NATURE: Attenborough & The Sea Dragon DVD

I was pleased to see the far-from-young Attenborough in this video helping reconstruct a new species of ichthyosaur (a fishlike swimming reptile) found along the "Jurassic Coast" of southern England. He even helps clean a part of the fossil using hand tools (remarking that it isn't as easy as it looks, which I believe). The reason for this creature's death and chance fossilization, the probable identity of it's attacker, even the coloration pattern if it and probably all such creatures are reconstructed. Scenes that show it and another type of ichthosaur swimming in the ocean are also included. Worth getting. (Note: this is also available on Prime Video,)

This is one of my favorite documentaries! If you love prehistoric life and/or enjoy Sir David Attenborough documentaries, this DVD is defiantly for you.

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good documentary

The method for recovery is very interesting as well as the display of the multiples found in Germany. The attempts at putting together a story also is good. CGI is very nice and give a reasonable idea of what the creature looked like.The whole story breaks down when they decide it is a reptile that breaths air, has skin not scales, gives birth to live young, and eats fish. No explanation as to why it is a reptile when it has not one thing that is exclusive to reptiles. The story teller even gets it wrong when he says it does not breath air like the dolphin.While interesting the whole story finally collapses when they used the circular reasoning of saying 20 million to 200 million years. They date the fossil at 20+-Million years because geologist dater the rock from 20+- Millions of years. Geologist date the rock that far back, because fossil hunters date the fossils from that far back. The blind guy says the car is black. They found skin, not fossilized skin, actual skin. 20-200 million years? Do fish who die on land form fossils? NO. Only one way to form a fossil and that is to quickly encase the living or just dead thing in some kind of anaerobic environment. The dead specimen will continue to decay till all microbes die. Given pressure heat and time, tissue is replaced with what ever has encapsulated it. Depending on the pressure, the encapsulant, and a few other factors; fossilization can happen within just a few hundred years. You never find actual tissue millions and millions of years later. Its a wow story to tell to children. Not Science.

With all due respect to Mr. Attenborough, this may not be the first discovery of the Ichthyosaur. In the center of Nevada, there is the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, just north of Gabbs. This was a pod or family that was discovered and only half excavated to reveal a family that may have perished together, due to the different sizes of them. It was preserved where it was and a building built around it and was designated a state park. Do a search for Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, Gabbs, Nevada.

did mr. Attenborough make this film for his archaeologist friend. it takes place in dorset , England, home of the monkeys and the beautiful sea , where dinosaur bones are found. you have the calm , peaceful, voice of Attenborough, so you can enjoy this and a lot of fish skeletons and one who died giving a live birth, no eggs, but live births.

A little slow and dull for me. I basically spent an hour watching the reconstruction of an aquatic dinosaur fossil.

Come on Amazon give us the region of discs like this. I waited for 2 weeks only to find out it's a region 1 disc. SHODDY AMAZON SHODDY. Fortunately I have a multiregion blu ray player now and can tell you this is David Attenborough in his elemnt. He really enjoys doing programs like this. With good CGI to go with it.

I bought this dvd, but when I wanted to watch it I found it’s Region 1, NTSC system, America system,so I can’t watch it and I lost my money. Unfortunately it passed time since I bought it and I can’t return it. This information about the region isn’t showed in the dvd info. At least Amazon must inform about that as it’s impossible to watch it in Europe.