a rock-quake.
We're on the old spinosrus!
Quick, don, grab buddy!
[Roaring] hey, all that yelling is
Chasing away my fish!
Hi. Heh. You must be the spinosaurus the conductor told
Us about.
You must be the father of these trespassing kids! Keep
'Em out of my sea! It's my sea, you see?
We're sorry, sir. We didn't mean any harm.
We thought you were a big rock.
I'm really glad to meet you, mr. Spinosaurus. I'm buddy, and
I'm a theropod, just like you.
In case you haven't noticed, kid, we're nothing alike.
Sure you are. You both walk on your two hind legs and have
Toes.
Yeah, but you are a little different from my hypothesis.
Buddy means an idea you can test.
Big words from a little pest.
I thought you'd be a meat-eater like the other
Theropods. I'm surprised to see you trying to catch fish.
And I would have caught some fish if you had been quieter.
Sorry.
But we're all sorry, sir.
Shh! Don't move a muscle.
Here he is.
There who is?
Shh!
Oh, dag nabbit! I almost had him!
Well, you actually lost that one yourself. We didn't scare
Him awa-- um, you almost had who?
Old chester, the big fish I've been after for years. Big,
He is. Huge!
Huge? Even to you, mr. The old spinosaurus?
Yep. Biggest fish in the big misty sea. I aim to catch him
One day. You'll see. I'll do it, or my name isn't the old
Spinosaurus!
And it is your name.
Well, good luck, sir. We'll leave you to your lifelong
Quest and just move-- wait a second, dad. We can't
Go now. This is awesome. We just met a theropod who catches
Fish! Mister, will you teach me how to fish like you?
Why?
Well, you see, I'm a theropod, growing up in a
Pteranodon family. They're all super good at fishing. If you
Could teach me how to fish theropod style, I could catch
Fish like the rest of my family.
Hmm. I remember growing up with my family. Ma, pa, my
Sister, tiny.
Tiny?
That's my name.
Well, what do you know? I mean, so what?
Please, mr. Old spinosaurus, sir? Teach buddy how to fish
And we'll never bother you again.
Well, if it'll get rid of you pests, I'll do it.
Yes!
Ok, we're in the water and standing real still. What
Next?
What's next is, we keep doing this.
But we aren't doing anything.
Look, kid, the secret to theropod fishing is to stand
Perfectly still so that the fish think you're just some old
Log or a rock.
Like we thought you were a rock.
And a theropod like you should have known better. Now,
Hush. And keep your eyes peeled. When the fish swim
Close, we scoop 'em up in our long theropod jaws.
Got it.
I think I know why the old spinosaurus said he'd teach
Buddy to fish. He knew he'd get some peace and quiet.
[Laughter] [shiny whimpers]
I'm going to fly around a little--out of reach of that
Big spiky guy.
Not too far. Just overhead, shiny.
Ah. That mean old dinosaur looks a smaller from up here.
Huh? Hey, buddy--hey, mister, a real big fish swimming your way.
It's him. Let's get him!
[Gasps] consarn it! Never been so
Close in my life. Good eye, young lady. You and me almost
Got him using pteranodon and theropod fishing methods.
Gee. Well, thanks, sir. Glad to help.
[Gulp] I caught one! I caught a fish! Theropod style!
Hey!
Hooray!
[All cheering] boy, the sun sure is heating
Up.
Yep. You need one of these big old frills on your back.
They stick up and catch the breeze. It helps to cool my
Body.
And make shade for the rest of us.
You sure aren't what I expected you to be, mr.
Spinosaurus. I hypothesized you would only eat meat, and I was
Wrong. But I'm glad we stuck around to find out.
I'm glad you stuck around, too, buddy. And I have a
Hypothesis of my own. You can teach an old dinosaur a new
Fishing trick. Whoa. I can't believe it. I think I actually
Smiled.
[All laugh] [train horn blows]
Well? How was the fishing?
Great!
I learned how to fish theropod style.
And guess who we met.
[As old spinosaurus] one day, I'll catch chester, or my
Name isn't the old spinosaurus!
[Conductor chuckles] so you met the old guy?
That's right. We made a new friend. And he's big--this big.
[Laughter] [train horn blows]
Hi there. I'm dr. Scott, the paleontologist, and this is
Spinosaurus.
Spinosaurus.
Spinosaurus.
Spinosaurus.
Now, what's the first thing you notice about spinosaurus?
It had a big ridge on his back.
Yep. Paleontologists call that ridge a sail, and it grew
Up to feet tall. That's as big as some of your parents.
Now, can you guess what a spinosaurus sail was for?
To scare off other dinosaurs.
To keep the dinosaur cool.
You guys are smart. Those are some of the same ideas that
Paleontologists have suggested.
Now, do you notice anything else kind of strange about this
Dinosaur?
It has a really long head.
Exactly. Some scientists think that this giant meat-eater
Used its long snout to catch fish. Now, can you think of an
Animal alive today with a long snout that also likes to catch
Fish?
Crocodile.
That's right. We think that spinosaurus may have caught
Fish like crocodiles do today.
Crocodiles stay very still, and when a fish swims by, they
Lunge quickly with their long snouts and grab it.
Remember, get outside, get into nature,
And make your own discoveries.
Buddy has a hypothesis. What do you use your feathers for?
I have a pothesis. I have a hypothesis. I have a new
Hypothesis to test out. Tiny, I have a hypothesis.
You mean an idea you can test?
I have a hypothesis. I think you guys are faster because
Your legs are longer. So I have a hypothesis.
But how can we test that?
It was an interesting hypothesis.
Buddy really likes the word "hypothesis." It means an idea
You can test.
Hello, folks. It's me, the conductor. Today, we're going
To visit our old friend, morris the stegosaurus, and find out
More about his tail. So come along with me on the dinosaur
Train. All aboard!
Ok, guess which dinosaur I am. I have feet and a long
Neck, and I like to ride the dinosaur train.
Ned the brachiosaurus!
What dinosaur am i? I have a lot of teeth, two fingers, and
Walk on two legs. And my name's buddy.
You're buddy.
You're me-- a t-rex!
Ok, man, guess who am. I walk on legs and, like, have
Plates on my back, and a long tail with spikes on it.
You're morris the stegosaurus!
I am morris. I use my tail spikes to, I guess, carry food
Around, or to cool off my body.
Hmm. I'm not too sure aut that, tiny. I think morris uses
His spikes for something else.
Well, for what? He could carry things with his spikes.
They're pointy. And I think they can cool him down, too.
I thought morris' spikes go like this, off to the side, not
Up and down. So they probably don't make him cooler.
They could still catch the breeze.
His spikes are pointy, and they don't help him cool off.
Maybe they do!
I don't think they do.
Grrr.
Kids, let's not fight. You have to try to work out your
Differences.
Oh, we're not fighting, mom.
Yeah. I think morris' spikes are for one thing.
And I think he uses them for something else.
And I'm not sure who's right.
Hmm. Me, neither, don. But I do know, tiny and buddy, that
You two are having a disagreement.
I guess we can disagree all day.
That doesn't sound fun at all.
Well, kids, if you're wondering about morris the
Stegosaurus' spikes, then I have an idea.
Is it to go see morris?
That is exactly my idea, tiny.
Yeah!
Morris has spikes and plates--he'll know what they're
For. Plus, we get to ride the dinosaur tin.
Yay!
Yay!
You guys go. I promised shiny I'd stay at the nest with
Her and dad.
Ok. [Squawk] [squawk]
Let's go, kids.
Bye, don!
[Train horn blows] so I said the spikes on
Morris' tail were for cooling him off.
But that's what his plates do.
Grrr.
Hmm. The spikes of the stegosaurus--ahem--let us take
A look, shall we? The spikes stick out to the side.
Yeah, that's what I said they did.
But not straight out.
I have a hypothesis. I don't think morris' spikes do the
Same thing his plates do.
Well, buddy and tiny, I must say, you two are very
Intelligent.
We are?
Oh, yeah. You know, you're doing a scientific
Investigation by going to visit morris and see those spikes for
Yourself. And I'll bet you'll ask some questions.
You know we will.
And mrs. Pteranodon, kudos to you for taking your kids on
This expedition.
Oh, why, thank you, mr.
Conductor.
[Pocket alarm rings] oh, gosh. The time has been
Flying. Ahem--time tunnel! Time tunnel approaching! Hold on to
Your tails!
Stegosaurus forest in the jurassic time period.
Bye!
Yeah, but, dude, this gully is mine.
Hey, do you hear something?
It's my gully, man.
It sounds like morris.
Let's go find him.
This is my territory.
Yours? It's my gully, man.
Your gully? Ha! Listen, just stay there away from me.
Yeah, but, dude, I still want to go over there for the
Tasty plants.
And I want to go over there to my side of my gully.
No go, bro. There's no way that this is your gully. I was
Here first.
Really? I reckon I was.
You? Well, I know I was.
Hi, guys.
Hey, it's the pteranodon family. Awesome to see you
Dudes.
Huh. Well, hi, folks. Mrs.
Pteranodon, always a pleasure.
Tiny and buddy, my theropod pal.
Hi. Um--what were you guys disagreeing about?
Oh, this is my territory.
My territory, dude.
And I want to go to the other side of my gully.
And my gully. So I should be able to cross it without any
Problemos.
See? He's the problem. I'm not sure I trust morris.
I am so not the problem. And I'm not sure I trust you, alvin.
Why?
Well, tiny, it's like this.
Me and morris have never been friends because our families
Aren't friendly.
It's true. See, the allosaurs were always after us
Stegosaurs because allosaurs are, you know, predators.
O but maybe you two could become friends.
Yeah. It's great to have friends, and you both live in
The same territory. So, alvin, morris, what do you think?
No.
No.
[Tiny sighs] hey, what if we just figure
Out how you can cross a gully without any more fighting?
Buddy, that's a great idea.
Alvin, why do you want to go to the other side of the gully?
There's good carrion over there.
And iant to go to the other side because there's good
Ferns there.
[Sniffs] hmm.
Whoa! Stay on your side, alvin.
Whoa! Man, that is one dangerous tail!
Oh, yeah, morris' tale.
That's why we came here to visit.
What? To see my tail? Right.
Tiny and I were arguing about what you use your spiky
Tail for.
Do you mind if the kids look at your tail, morris?
Absolutely. Look all day.
So, spikes, and they go out to the side.
I guess you were right, buddy. Does your spiky tail
Help you cool down at all?
No. The plates on my back do that.
Ok. Do you ever carry food on your spikes?
Uh--i have never carried anything on my spikes. Awesome
Idea, though. Well, go ahead.
Feel them if you want to.
Hmm. Spiky.
Very spiky.
Oh, but don't worry, kids.
I'd never hurt you with my spiky tail.
But you might use your tail to hurt someone if you needed
To, right?
Well, I don't want to hurt anyone, but my tail does help
Me protect myself. It keeps, like--ahem--predators away, if
You know what mean.
Whoa! Hey, hey! I was just looking. See, I've always been
Afraid of morris' spikes, but I avoid them by moving away fast,
Like this.
Hey, I saw that, alvin. Now you watch your tail, man.
I was just showing them how fast I move.
Yeah, maybe, but that tail was too close.
A quick meeting, kids. These two big guys, alvin and morris,
Are natural enemies, not friends. So getting them to be
Nice to each other may be pretty hard.
But maybe all of us together could get them to try
To get along.
Yeah. Like dad says, go, team pteranodon.
[Squawk] right, kids.
Alvin, morris, we just want you to try to get along.
Not everyone's cut out to be best friends, especially with a
Big carnivore like alvin. Dude, that's nature.
He's right. Morris and I will never be best friends. Not
With that spiky tail of his.
Hey, guess what. You guys just actually agreed on
Something.
[Tiny laughs] you're right, buddy. Alvin
And morris both said that they'll never be best friends,
But maybe you guys can at least be, you know, friendly.
Oth groan] we'll see.
You both want to switch sides of the gully, but you
Have to work together.
If you switch places, morris gets his tasty ferns.
And, alvin, you get your carrion. So what do you
Say? Want to switch?
U dudes, I'll give it a try.
Yeah, me, too. One try.
Great.
Ok, here we go. Ready?
Alvin, step tone side.
Morris, step to other side, slowly.
Easy. Check your tails. Keep them from swinging too much.
Yo, yo, yo, watch the tail, watch the tail.
Watch your own tail, mr.
Spikes.
Ready? Switch sides.
Yay!
Whoo-hoo!
Yeah, you did it!
And no one got spiked!
Yeah, his tail didn't hit me.
And look. I'm over here now.
Oh, thanks for your help, young dudes.
So does this mean you're friends now? Or I mean,
Friendly?
Uh, we could try and start to be friendly.
Yeah, dude. We can start.
Slowly.
Hooray! That's so great!
Yeah. It's a lot better than arguing and fighting. Hey,
Tiny, I'm sorry I argued with you about what morris' tail
Spikes are for.
Yeah, I'm sorry, too. I sure know one thing. You're my best
Friend, buddy.
Aw.
Aw.
[Train whistle blows] well, we know what that
Whistle means. Time to head home, kids.
Morris, thanks for telling us about what your tail spikes
Are for.
Yeah. You ended our disagreement. Sometimes, all it
Takes is talking things out.
Mmm. What? Oh--oh, yeah, you're right, tiny. Ha ha. Just
Trying to stay mellow over here. Later, pteranodon family.
See you all soon. Go, theropods!
Go, theropods!
Bye!
Alvin went like this, to one side.
No, morris went to that side, and alvin swung his tail
Around this way.
Kids, don't fight. Let's work this out.
You're right, don. Ok, I'm alvin crossing the gully.
And I'm morris. Hey, whoa, watch your tail, man.
We switched. Now we can be friends.
Friends? All right, dude, but we got to start real slowly.
[All laugh] hi. I'm dr. Scott the
Paleontologist, and this is one of my favorite dinosaurs--
Stegosaurus. When most people think of stegosaurus, they
Think about the huge plates on its back. But this amazing
Plant eater also had long spikes at the end of its tail.
Some paleontologists think that stegosaurus used its tail
Spikes to fight off big meat-eating dinosaurs like
Allosaurus.
Nice spikes.
Animals living today also use lots of different ways to
Stop predators from eating them. Can you think of some?
Porcupines use pointy quills.
Turtles hide in their shells.
Skunks spray smelly stuff.
Right, those are all great examples of things that animals
Do to keep the predators away.
So the tail spikes of stegosaurus may just have been
One dinosaur's answer to a very old problem. Remember, get
Outside, get into nature, and make your own discoveries.
Did you know that the dinosaur train travels
Everywhere in the mesozoic era?
Let's look at the map. There was the triassic, jurassic, and
Cretaceous time periods. Let's visit the jurassic. It was a
Warm, damp climate full of both jungles and forests. The first
Known birds and many of the biggest dinosaurs, like
Stegosaurus, lived in the jurassic. And that's just one
Of the stops on the dinosaur train.
Time for a tiny ditty. And we figured it out!
We figured it out!
We worked together and figured it out!
[Laughter]
♪ Dinosaur train dinosaur train ♪
♪ Dinosaur train dinosaur train
We're going to ride the dinosaur train
Dinosaur train dinosaur train
Dinosaur train dinosaur train
Dinosaur train we're going to ride
Ride, ride, ride, ride the dinosaur train ♪
01x15 - The Old Spinosaurus & the Sea/A Spiky Tail Tale
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Set in a whimsical prehistoric world of jungles, swamps, active volcanoes and oceans, all filled with dinosaur and other prehistoric animal life, and connected by a train line known eponymously as the Dinosaur Train
Set in a whimsical prehistoric world of jungles, swamps, active volcanoes and oceans, all filled with dinosaur and other prehistoric animal life, and connected by a train line known eponymously as the Dinosaur Train