- Hello, folks. It's me, the Conductor.
Today we'll take a trip on the Dinosaur Train
on a journey deep under the Earth.
I can dig it.
So come on along with me on the Dinosaur Train.
All aboard!
- ♪ Dinosaur Train
[train whistle toots] - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ Once upon a time, there was a mom ♪
♪ Her name was Mrs. Pteranodon ♪
♪ Sitting on her nest, she heard a scratching and said ♪
- Oh, boy, my eggs are hatching!
- ♪ One by one, her kids popped free ♪
♪ Baby Pteranodons, one, two, three ♪
- 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 gonna ride... - ♪ Ride, ride, ride, ride
[train whistle toots]
- ♪ The Dinosaur Train
- [roars]
- Tickets. Tickets, please.
all: Hello, Mr. Conductor!
- Where's Mrs. Pteranodon today?
- Oh, she's taking a little time for herself.
A little Mom vacation.
- A Mom-cation.
- So it's just me and the kids.
- Excellent.
Anyone feeling excited about our special secret trip?
kids: Yes!
- Especially me,
because you said it was secret
and it involved digging.
- That's right. I did.
- And you know what digging means?
Holes!
- And you know who loves holes? - Me!
- Wait. We're going on a trip to a hole?
- More than just a hole, Shiny-- a cavern.
- Hooray! We're going into a cavern!
Wait. What's a cavern?
- You know what caves are, right?
- Yes. I love caves.
- Good, 'cause a cavern is a huge cave
that goes on and on underground.
- Mm, I'm not sure I like this idea.
- Good morning, everyone. kids: Gilbert!
- Gilbert? Are you coming to the cavern too?
- Ab-so-tootly-lutely, Miss Shiny.
I wouldn't miss it.
- All right, then. I like this idea.
[ting]
- Can we show them where we're going, Uncle Conductor?
- Well, we could show it to 'em,
but I'd rather sing it to 'em.
Oh, yeah.
- Whee! - Whoo-hoo!
- ♪ We've been up
♪ We've been down
♪ Here and there, all around ♪
both: ♪ But this time the train's going underground ♪
- [gulps]
- ♪ Deep down under the Earth's foundation ♪
♪ There's a place called Cretaceous Cavern Station ♪
- ♪ But, my friends, that's just the start ♪
♪ We're digging down to a deeper part ♪
♪ We'll dig as deep as we can handle ♪
♪ Maybe all the way till we reach the mantle ♪
- ♪ We'll probably stop there, it's pretty hot there ♪
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
both: ♪ Who knows what we'll discover? ♪
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
both: ♪ Who knows what we'll uncover? ♪
- ♪ Caverns - ♪ Rivers
- ♪ Jewels and minerals
- ♪ But I hope not red-hot lava ♪
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
♪
- ♪ I'm so glad we're on this ride ♪
♪ Who knows what's on the Earth's inside? ♪
- ♪ Can we dig right through ♪
♪ And come out the other side? ♪
- ♪ A fun thought, Don
♪ But probably not, Don
- Aw.
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
♪
♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
[all cheering]
- Mr. The Conductor? - Yes, Mr. The Don?
- Is Cretaceous Cavern Station at the center of the Earth?
- Actually, it's way up here.
See, if you look at the layers inside the Earth,
We all live on the thin, solid outermost layer,
called the crust.
Even though it's miles and miles thick,
everything we know, from our mountains
to our oceans, lies way up on top
of that layer of the Earth's crust.
- But we are going to dig a giant hole in the crust,
further down, right?
Yes. As far down as we can dig,
before we reach this area,
called the mantle.
It's very thick and very hot.
And beneath that layer is the core,
which is extremely hot,
nearly as hot as the surface of the sun.
all: Wow.
- We're not going there, right?
- Not at all. We'll just be digging up here,
in the crust, near the top--
no digging down into the core, not even the mantle.
- Just...the...crust.
- Just...the...crust,period.
- Whew. - Yay!
I can't wait till we dig through the crust
and then the mantle and then the core
till we reach the center of the Earth.
What's that made of?
- Not rock or dirt.
I'm gonna have to come up with a good hypothesis.
- All we can do is hypothesize, Buddy.
We don't know what's at the center of the Earth.
It's so hot, we can't even get close to it.
- This is going to be the best hole ever.
[bell chiming] - Oh, my.
Time to go underground.
Ready, everyone?
all: Ready!
- Not so ready.
- 'Cause it's time for a Time Tunnel.
Time Tunnel approaching.
Next stop, Cretaceous Cavern Station.
Here we are, deep under the Earth.
Welcome to Cretaceous Cavern Station.
all: Whoa!
- All right, everyone, follow me
to our most experimental train yet.
- Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs,
may I present the latest invention
from Dinosaur Train Industries,
the Drill Train.
all: Whoa! - It's huge!
- Today we'll ride along in comfort
as the Drill Train drills a brand-new tunnel
down into the Earth's crust, on a voyage of discovery.
- What are we going to discover?
- We're looking for right place to build
a brand-new underground train station.
- But why are you building a station deeper underground?
- Yeah, no one lives farther down, right?
- You'd be surprised, Shiny.
A lot of creatures live farther underground than this.
They just get tinier and tinier
the deeper down we go.
- Rawk! Tiny? All right!
- So we've decided to build a station that caters
to our deeper-underground clientele.
- It is our goal to ultimately reach
every corner of the Mesozoic.
- All aboard the Drill Train!
- Whoo-hoo! Yeah! - All right! The Drill Train.
- We're actually going to drill down
into the Earth in this thing?
- Yeah. What are we waiting for?
Come on! Rawk!
[whirring]
all: Ooh!
- Hey, Shiny, how are you doing?
- [whimpers]
- Just relax and enjoy the ride.
- Well, I'd feel a lot better
if there was something outside the window besides rock.
- First stop-- we're here.
- We're here? Where's here?
[rumbling]
all: Ooh!
- Hooray! Is this the center of the Earth?
- Well, Don, in fact,
we've barely scratched the surface.
- We Troodons are gonna get out and have a look around.
See if this is a likely spot to build our underground station.
- Wow.
- Rawk! It's pretty neat.
But why would this be a spot for a station?
It kind of just looks like a hole in the dirt.
- This is a great spot for a station.
Look, there are all kinds of interesting shapes in the rocks.
You can really see the different layers.
- Dad? Can we go explore a little?
- All right, just stay within "rawking" distance!
- Okay! Rawk!- Rarr!
- Shiny, don't you want to explore
and see if we can find any strange underground life?
- Don, I'm pretty sure that nothing could live
this far down, no matter how strange.
all: Aah!
- Oh. Oh, hello.
- Rawk! Hello. Sorry.
You just really surprised me.
- Oh, I surprised you?
How do you think I feel,
digging around and running into a giant drill train
and a bunch of surface creatures?
You are surface creatures, right?
- Right.
- I haven't spent much time on the surface,
you know, above ground.
- So you have been above ground?
- Sure. It's nice, I guess.
I live near the surface most of the time,
but occasionally I like to go
for a deep dive way down here.
I just love to dig.
- Hello. I'm Tiny Pteranodon.
- Oh, I'm Natasha. I'm a Necrolestes.
- We're Pteranodons. And Buddy is--
- [gasps] He's a T. Rex, right?
I've heard of those, but never seen one.
- This is so great.
I've never seen a Necrolestes either.
Do you mind if we compare features?
It's kind of my thing.
- I would love it.
Let's start with you, Buddy.
- Okay. T. Rexes have big hind legs,
three-toed feet, lots of teeth,
a great sense of smell, and great eyesight.
- Oh, great eyesight isn't really very important
if you're always tunneling in the dark.
I can see, just not very well.
I've got a big snout,
a short body, and wide legs.
They're all especially helpful for digging tunnels,
and living underground.
- Wow! So you're like an extra-amazing digger.
- Oh, thanks, but there are even better diggers
than me down here.
- There are other creatures down here?
- Sure. It's amazing underground.
I can show you around.
- Oh, that would be nice. I'm...kind of nervous.
Underground is a little scary.
- Scary? Nah.
Stick with me, Shiny.
I've lived my entire life underground,
and nothing bad has happened to me yet.
- Thanks, Natasha.
I don't feel quite as scared now.
I think I can handle this...
as long as we don't dig deeper.
- Well, of course we're gonna dig deeper.
- Oh.
- Come on, everyone, back to the Drill Train!
- Where are we going now, Mr. Conductor?
- Well, although this could be a perfect spot for a station,
I have a hunch that if we dig deeper,
we'll find a more perfect spot.
- [gasps]
This Drill Train of yours
is the most amazing thing I've ever seen.
- Isn't it?
- Huh, digs pretty fast,does it?
- Amazingly fast.
- Well, you know, after this layer of dirt,
you'll hit some solid rock.
I've never dug farther.
- The Drill Train will dig
right through that solid rock, Natasha.
- Oh. Wow!
- Natasha, would you like to join us in the Drill Train?
- Oh, Shiny, love to.
- All aboard!
Let's dig deeper!
all: Yes, let's dig deeper!
- Rawk! Okay, since we're all the way down here,
we might as well dig a little deeper.
all: Yay, Shiny! Let's dig deeper!
♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
- Hi, there, I'm Dr. Scott, the paleontologist,
and we're here in the paleontology lab
at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Once fossils come out of the field,
they come to places like this,
where folks like Ishelle, who are volunteers,
prepare the fossils.
And she's working on the skull of a Ichthyosaur,
a prehistoric marine reptile that swam in the seas
during the Triassic time period,
million years ago.
So this specimen was buried for million years.
It was discovered by paleontologists,
brought back to Los Angeles,
and it will take months to maybe a year or more
to prepare this skull so it can be studied.
And to prepare the fossils,
that means they use a range of tools--
sometimes air abrasives,
sometimes tools that you might recognize,
a toothbrush, for example...
or a dental pick,
which you might have seen at the dentist's office.
And it's with this range of tools
that Ishelle is removing the rock,
revealing the fossil,
and once it's fully revealed,
it is given a specimen number,
a card is written up about it,
and then it is time to transport the fossil
into the collections.
And it's at that point, that the research truly begins.
- Hello, folks. It's me, The Conductor.
Today the Pteranodon Family is deep in the Earth
looking for the perfect spot to build
an underground train station.
So come on along with me on the Dinosaur Train.
All aboard!
[upbeat music]
♪
- Nice stack of fish-wiches, Don.
- It's really swaying.
I bet you can't add one more leaf.
- Uh, Don--
- Ah, a teetering tower of treats.
Kind of reminds me of the layers
of the Earth's underground, Mr. The Don.
- That's what I was thinking, Mr. The Conductor.
- I can see the Earth's layers--
the crust, the mantle, more mantle, then the core.
- Right. That's where I live.
And that's where I take vacations.
- Here comes the Drill Train, drilling a hole way down
to the center of the fish-wich Earth.
- Uh, Don, somehow the Drill Train
makes less of a mess. - [chuckles]
- Mmm, tasty.
Okay, this has been fun.
I'm ready to head back up to the top.
Shouldn't we be getting home?
- What?
Shiny, first we have to go to the center of the Earth.
And we're almost there, right?
- No, we're not going close to it.
- Don, listen. We're not going to the center of the Earth.
- You don't know everything, Tiny.
- I didn't say I did.
But Mr. Conductor just told us we're not.
- Maybe he changed his mind.
- I know. Let's go to the Passenger Coach.
I'll show you just how far we are
from the center of the Earth.
It'll be a layered discussion. [chuckles]
Follow me.
Like Don's stack of fish-wiches,
this globe shows us the layers
that make up our Earth--
the thin, solid outermost layer, the crust,
the denser, deeper layer, the mantle,
and, finally, the really dense, extremely hot core.
- Let's go there--the core, the center of the Earth.
- It's super-duper-double-duper hot there, Don,
as hot as the sun.
- Fine. We won't go in it.
We'll just stand outside of it.
- It's much too hot
to go anywhere near the inner core, Don.
Now, here's where the Drill Train started,
and here's where we are now.
See? Still pretty close to the Earth's surface.
- Is this where we're going next?
- Uh... [clears throat]
[whispering indistinctly]
- Actually, we're going to a different area,
somewhere I've never been.
But I've been told
it's the perfect place to explore for Nature Trackers.
- Ready? Okay.
kids: Go, Nature Trackers!
[all cheering]
[rumbling]
- Shiny, I'm proud of you.
I know that when we first started this trip,
you were nervous about being underground.
But now you seem fine and dandy.
- Thanks, Dad. I do feel fine and dandy.
It's weird, though. I mean, I can't see the sky.
And I can't even fly up in the air whenever I want.
Plus, there's all that rock over our heads,
and under our feet,
and on every side all around us,
so much rock everywhere.
- [gulps, chuckles nervously]
Yeah, I hadn't really thought of it that way.
- But none of that really bothers me anymore.
Oh, well.
- [shaky voice] Yeah, tons of rock above us,
below us, on all sides, we can't fly out.
Oh! - Deep breaths, Mr. P.
Calm, breathe.
- Mr. Pteranodon, as a Necrolestes,
I live underground--
always have, always will--
and nothing bad has ever happened to me.
You have my word, okay?
- [muttering] [train grinding, crash]
- Oh! Ah! Is the train broken? Are we stuck?
- It's okay, Mr. P. - I knew it, we're stuck!
- The train is broken! We're stuck!
- I knew it! - Everything is gonna be okay.
- Friends, please, listen, we're not stuck.
The Train isn't broken.
We stopped because we're here.
- Oh, right. [chuckles] I knew that.
[chuckles] You got to stay calm, pal.
- It's Nature Trackers adventure time, underground!
Let's discover some treasures in the Earth's layers.
[all cheering]
- Let's get into a deep hole!
kids: Yay! Come on, let's go!
- This is what I told Mr. Conductor--
many layers of the Earth are full of fossils.
- Who remembers what a fossil is?
- Old bones of different animals.
- And leaves and even footprints
and leaf-prints of things...
both: Are preserved in rocks. Rawk!
- I love fossils, don't I, Buddy?
- Yep. And so do I.
I even brought a fossil from home for good luck.
This is a trilobite, a really old fossil.
It's the best one I have.
all: Ooh.
- So, Mr. Conductor,
can we be Nature Tracker Underground Fossil Hunters?
- You took the words out of my mouth, Tiny.
Now, remember, Fossil Hunters,
look in the layers of sediment--
the older, broken-apart rocks.
That's where the fossils are.
- Look, here are some ammonites--
fossils of animals that actually lived in the ocean.
- The real ocean, down here?
- Well, Don, millions of years ago,
fossils of ocean animals were buried
at the bottom of the ocean.
Then the fossils were all pushed down into the Earth
to where we are now.
- So there are fossil sea shells all over the place down here.
- What? Shells? Real shells?
- Ab-so-tootly-lutely, Shiny.
Okay, Fossil Hunters,
let's start hunting.
- Who knew shells were underground,
especially this far down?
Not this Pteranodon.
Show me some shells.
- Kids, as you hunt, you can put all the fossils you find
in this cart.
Then I can wheel it onto the Drill Train.
[soft music]
♪
- Hey, my head's stuck.
Would someone please pull me out?
- [grunting] - Whoa! Whoa!
[grunting] - [gasping]
Oh, no! That was my best fossil!
My good-luck trilobite!
- Oh, no. I'm really sorry, Buddy.
It was an accident. - Yeah.
- But I will help you find a new one.
We'll just look around, there's tons of fossils here.
- Okay, tha--thanks, Don.
- Well, it's time to get back on the train, Nature Trackers.
- Wait! We can't go yet.
Buddy's lucky trilobite fossil broke,
and we have to find him another one.
- Actually, Tiny,
I'm pretty sure there aren't any trilobites here.
- How do you know that?
- All the fossils here are from a more recent time period,
and I've learned after many years of digging
that you don't find fossils from different time periods
mixed together.
- Oh, too bad, Buddy.
That's just how layers work.
- Oh, but you know what?
Since we're already underground,
I know a place where Buddy can maybe find
another trilobite fossil. - Really?
- We just have to drill down a bit more,
to the fossils of an older time period.
- [sighs] Drill down?
I mean, of course!
Drilling down! Sounds great! [chuckles]
- Can we please go to Natasha's deeper fossil place,
Mr. Conductor?
kids: Please?
- Hmm... of course!
How could I say no to an opportunity to explore more?
[all cheering]
[rumbling]
- Yes! Closer to the center of the--
- Don't say it, Don!
We're not going to the "you know where."
- Actually, the place we're going is called Fossil Alley.
kids: Fossil Alley!
- Where we're going to find Buddy another lucky trilobite.
Well, we hope. Trilobites can be hard to find.
Any idea why, Buddy?
- I have a hypothesis.
Trilobites are really old.
They're from a time period long ago,
so they're probably deeper in the Earth.
- That is one excellent hypothesis, Buddy.
You're onto something.
Older fossils are harder to find
because they're deeper in the Earth.
Then there's the Law of Superposition.
- Super-po-what-chin?
kids: Superposition.
- Oh, superposition. Got it.
- What does it mean, Mr. Conductor?
- Well, we know that fossils are found in different layers.
The Law of Superposition means that when we see
a stack of rock layers,
the oldest rocks are usually on the bottom,
and the younger ones are on top.
- So there are layers of older and older fossils?
- Bingo, Buddy!
As the older layers of fossils got buried deeper and deeper,
new layers formed above them.
[bell chiming]
Oh! We're here! Next stop--Fossil Alley.
[train grinding] - Aah!
[sighs] Calm, yes.
I'm perfectly calm. Everyone else okay?
- We've just stopped,Mr. P.
I've gonna have to have those brakes checked.
Everyone, let's explore!
all: Fossil Alley!
[cheering]
- All right, this is the place.
Let's look for ancient fossils.
- Rawk! Show me more shells.
- Fossil, I think it's a fossil,
Swirly fossil, long fossil,
ooh, super-swirly fossil.
- Oh, trilobites. Where are you, trilobites?
- Found one, Buddy?
- Oh, not a trilobite. Keep looking, Buddy.
- [sighs] I guess I'll never find a--
Wait. Is that a...?
all: Trilobite!
- [gasps] It is a trilobite--
a beautiful one.
- Hooray! We found a trilobite.
- Not just atrilobite.
- Whoa. Looks like there's enough trilobites for everyone.
[all cheering]
- How do you like it, Buddy?
- It's perfect.
It's even better than my old one.
- Yeah. This one's gonna be even luckier. Whoo-hoo!
- Okay, Nature Tracker Fossil Hunters,
all aboard!
[all cheering]
- Thanks for taking us to Fossil Alley, Mr. Conductor.
- Anything for my favorite passengers, Buddy.
- Don't forget Natasha.
She told us about Fossil Alley.
all: Hip, hip, hooray!
- You know, I understand there may be one other spot
that's even more perfect... deeper down.
Should we all go take a look?
- I--Well... - Yeah.
Let's keep it going.
Let's drill down deeper till we find out...
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
- Hi, I'm Dr. Scott, the paleontologist
and these are T. rex footprints.
Paleontologists have discovered thousands
of dinosaur footprint fossils.
They've been found on every continent.
- Dinosaur footprints.
- Sometimes we just find one footprint,
and sometimes we find a long series of footprints
called "track ways."
Fossil track ways tell us how dinosaurs moved.
Tracks tell us that disaurs stood upright.
with their feet close together,
and since we don't find many signs of dragging tails,
we know that dinosaurs held their tails in the air.
- That's cool.
- Paleontologists have also found track ways
of sprawling crocodiles... [crocodile snarling]
and slithering snakes... [snake hissing]
and hopping frogs. [frog croaking]
Of course, animals living today make tracks too.
You're probably seen some right around your own home.
Hey, I've got an idea.
Get outside, get into nature,
and make your own footprint discoveries.
- We love playing games. - Like All Aboard!
You can play, too, online at pbskids.org.
- And lots of other games!
- There's so much to learn about all kinds of dinosaurs.
- Go to pbskids.org.
- ♪ Dinosaur Train - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ Dinosaur Train - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ Dinosaur Train - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ We're gonna ride... - ♪ Ride, ride, ride, ride
[train whistle toots]
- ♪ The Dinosaur Train
- Hello, folks. It's me, the Conductor.
Today, the Pteranodon family
rides the drill train to an underground cave
where they meet some troglobites.
So come on along with me on the Dinosaur Train.
All aboard!
- ♪ Dinosaur Train
[train whistle toots] - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ Once upon a time, there was a mom ♪
♪ Her name was Mrs. Pteranodon ♪
♪ Sitting on her nest, she heard a scratching and said ♪
- Oh, boy, my eggs are hatching!
- ♪ One by one, her kids popped free ♪
♪ Baby Pteranodons, one, two, three ♪
- 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 gonna ride... - ♪ Ride, ride, ride, ride
[train whistle toots]
- ♪ The Dinosaur Train
- [roars]
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
- I love that song!
It's the perfect music for our mission.
- To the center of the Earth.
- Don, Mr. Conductor told you,
we're not really going to the center of the Earth.
It's too deep and impossibly hot.
Right, Gilbert?
- That's right, Shiny.
The mantle is hot,
and the core is even hotter.
As hot as the surface of the sun.
- See?
- But we are digging way down
to find the perfect spot
for an underground train station.
- And our next stop should be pretty cool.
- Really?
Where is it?
- Please tell us.
We can't wait.
- Neither can I.
And luckily, we don't have to.
We're here!
[train whirring]
[all gasp]
All off board!
- [sighs]
Don: Wow, what a hole!
- Everything down here is beautiful.
- Great place for a train station, right?
- And even better place to explore!
- Especially for an amateur speleologist like me.
- A "whosabawhat-gist"?
- [chuckles] A speleologist is someone
who studies caves.
all: Oh, a speleologist.
- You should've said so.
- Caves like this
take millions of years to form,
as the limestone is slowly dissolved away
by underground rivers.
[chirping]
- Dad, did you just tap me on the shoulder?
- No.
- [chirp]
- Did you just tap me on the waist?
- No.
- [chirp]
[both yell]
[both gasp]
- Sheesh, could you keep it down?
I'm sensitive to loud noises.
both: Sorry.
- Oh, I see you've met Bernie the Beetle.
He's a troglobite.
- A troglobite is a creature
whose body is specially adapted
for living in deep caves without any light.
- Very good, Gilbert.
- You mean he has special features?
- Like eyes that can see in the dark?
- [laughs] You kidding?
I don't even have any eyes.
both: What?
- You don't need them down here.
It's too dark.
Instead, I got these antennae.
They're extra-sensitive,
so when they touch things,
I can feel what they are.
- Can you see me with your antennae?
- [muttering]
Three toes on the feet, a long tail.
Ah, lots of teeth.[gasps]
You are definitely a theropod.
- Buddy, you are a theropod.
- And you're not just any theropod.
You, my friend, are a young T. rex.
- I am, Bernie.
That's amazing!
It's one of the coolest features
I've ever seen on a creature.
And I've seen a lot of creatures' features.
- [laughs] Thanks, Buddy.
Ooh, and you are a Pteranodon.
- [squeals] I am a Pteranodon.
I'm Tiny, Buddy's sister,
and Buddy and I are here with our family and friends.
- Hiya, family and friends!
all: Hello, Bernie.
- And hey, Buddy,
if you really love creatures' features,
you should meet my fishy friends.
They don't have any eyes either.
Hey, everyone,
come meet my new pals.
- Bernie, if they don't have eyes,
how can they see you waving your antennae?
- They can't, but they can feel
the vibrations of the water moving.
- That's so neat.
- Bernie, you were right.
Their features are amazing!
- Well, yeah.
But they're not my only friends
with amazing features.
Carla! Sylvester!
Cornelius! Crockett!
- No need to shout, mate.
- Easy, Bernie.
You're making the walls shake with that noise.
- The pond too.
- I'm coming. I'm coming.
- Everyone, I want you to meet
Crockett the Cricket, Sylvester the Spider,
Cornelius the Crab, and Carla the Crayfish.
- Hi, I'm Tiny Pteranodon,
and it's great to meet all of you.
- Ooh, hi, hi, hi.
- Hello. - Hello.
- Hey.
- So, Buddy, I don't know
if you can tell by my friends' features,
but just like me, none of them can see.
- Really? You're all troglobites?
But you don't all have antennae like Bernie.
How do you get around if you can't see?
- Good question.
It's different for each of us.
I like to float in the pond,
so changes in water pressure
help me know what's where.
- And perhaps you've noticed my long legs.
They pick up vibrations in the air to guide me around.
- And the two of you have antennae,
so you see with those, right?
- Sure do!
But not Crockett.
His antennae help,
but his hearing helps him even more.
- Your hearing?
But you don't have any ears.
- Indeed I do, Tiny.
They're on my legs.
all: Your legs?
- [laughs] Righty-o!
So when I say, "use my ears to get round,"
I'm not kidding!
- I bet I'd be a great troglobite.
I'd crawl down into the deepest, darkest holes
and walk around no problem, like this.
Ow!
I'm okay.
- If I were a troglobite,
I'd want to be a fish swimming in the water.
- If I were a troglobite,
I'd move so fast, no one would see me.
- Of course no one would see you.
Troglobites don't see.
- I bet it would feel pretty amazing
to be any kind of troglobite.
You'd see the world in a whole new way.
- That's true, Buddy,
and it gives me an idea for a little contest.
[whispering]
I'm gonna hide four mugs
from the Dinosaur Train snack cart.
Then you'll close your eyes
and use your troglobite senses to find them.
First one back to the drill train
with their mug is the best troglobite.
- Sounds great.
- I love it. - Fun!
- Run around a cave
with my eyes closed?
I don't know.
- I brought five mugs.
I wanna play too!
Sounds like fun.
Don't you think so, Shiny?
- [nervous laughter]
Uh, it actually makes me kind of nervous.
- Well, to help you out, each of you will have
a troglobite partner.
- And I'll watch you too.
I won't let you walk out of "rawking" distance.
- So is everybody ready?
all: Yes!
- Okay.
- Okay, junior troglobites,
do you each have your troglobite helper?
all: Yes!
- Do you have your sticks
from the train for antennae?
all: Yes!
Then get set
and go find those mugs!
- I hit something with my antennae.
- Yeah, you did,
and what does that tell you?
- That something's there,
and I have to go around.
- Excellent, Buddy.
- This is good,
but you can move the antennae more gently
and feel for vibrations with your feet.
Do you feel anything?
- I do.
I can feel someone's feet stomping by.
Boom, boom, boom.
- Yes, so if someone's moving there,
you know that way is clear.
Go, go!
- That's the way.
Wave the antennae and find a path.
- Ah! - Oops!
Sorry, Shiny.
I didn't mean it.
- Oh, Gilbert, that's okay.
It was just an accident.
- Shiny, you all right?
- I don't like this.
I don't know where anything is.
I wanna open my eyes.
- Wait, you can, but try something first.
Use your ears like I do.
- But I don't have ears on my legs like you do.
- Well, then use the ears you do have
and listen really, really carefully.
- Okay.
- I hit something else!
Left turn.
- Did we miss it?
I feel like we've gone so far.
- Ow. I'm okay.
- I hear everything!
It's like I hear the whole cave.
- Which means you can see the whole cave.
Now, use your antennae
and make your way across.
- Whoa.
[splashing]
- I hear the pond.
Better go the other way.
[mug clinking]
[gasps] That sounds like a mug!
I found them!
- Brilliant, Shiny!
- She found them! - I hear her!
- Over there! - Thataway!
- Come on back to the drill train, Shiny.
Hurry!
Oh, it's very close now.
We're in the home stretch.
It's Shiny in the lead,
but Don is getting close
with Tiny and Buddy right behind.
Don is closer, closer!
- Ugh. I'm okay.
- Ooh, that's gotta hurt.
Now it's Tiny and Buddy picking up speed.
They're gaining on Shiny!
But can she hold on to her lead?
Yes, she can!
Shiny wins!
- I did it! I won!
- Great job, Shiny.
You're the best troglobite for sure.
- We're all great troglobites.
You guys were right behind me.
- And here I thought you were nervous.
- Who, me?
[laughs, snorts]
I was really nervous,
but Crockett helped me use all my other senses.
I felt like I could really see the cave.
- Me too. - I did too.
- Yeah. - Same here.
- Thanks, Crockett.
I could never have done it without you.
- Of course you could, mate.
But it was a pleasure helping you out.
- Shiny, as an award for your success
and your bravery,
we want to give you this rock.
It's from our pond.
- It's so smooth.
It feels shiny.
I love it!
And I loved exploring this cave with all of you.
[clock chimes] - I love it too.
But unfortunately,
it's time to get back on the drill train.
All aboard!
- Thanks, Bernie.
I'll always remember you
and your incredible features.
- Come visit us again sometime.
Meanwhile, you hold on to those antennae sticks.
A little something to remember us by, huh?
- We will!
[all cheering]
- That was really fun.
I can't wait to get home
and tell Mom all about it.
So when do we go back to the surface?
both: Back to the surface?
- Are you kidding?
We're going to dig deeper.
Right, Mr. The Conductor?
- Indeed, Mr. The Don.
I have one more place to show you
that might be even more perfect
for a Dinosaur Train underground station.
- Finally, the center of the Earth.
- Well, not quite.
- A Pteranodon can dream, can't he?
♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
- Hi, there, I'm Dr. Scott the paleontologist,
and we're here in the Natural History Museum
of Los Angeles County
in the paleontology collections.
Inside these drawers are fossils,
millions of fossils,
and it's here that all the fossils come
after they're prepared in the paleontology lab.
This is the lower jaw of a marine reptile,
a tylosaur--like a mosasaur--
that lived during the age of dinosaurs.
And every fossil in here has a card that goes with it.
And that card records what kind of animal it is,
when it was found, where it was found,
even who found it.
This one was found by J.R. Macdonald, in .
Thanks, J.R.!
Each one of these drawers then,
and all these cabinets, has more fossils.
Here is another full lower jaw of another tylosaur mosasaur.
And you can see the jaw bone and the teeth inside.
It's amazing to think that millions of years ago,
this fossil was part of an animal
that swam in the oceans.
And here it is, housed in the museum forever,
so that paleontologists, people like me,
can come and do the science
'cause this is where the science really happens.
This is where we make discoveries,
right here in this room.
- Hello, folks.
It's me, the Conductor.
Today, we continue our journey through the Earth's crust
on a search for the perfect spot
for an underground train station.
So come on along with me on the Dinosaur Train.
All aboard!
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
[machinery grinding]
[brakes squeaking]
- Well, that didn't sound good.
I'm gonna go check things out.
Be right back!
- This must be it.
We're finally in the center of the Earth.
- Don, we're not in the center of the Earth.
Are we, Gilbert?
- Nope. Sorry, Don.
- Okay, so maybe we're not in the core layer,
but we're at least in the mantle layer, right?
- Nope. Sorry, Don.
- So we're still in the crust layer?
- Yep, right about...
here.
- Aww.
- Bad news, everyone.
- We're stuck? I knew we'd get stuck.
I knew it! I knew it!
[clears throat] Sorry.
Continue.
- Well, actually, Mr. P, you're right.
We are stuck.
Nothing I can't fix though.
all: Phew!
- So it looks like
we're gonna have to take a break
from looking for the perfect spot
for the new Dinosaur Train underground station.
- Yeah, but while we're here,
you all should get out and take a look around.
I think you'll like what you see.
Especially you, Shiny.
- Me? Okay.
all: Whoa!
- Oh, my goodness!
Where are we, and may we please stay here forever?
- Uh, I think this is The Cave of Giant Crystals.
I've heard of it, but I've never seen it myself.
- Those are the biggest,
shiniest crystals I've ever seen!
What are they made of?
- Minerals.
In fact, you see that brownish crystal over there?
That's called topaz,
and that's what broke the drill
on the front of the drill train.
Hmm, probably need to make a new drill bit.
- Wait, what?
That broke the drill?
- But that doesn't make any sense.
We've been digging through tons of dirt and rock
to get down here.
- Yeah, so how come
that topaz rock broke the drill
when all the other rocks we drilled through didn't?
- Well, first of all, topaz isn't a rock.
It's a mineral. - What's the difference?
- Minerals form naturally in the earth
and are made of the same thing
all the way through.
See?
- So clear and shiny!
- On the other hand, rocks are made up
of a bunch of different kinds of minerals.
Gilbert, can you grab me my trusty rock hammer?
- So wait, rocks are made out of minerals?
But how?
- Maybe minerals hit each other
really hard and join together.
- That's an interesting hypothesis, Don.
- Let's test my hypothesis.
Everyone pick up a mineral.
Now, let's make a rock.
Boom.
Did we do it? Did we make a rock?
both: No.
- Oh. - But look!
My mineral broke.
- So did mine.
- Mine didn't.
Guess I grabbed a piece of topaz.
- So wait, some minerals are harder than others?
- Wow.
Topaz must be really hard.
I wonder if there's something harder.
- Absolutely.
There are thousands of different minerals,
and some of them are harder than topaz.
- Thousands of different minerals?
- Are they always that big?
- Nope, they come in all sizes.
Minerals start small, then after a few million years,
they grow to form crystals like those.
- This is all really interesting,
but I wanna know how to make a rock.
both: Yeah, me too!
- Okay, while I fix the drill train,
you kids go gather up some minerals.
Oh, and here, might as well take the fossil cart.
- Now it's the mineral cart.
- Come on, let's go get some crystals!
[all cheering]
[both gasp]
- Whoa, that mineral's bigger than I am.
- Let me see.
Yep, that mineral
is definitely bigger than you.
- Okay, grab the mineral cart and follow me.
- Wow, what's that?
- Magma.
This is called a magma chamber,
which is a small, underground pool of hot, molten rock.
- But it looks too goopy to be rock.
- Well, Don, it's rock that's so hot
that it's melted into a liquid.
It's the same stuff that comes out of volcanoes.
- Whoa.
- You kids ready?
Take a couple of those minerals
and throw them into the pool of magma.
all: Whoa, the minerals are melting!
- That is so cool.
Actually, it's more hot.
But cool, you know? - Now what?
- Yeah, when does it become rock?
- Well, we'd have to wait millions of years
for it to cool.
- Any way we can speed that up
to, like, eight or nine seconds?
- No, but we can do this.
This rock was formed by that magma
and all the same minerals that you kids found.
It's called granite.
- Granite, cool.
- Yep, cool magma, to be exact.
And it has feldspar, quartz, and mica.
- Huh, mica?
I like-a.
- So first,
all those minerals melt into the magma.
And then when the magma cools,
it makes a rock called granite?
- Correct, Shiny.
- Hmm, I wonder if
all those minerals together make it stronger than topaz.
- Nope, not stronger.
But that's a great idea, Tiny.
If we can find a mineral harder than topaz,
maybe we can stick it on to the broken drill bit.
- Then we can use that extra hard mineral
to dig through the topaz and get back home.
- But where are we going to find
a mineral harder than topaz?
- There's gotta be one down here somewhere.
Come on, let's split up and search.
all: Yeah!
- And in case you find something,
here, these will help you break it free.
- A tiny hammer.
[squeals] I love it.
[all cheering]
- Aww.
Hmm.
- Ugh.
- This is without a doubt
the shiniest place I've ever been.
I wonder if I could live here when I grow up.
I'll have to ask Dad if--
[gasps]
Sparkles!
[squeals]
[grunts]
I know, I'll use my little rock hammer.
[clinking]
Almost got it.
Almost got it!
All right, I--whoa!
[yelling]
Uh-oh.
Guys, little help here!
[all gasp]
- We're coming, Shiny! [grunts]
- Dad! - Shiny!
Whew. We saved you.
- Um, how did you save me if we're all in the cart
and the cart's still moving?
- Uh, good question. Buddy?
- Oh, uh, well--
[all yelling]
- Everybody lean left!
[all grunt]
Now lean right! [all grunt]
- Ooh, crystals!
- Hi, bugs.[gulps]
- Gah, I'm not feeling so well.
- Well, then you're really not going to like this next part.
[all screaming]
- Okay, I'd like to stop now.
- Hey, look up ahead!
It's the drill train.
- Anyone have any idea how to stop this thing?
- Everybody, hammers out!
[all yelling]
[all gasp]
- My mineral!
- Huh, I wonder if the kids had any luck
finding a mineral harder than topaz.
- My mineral!
Is it brok--
- Shiny, is this yours?
Do you know what this is?
- The shiniest mineral I've ever seen.
- Yes, it's a diamond,
the hardest mineral in the world.
Why, with that diamond
attached to the front of the drill,
we'd be able to dig through anything.
- Oh, so we can continue our search for the perfect spot
for the Dinosaur Train underground station.
- Yes, onward to the center of the Earth.
- Uh, well, Don, if we dig any deeper,
we'll get closer to the mantle and then the core.
- All right, let's go!
Mantle! Core!
- Uh, Don, the mantle is really hot,
and the core is even hotter--
as hot as the surface of the sun.
- Oh.
Onward to the surface of the Earth.
- All right, let me go put this diamond
on the front, and we can g--
Yes, Shiny?
- [whispering]
- Well, Shiny, I think that's an excellent idea.
- What'd she say? - [clears throat]
Ladies and gentlemen,
may I present Shiny's great idea
and welcome you to the future location
of the Dinosaur Train underground station!
[all chattering]
- Great idea, Shiny.
This place is perfect.
- [laughs] Mission accomplished!
Great job, Team Pteranodon.
Does this mean we can go home now?
- Why don't you all climb on the train?
With this diamond and Gilbert's help,
I should have this train up and digging in no time.
[all cheering]
- That was the best trip ever.
We dug a huge hole.
- Met a new friend. - Uh, hi.
- Dug a huge hole.
- Saw more shiny minerals
than I've ever seen in my entire life.
- Dug a huge hole.
- Learned all about the layers of the Earth.
Crust, mantle, core!
- Dug a huge hole.
- Found the perfect spot for a new train station.
- Dug a huge hole.
- Got over most of our fears about going underground.
- And don't forget, we...
all: Dug a huge hole!
- [laughs] I knew it.
You were all as excited about it as I was to find out...
all: ♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
♪ What's at the center of the Earth? ♪
- Hi, I'm Dr. Scott the paleontologist.
What do you think these are?
- They're rocks.
- Good guess, but these are a little different.
They're called minerals.
Rocks are actually made of minerals.
Most minerals form way down deep
below the surface of the Earth where it's very hot.
And many minerals that we find today
were around before the dinosaurs.
both: Ooh.
- When these shiny minerals are first discovered,
they're often rough and dirty,
sometimes looking like broken glass.
[glass shatters, chimes tinkling]
But once they're carefully cut and polished,
well, they look...
all: Beautiful.
- So whenever you see a beautiful, polished mineral
like a diamond or a ruby, think about how it formed
deep within the earth long ago,
maybe even before the time of the dinosaurs.
All right, remember, get outside, get into nature,
and make your own discoveries.
- We love playing games. - Like All Aboard!
- You can play too online at pbskids.org.
- And lots of other games!
- There's so much to learn about all kinds of dinosaurs.
both: Go to pbskids.org.
- ♪ The Dinosaur Train - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ Dinosaur Train - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ Dinosaur Train - ♪ Dinosaur Train
- ♪ We're gonna ride... - ♪ Ride, ride, ride, ride
[train whistle toots] - ♪ The Dinosaur Train
04x09 & 04x10 - What's at The Center of The Earth?
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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