| Saving the Sabretooth | |
|---|---|
 Two Toxodon seen swimming in the episode
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| Episode information | |
| Episode no. : | 4 |
| Broadcast : | 12 August 2006 |
| Chronological information | |
| Preceding episode "Dinobirds" |
Following episode "The Bug House" |
| User reviews | |
| Your opinion : | Saving the Sabretooth/User Reviews |
"Saving the Sabretooth" is the 4th episode of Prehistoric Park. On the DVD, it is the 1st episode on Disk 2. It is also only episode to be set in the Southern Hemisphere, although others were filmed there. The episode originally aired on 12 August 2006.
Summary[]
In this episode, Nigel travels back to Pleistocene South America to rescue the infamous Smilodon as well as a terror bird. He will encounter strange creatures and determine why the most famous prehistoric mammal predator went extinct.
Complete Synopsis[]
While walking with a captive cheetah in the park, Nigel discusses how breeding programs are helping to restore the cheetah population, which is currently far below its historic numbers in the wild. This gives him the idea of rescuing an extinct cat. Specifically, he chooses to bring back a Smilodon, the most famous of all prehistoric cats.
Titanosaur break-out[]
In the last episode, Bob built an enclosure for the park's newest residents, the titanosaurs. However, the giant dinosaurs break down the fence with ease and escape, moving toward the park's main gate. Bob tries to follow them with his tractor, unsure of what to do to prevent their escape.
Meanwhile, Nigel has thought of a second species to rescue. "Terror birds" are the common name for a group of flightless, predatory bird which existed for much of the Cenozoic. The last populations of terror birds were still alive in South America a million years ago, at the same time as Smilodon. Therefore, Nigel calls Bob on the radio to give him instructions for a "bird cage." However, Bob is unable to hear all the specifications over the noise of his tractor, and mistakenly believes Nigel is asking for a literal bird cage.
First Trip[]
Upon arriving in South America, Nigel drives through a moving herd of Toxodon. He sees them heading over to a watering hole and exits his jeep to take a closer look. They appear to be wallowing in the water similar to modern hippopotamus. However, as Nigel returns to his jeep, one of them charges at him. Nigel is barely able to start his jeep in time and escape.
In the park, the female Ornithomimus has laid more eggs. However, two of them are positioned outside of the nest, likely to be used as "sacrifices" to divert egg thieves away from the main clutch. However, these are no longer being incubated, so they will die without intervention. Therefore, Suzanne sneaks into the enclosure and retrieves them. Bob puts them in an artificial incubator at 33 °C, as this is best temperature for crocodile and ostrich eggs.
In Prehistoric South America, Nigel sees a female Smilodon stalk a Toxodon. It lunges forward, jumping on the Toxodon and biting its throat. More Smilodon arrive, including cubs. Nigel drinks a cup of coffee while watching the Smilodon eat their fill. After the Smilodon leave, a terror bird starts to eat from the carcass. However, one of the Smilodon chases it away, forcing it to drop a lump of meat which it pulled off. This competition from the Smilodon, newly arrived from North America, is causing the terror birds to die out. Nigel retrieves the piece of meat, hoping to use it to lure the terror bird through the Time Portal. The Smilodon growls at him but does not charge. Nigel tows the piece of meat behind his jeep. The terror bird chases after it and is successfully led back to the park.
Meanwhile, the eggs from the main Ornithomimus nest have hatched, but the two in the incubator have not. This worries Bob, as every dinosaur egg is precious.
Second Trip[]
On Nigel's first trip, he saw the Smilodon dominating their ecosystem. However, around 10,000 years ago, they went extinct. Nigel, now accompanied by big cat expert Saba Douglas-Hamilton, goes through the Time Portal to find out what caused this extinction and rescue some of the last Smilodon. Compared to the first trip, the landscape is noticeably drier, and no megafauna like Toxodon are visible. Since Smilodon, at this point, were very rare, Nigel and Saba decide to split up.
Saba eventually finds a deposit of Smilodon feces. She pulls it apart with a knife and fork, discovering that it is full of hair, bone, and bits of hide. This indicates that the Smilodon was forced to scavenge carcasses. However, this confirms that they are present in the area. Meanwhile, Nigel catches an extant armadillo, and remarks that, a million years earlier, there were giant armadillos.
Later, Nigel and Saba find a Smilodon cub, but, unfortunately, it has died recently. Nigel can't find any signs of sickness, and realizes that it probably died from starvation. This means two things: first, a female Smilodon is likely nearby; and, if so, it must be in poor health. Nigel sets up a camera with a movement detector, which he leaves overnight watching a trail.
In the morning, Nigel and Saba split up again. Nigel investigates his videos and finds that a male Smilodon found the camera, knocked it over, and urinated on it. Saba finally sees the female Smilodon. It confronts her, but does not attack. She and the cameraman then back off. The Smilodon is seen later hunting a deer. However, the small herbivore manages to easily escape.
Later, Nigel and Saba see the female suckling a live cub. Unfortunately, due to her hunger, she is unable to make milk for it. In order to rescue her, they will have to tranquilize her, and then take her back to the park to receive medical attention from Suzanne. Therefore, they leave to get their jeep and tranquilizer gun. On the way back, however, they notice the male Smilodon. There is risk that it will kill the cub to bring the mother into estrus sooner. Therefore, Saba darts the male first. Before it is fully sedated, however, it charges at the jeep. Nigel is able to drive away in time.
In the park, the partition of the Tyrannosaurus enclosure is finally completed, and Terrence and Matilda are let back into their respective sides. However, Matilda keeps threatening Terence through the wall.
The female Smilodon in South America 10,000 years ago
Bringing back Smilodon[]
On site, Nigel and Saba find the sedated male Smilodon and load it onto the jeep. Then they go for the female, planning to take her back with her cub. However, when they arrive, the cub has already died. The female is badly underweight from trying to lactate, and is dying as well. However, there is still hope for her, so she is darted by Saba and loaded onto the jeep.
The two Ornithomimus eggs in the incubator finally hatch. Bob guesses that the incubator's temperature had been set a little too low. However, the hatchlings see Bob and imprint on him, thinking that he is their mother.
With good food and no need to lactate, the two Smilodon and the Terror Bird recover from their hunger over the next fortnight. However, tensions remain high, as Matilda's increasingly aggressive behavior could become dangerous.
Cast[]
- Nigel Marven as himself
- Rod Arthur as Head Keeper Bob
- Suzanne McNabb as herself
- Saba Douglas-Hamilton as herself
- David Jason as Narrator
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Nigel Marven
- Head Keeper Bob
- Head Veterinarian Suzanne
- Saba Douglas-Hamilton (first and only appearance)
- Terrence
- Matilda
- Ornithomimus chicks (first appearance)
Creatures[]
- Cheetah (only appearance)
- Titanosaur
- Toxodon (only appearance)
- Ornithomimus
- Smilodon (first appearance)
- Phorusrhacos (referred as Terror Bird; first appearance)
- Red brocket (only appearance)
- Six-banded armadillo (only appearance)
- Titanis walleri (drawing only)
Locations[]
- Prehistoric Park
- South America (only appearance)
Objects & technology[]
Errors[]
- To be added...