Summary
In the harsh Cretaceous deserts, a huge Dreadnoughtus shows off to win a mate, tiny Mononykus listens for insects hidden under the sand, and a pack of Velociraptors picks its moment to hunt. The episode shows how animals find food, water, and mates where resources are scarce. A vivid case study in surviving an extreme habitat.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+Mild peril
Velociraptors hunt as a pack and there is a mating display -- mild and not graphic; preview first.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
"Deserts" shows how dinosaurs survived one of the hardest habitats on Earth.
- What makes a desert a difficult place to live?
- How does little Mononykus find food it cannot see? What sense is it using?
- Why might hunting in a group help Velociraptors catch prey in the desert?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: desert, resource, senses, mate, pack.
Try it: Name one animal from the episode and one sense it uses to survive. Then draw where that sense is on its body.