Meet the Modern-Day Dinosaurs of Ancient Australasia!

Modern Dinosaurs dives into New Zealand's ancient wildlife and fossil records. This six-part series, led by scientists and adventurers, explores the survival of unique species like the tuatara, flightless kiwi, and others shaped by New Zealand's dramatic landscapes. It contrasts New Zealand's ecosystems with Australia’s, pondering evolution and what the future holds for these rare creatures.

0:00:00 - Episode 4 - A Very Strange Parrot:
The nocturnal, flightless Kakapo defies typical parrot traits, climbing trees using its beak. With only 154 left, researchers on Codfish Island race to save them. The episode explores New Zealand’s other quirky animals, like a nearly flightless bat and the twice-surviving takahe.

0:47:40 - Episode 5 - Island Giants:
New Zealand harbors giant creatures like the rat-sized weta, enormous longfin eel, and colossal birds. In Australia, scientists find fossils of extinct marsupial lions and giant kangaroos. What drove New Zealand's evolution of massive birds, insects, and fish?

1:35:19 - Episode 6 - Violent Seas:
New Zealand's oceans hold prehistoric mysteries like primitive sharks in Milford Sound. The episode investigates ocean giants, ancient whale fossils in valleys, and the dynamic Kaikoura coast, where earthquakes lifted the seafloor. What lessons can these marine survivors teach us?

#newzealand #dinosaur #extinction