The Kem Kem region in Morocco is one of the most extreme and dangerous places from Earth’s ancient past! 🌍🦖 Known as the “most dangerous place in the history of the planet,” it was once a massive river system filled with terrifying predators. Giant dinosaurs like Spinosaurus, with its huge sail and sharp teeth, ruled these waters alongside ferocious crocodiles. 🐊 But here’s the twist: the environment was so tough and competitive that even these predators often struggled to survive. Food shortages and constant battles for dominance made life a deadly game. Today, the Kem Kem region is a fossil goldmine, offering a glimpse into this prehistoric predator paradise. It’s a stark reminder of how brutal nature can be—even for the kings of their time! 🦖 Credit:
CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0:
Onychodus sigmoides: By James St. John - https://flic.kr/p/HxzHeA, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84692483
Sarcosuchus Paris (1): By patrick janicek - https://flic.kr/p/byz2Lv, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18522828
Louisae: By Tadek Kurpaski, FunkMonk - https://flic.kr/p/7mmUud, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8698637
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Earth 100.00Ma: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77591492
Undina penicillata: By Oilshale, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108242782
Boris Choubert: By inconnu, Georges Choubert, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55172767
CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0:
Carcharodontosaurus: By Franko Fonseca - https://flic.kr/p/5j7ow1, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6850099
Diplurus: By Tim Evanson - https://flic.kr/p/ybgwZm, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44052101
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0:
Onychodus sigmoides: By James St. John - https://flic.kr/p/HxzHeA, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84692483
Sarcosuchus Paris (1): By patrick janicek - https://flic.kr/p/byz2Lv, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18522828
Louisae: By Tadek Kurpaski, FunkMonk - https://flic.kr/p/7mmUud, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8698637
CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0:
Earth 100.00Ma: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77591492
Undina penicillata: By Oilshale, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108242782
Boris Choubert: By inconnu, Georges Choubert, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55172767
CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0:
Carcharodontosaurus: By Franko Fonseca - https://flic.kr/p/5j7ow1, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6850099
Diplurus: By Tim Evanson - https://flic.kr/p/ybgwZm, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44052101
Animation is created by Bright Side.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/
Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV
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https://www.eastnews.ru
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For more videos and articles visit:
http://www.brightside.me
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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FunTranscript
00:00There's a place on Earth so dangerous that even the most fearsome creatures of today
00:05wouldn't last a moment there.
00:07It used to exist in what we now call Southeastern Morocco, the land called the Kem Kem Beds.
00:16The story of this place stretches back to the Cretaceous period, about a hundred million
00:20years ago.
00:22It might have looked like a beautiful place at first sight, a lush green forest, rivers
00:26glittering in the sun, until you meet some terrifying dinosaur.
00:32The lions or sharks of today are nothing compared to what the fossils show us.
00:36The Kem Kem Beds were dominated by terrifying predators, and above them all, three of the
00:42largest predatory dinosaurs ever discovered.
00:46For example, Spinosaurus.
00:49This dinosaur was unlike anything you can imagine, a half-reptile, half-monster standing
00:54over 50 feet tall, bigger than a T-Rex.
00:58This hybrid with a crocodile-like snout and a sail on its back hunted the forests.
01:04But this dino could dive into the rivers, so not even waters were safe from it.
01:08It could catch huge fish, as if plucking them from the shallows.
01:13There was also a Carcharodontosaurus, a carnivore with a name that literally means shark-toothed
01:19lizard.
01:20Its razor-sharp teeth could slice through flesh with terrifying ease.
01:26This monster stood almost as tall as a house, and was faster, stronger, and more aggressive
01:31than nearly anything that had ever walked the earth.
01:36There was also a Deltadromedus, a raptor-like dinosaur built for speed.
01:42It was a quick-moving ninja that stalked its prey with horrifying precision.
01:46Oh, and the skies were a fun place too.
01:50With all these pterosaur creatures flying around, these guys are often mistaken for
01:54flying dinosaurs.
01:56But they were actually a different kind, more like close cousins of dinosaurs.
02:01These majestic reptiles soared above the chem chem beds, and had wingspans that could stretch
02:07up to 30 feet!
02:09The fingers were feathery, with a fourth finger kinda like bats.
02:14They could glide through the air so easily thanks to their super-light skeleton.
02:20But it wasn't just the dinosaurs that made the chem chem beds so horrifying.
02:24The waters also hid their own dark secrets.
02:27They were home to giant, terrifying fish and crocodile-like creatures.
02:33Their jaws were strong enough to crush bone, and they were lurking beneath the surface,
02:38waiting for anything unlucky enough to stumble into their path.
02:43One of the river creatures was Sarcosuchus, also called the super croc.
02:48Being about 40 feet long, it could easily swallow an adult human.
02:53Or better yet, it could take on a full-grown dinosaur and win!
02:58Its jaws snapped with unimaginable force, and no creature, not even Spinosaurus, was
03:04safe from it.
03:07Coelacanths could also hang out in the rivers.
03:10It was a monstrous predator that could easily swallow a huge fish whole.
03:15They had these creepy, icky fins that moved in a way similar to how human arms and legs
03:21move.
03:22And they could also kind of raise their heads like humans because of a special joint in
03:26their skull.
03:27Ew!
03:28Fun fact, we thought these monsters had gone extinct 60 million years ago, together with
03:34dinosaurs.
03:35But recently, we rediscovered them living and thriving in the Indian Ocean.
03:40Turns out, they were just hiding in the deep waters.
03:43They probably didn't even notice the dinosaur, asteroid, or humans at all.
03:49Yay?
03:50Don't worry, over millions of years, they became basically harmless.
03:54They got four to five times smaller, even though they still weigh about 200 pounds.
04:00Just imagine what they were like back in the day!
04:04Chemchem waters were also home to giant lungfish and other creepy aquatic creatures, so you
04:09couldn't even drink or take a swim safely without getting bitten by something.
04:14Phew, what a place!
04:17Even turtles there were the size of cars!
04:20Imagine trying to survive in a world where creatures like this are literally everywhere,
04:24and I mean everywhere.
04:27This place was unique not because huge beasts lived there, but because of the sheer number
04:32of predators.
04:34You might think, it shouldn't be that easy for all these predators to hang out in one
04:38place, right?
04:39And you're right!
04:40Seems like prey was scarce there.
04:42That's even more chilling!
04:44All the predators just wandered around, hunting whatever meager life remained.
04:49And if there's none, then fighting each other.
04:53For years, scientists have wondered why it was the case.
04:57Maybe that's just how life was back then, and all corners of Earth were crazy like that.
05:04Or is there something special about this place?
05:07Some even say that maybe it's just because we only found predators' fossils.
05:12Well, normal, friendly animals have disappeared, and that the fossil record might be skewed.
05:18But who knows?
05:20And the environment itself was just as fascinating as the beasts who lived there, just a bit
05:25more friendly.
05:27It's hard to imagine, but back in the day, this desert was a green paradise, humid, and
05:33full of rivers.
05:35The heat of the sun scorched the land.
05:38The climate was hot, so hot that even the poles were warm!
05:42The weather there was extreme, dry seasons followed by intense storms, which shaped the
05:48land and life.
05:50The giant rivers carved their way through this landscape.
05:54They stretched from the Sahara, emptying into the ancient Tethys Ocean to the north.
05:59If you were there, you'd see vast, interconnected basins, and beyond them, the central Atlantic
06:06Ocean.
06:08The floodplains stretched out beneath a sweltering sky.
06:12The rivers were just as wild as local animals, flowing lazily one day, but raging like furious
06:18beasts the next.
06:20At first, these rivers were powerful, carving deep channels through the land and creating
06:25wide sandbanks.
06:27But over time, they slowed down, and the landscape changed into shallow ponds and salt-covered
06:33flats.
06:35As water gradually faded away, it left behind a patchwork of wetlands and slow-moving waters.
06:43Right now, the Kem Kem Beds is a vast, rugged desert where time has stood still for millions
06:49of years.
06:50If you visited it, you'd see a giant escarpment, its rocky face winding along the border of
06:56Morocco and Algeria, bathed in the sun's harsh light.
07:02Beneath your feet would lie layers of fossilized history.
07:05That's one of the reasons why scientists were long fascinated with this place.
07:10It must be one of the most comprehensive collections of fossils ever discovered in Northern Africa.
07:17There are fossils from other parts of Africa, of course, like Egypt's Baharia Formation.
07:23But they don't tell us much about life during this time, not like Kem Kem.
07:28That's all because those rivers we mentioned, in hotter and drier places, they've eroded
07:33or still remain buried under the sand.
07:36The first discoveries from Kem Kem began in the late 1940s.
07:41A scientist named Choubert uncovered bony fish fossils among the escarpment near the
07:46Morocco-Algeria border.
07:49Just a few years later, a paleontologist, René Lovoka, took things to the next level.
07:55Traveling by camelback, he scoured the desert landscape and uncovered a real treasure trove
08:01of fossils.
08:03He found the partial skeleton of a massive herbivore dinosaur.
08:07Finally, at least one peaceful creature in the Kem Kem beds.
08:12This long-necked giant roamed the ancient river valleys and ate leaves like a good boy.
08:18For the next several decades, scientists only did small-scale fossil-hunting expeditions
08:22to this place.
08:24There were modest discoveries made here and there.
08:27Then in the 1970s, German paleontologist Helmut Alberti led his team to the Kem Kem beds.
08:34And that's when things took a wild turn.
08:36They uncovered fossils of prehistoric fish, crocodiles, dinosaurs, and pieces of the infamous
08:42Spinosaurus.
08:44Imagine being one of the scientists on that team.
08:47They were probably jumping from excitement!
08:50By the mid-1990s, the fossil game changed dramatically.
08:55Incredible new species were identified from the Kem Kem beds.
09:00Over the years, the discovery pace has only accelerated.
09:04Scientists, armed with new tools and techniques, have uncovered more fossils than ever before.
09:10And there's only more to come!
09:13That's it for today.
09:15So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
09:19friends.
09:20Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!