Walking With Dinosaurs Essay, Research Paper

In Walking With Dinosaurs, the film is segmented into stories based on a certain type of dinosaur or a specific period in dinosaur evolution.

The first segment of the film focuses on the first dinosaurs, in the Triassic period, 220 million years ago. The Coelophysis is featured here. They show the Coelophysis hunting Placerias, an ancient reptile not related to dinosaurs. They show how the speed and agility of the Coelophysis helped it survive and dominate. Another reptile featured in this segment is the Cynodont. These creatures are referred to in the film as the missing link between mammals and reptiles. They had backbones that moved from side to side as they walked, but they were also covered with fur. The largest carnivore of the period is the Postosuchus. This reptile is a distant relative of the dinosaurs. They only creature that they had to protect themselves from was another Postosuchus. The flying reptile of this period that the documentary shows is the Peteinosaurus. This dinosaur had fingers to protect his wings, which were made of a very fine membrane.

The next period they explore is the Jurassic, about 152 million years ago. They describe this as the age of the giants. The first dinosaur they feature is the Diplodocus. They emphasize the length and massive size of the dinosaur, and then go on to show the life span of the Diplodocus from egg to adult. The first Carnisaur shown in this segment is the Ornitholestes, a dinosaur with a crested head and two long clawed fingers. These dinosaurs are connected to the line that led to birds. Stegosauri were also around in this period. They flushed blood into their back plates to frighten away carnivores. Allosaurus preyed on the herbivores of this period as well. The final moments of this segment are dedicated to the Brachiosaurus, a Sauropod much larger than the Diplodocus.

Still in the Jurassic period, they move the focus from land animals to sea dwelling dinosaurs in the segment called Cruel Sea . This segment is set in the Jurassic, 149 million years ago. The first sea-dino shown is the Cryptoclidus. This animal used flippers to guide through the water, though it was clumsy on land. The Ophthalmosaurus are shown gathering for the birthing of their young. The birthing was important because these animals gave live birth to their young. These are the oldest of the marine mammals. Rhamphorhynchus was a flying dinosaur of the period that used his beak to skim the water for food. Hybodus, an early shark, is portrayed looking for prey. Eustreptospondylus could swim across the waters to look for food if they had to. These creatures were bipedal carnivores, related to the line that ultimately led to the Tyrannosaurus. Horseshoe crabs are also shown in this segment. They can lay up to 18,000 eggs. The giant carnivores of the sea are the Liopleuridons. These marine animals hunt the sharks of the water. They can hold their breath for up to an hour while stalking their prey. Tropical storms are huge threats to these sea-dwelling creatures. If they are washed ashore, they may not survive.

After showing the creatures of the sea, the next segment features the creatures of the air. The brightly colored Tapejara is first shown, with a bright red crest. Then they follow the flight of a giant Ornithocheirus on his journey back to the mating grounds to procreate. This segment is during the Early Cretaceous period, about 127 million years ago. Land dinosaurs are also shown in this segment. The Iguanodon is featured, and he is the first dinosaur to have back teeth to aid them in chewing their food. They travel I packs with Polacanthus, who are armored dinosaurs with spikes covering their backs and tails. The carnivore featured in this time period is the Utahraptor. The Utahraptor has huge claws on its legs, as well as long fingers. Both of these aspects help the Utahraptor to catch and kill its prey. The Ornithocheirus travels across several continents to the mating ground for procreation. When he gets there, however, he is too old and worn to attract a mate. Tired and worn out, the flying dinosaur dies from exhaustion.

In the mid-cretaceous, 106 million years ago, dinosaurs were widespread. The next segment of the film follows the species of the South Pole. The Leaellynasaurus are small, resilient dinosaurs. They travel in groups and are territorial of their land. They are hunted in the forests of the South Pole by the Dwarf Allosaurus. He is the largest carnivore in the forest. Migrating from the north are the Muttaburrasaurases. They migrate by following the sun from the north in order to lay their eggs. Polar insects also inhabit the land. A giant amphibian called Koolasuchas feeds on the animals of the South Pole. These amphibians were forced to extinction in other areas through competition with crocodiles. The cold of the South Pole comes and destroys some the animals. Most of them try desperately to find shelter in the heart of the forest where it doesn t freeze.

The final segment of the film studies the late Cretaceous period, around 65 million years ago. The land is covered with volcanoes that give off dangerous carbon monoxide. The most famous dinosaur of the period is the Tyrannosaurus. These carnivores weigh up to 5 tons. One of their main sources of food is the Torosaurus. The dinosaurs have 1-meter long horns and a crest they use to attract mates and declare dominance. A marsupial also lives in this period called the Didelphodon. These mammals raid the nests of dinosaurs and feed on the eggs. Ankylosaurus also inhabit the land. These dinosaurs are armored all over their bodies. They also have a clubbed tail to protect them. This armor helps them withstand the attack of the Tyrannosaurus. Anototitans are duck-billed dinosaurs that also live in this period. They feed on the vegetation around them. Queztalcoatlus is the flying reptile of the period. They are the only Pterosaurs left. They are hunted by crocodiles. Dromeosaurs are also carnivores in this period. They are much smaller than the rest of the dinosaurs featured in this segment. Then the film goes through the end of the dinosaurs. They show the fall of the comet that was believed to kill the dinosaurs.

The parts of the film I liked the most were the baby dinosaurs. They were very cute. Aside from that, I thought the action of the dinosaurs was very realistic. The way they walked and the movements of the muscles were all very life-like. My favorite scene was at the beginning of the Cruel Sea segment when the Liopleuridon jumps out of the water to grab the small dinosaur. It was very lifelike and startling.

With a film of this nature, the makers must take some liberties with the animation. Since we do not know exactly how these dinosaurs behaved or the pigment of their skin, they had to infer these things from the information they had. I think they did well in the film. The animals seemed realistically colored. Also the interactions between the animals were inferred, but they seemed very realistic. They seemed to not want to go overboard with the liberties they took in the making of the film.

This film was interesting and entertaining to watch. It tried to incorporate a storyline to the documentary style of the film. This helped it to be much easier to watch. Overall, this was a good movie.