Cretaceous dinosaurs come to life in stunning footage from 'Prehistoric Planet'

Tyrannosaurus rex youngsters paddle through shallow ocean water near a sandy shore, their powerful legs working hard to make up for their disproportionately tiny arms. Long-necked sauropods nuzzle their heads together in affectionate mating displays. And packs of duck-billed dinosaurs raise dust clouds as they migrate across vast deserts. These and other scenes in the official trailer for "Prehistoric Planet," a new documentary series from Apple TV+, offer a glimpse of dinosaurs and their Cretaceous neighbors, much in the way a nature documentary would feature dramatic moments in the lives of modern animals.

Renowned nature documentary presenter Sir David Attenborough narrates the series, and the trailer hints at untold stories about thrilling mating competitions between colossal sauropods; standoffs between theropod predators and Triceratops prey; and the nesting habits of cliff-dwelling pterosaurs. (Pterosaurs were flying archosaurs, not dinosaurs, but they lived alongside dinosaurs during the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods.)

Recent discoveries in paleontology informed how the dinosaurs and other Cretaceous animals of "Prehistoric Planet" look, move and behave, according to Apple TV+. Viewers will meet two relatively recently discovered species of tyrannosaur: Qianzhousaurus rex from eastern China, described in 2014 in the journal Nature Communications, and the diminutive Nanuqsaurus — whose name means "polar bear lizard," taken from the Alaskan Inupiat word "Nanuq" — which was also described in 2014, in the journal PLOS One.

Other well-known dinosaurs, such as Velociraptor, have previously appeared in popular movies wearing scaly, lizard-like skin, but in the "Prehistoric Planet" trailer, these dinosaurs are covered in feathers, reflecting recent discoveries about how commonly feathers appeared across the theropod lineage. In one of the trailer's most dramatic images, an extreme close-up of a Velociraptor's enormous claw hints at further adaptations that contributed to this dinosaur's reputation as a deadly predator.

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Ailsa is a staff writer for How It Works magazine, where she writes science, technology, history, space and environment features. Based in the U.K., she graduated from the University of Stirling with a BA (Hons) journalism degree. Previously, Ailsa has written for Cardiff Times magazine, Psychology Now and numerous science bookazines. Ailsa's interest in the environment also lies outside of writing, as she has worked alongside Operation Wallacea conducting rainforest and ocean conservation research.