Prehistoric Park – Saving the Sabretooth

Sabretooth Tiger

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the fourth exciting episode of Prehistoric Park, featuring British wildlife presenter Nigel Marven, throwing himself into the ultimate challenge: going back in time to rescue prehistoric animals from extinction and bringing them back to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary.

In the third instalment Nigel goes back in time to rescue the Sabretooth tiger.

Sabertooth Tiger Skull

South America, 1 million and 10,000 years ago, Pliocene and Pleistocene/Holocene.

Genera encountered: Toxodon Smilodon populator Phorusrhacos Six-banded Armadillo (live-acted) Red Brocket Deer (live-acted)

Nigel is shown walking with a tame cheetah. He comments that specialization has threatened the cheetah, and later that it may have wiped out the Smilodon. In the park the titanosaurs break their fence and have to be let wander around the park. They go towards the park’s main gates. Bob follows one in a tractor. During this he shouts at a titanosaur “Get back, you great lummox.” To his disgust it discharges runny smelly faeces in front of him: its gut clearly does not like some of the modern vegetation. At the same time, Nigel radios to Bob that he will need a birdcage for a bird standing 10 feet high, but due to tractor engine noise and titanosaur noise, Bob only hears part of the message, and provides an ordinary parakeet-sized birdcage. Nigel explains to Bob what is needed.

Nigel goes through the time portal to South America 1 million years ago when the sabre-tooth species known as Smilodon were in their prime (having recently entered South America after the Panama land bridge formed), but the terror birds (Phorusrhachids) were dying out; before that South America had been cut off from the other continents for 30 million years. He drives through a moving herd of Toxodon; he follows them to find where they were going, and he sees that they were going to water to swim or wallow in: he sees that they lived like modern hippopotami, and thus may be dangerous like hippos. A huge male Toxodon chases Nigel’s jeep, and he has to drive fast and far before it gives up the chase.

Prehistoric Park with Nigel Marven is available as a DVD set from Amazon.com.

Prehistoric Park – Saving the Sabretooth 

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