Summary
Beneath the Cretaceous seas, giant mosasaurs patrol like the sharks and whales of their day, while a pod of Tuarangisaurus shelters a newborn from an attacking predator. The episode shows how ocean animals hunt, defend their young, and survive in open water. A dramatic look at marine habitats and group protection.
Viewer safety
A large predator targets a newborn marine reptile and the pod fights it off -- suspenseful; the baby survives, but preview if your class is sensitive.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
"Oceans" dives into the Cretaceous seas and the animals that ruled them.
- How does the Tuarangisaurus pod protect its newborn from the predator?
- What makes the open ocean a hard place for a young animal to survive?
- Mosasaurs filled a role like today's sharks. What does a top ocean predator do for its habitat?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: ocean, marine reptile, pod, predator, protect.
Try it: Write one sentence with evidence from the episode showing how the group protected the baby. Then name one ocean animal today that stays in a group.