Rapetosaurus/Segments

Main **Segments**

MainSegments

These are Prehistoric Planet segments which feature ***Rapetosaurus***.

## Swamps

**Swamps**, Segment III
**Setting**
Maevarano Formation, Mahajanga Province, Madagascar

**Filming Location**
Lower Zambezi National Park, Lusaka Province, southeast Zambia
### Plot

***“ In Northern Madagascar, conditions are already changing. The first rain in months is reviving the parched land. As pools and channels refill, the animals return. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
In the third segment of Swamps, as rains bring back the rivers and marshes of Madagascar, a *Masiakasaurus* runs across the quenched lands, and stops by a pool of water to drink. Suddenly, seeing an incoming threat, the *Masiakasaurus* yelps in surprise and fear.

***“ And they're not all dinosaurs. Lurking in these muddy pools is a monster. Beelzebufo, the 'Devil Toad'. It's so big, it can swallow a small dinosaur whole. But this male isn't here to hunt. He is looking for a mate. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
The small theropod runs off as a male *Beelzebufo* drives it away with a guttural bellow. However, the toad is uninterested in eating the small dinosaur, and instead returns to his muddy pool, intent on finding a mate.

***“ Female devil toads are fussy, so he needs to find a good spot. Only then will he he able to entice them in. His deep croaks travel far and wide. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
Patiently, the *Beelzebufo* sits in his pool, calling out to any female in the area that might reciprocate his desire to mate. For a long while, however, nothing answers him, the half-dry muddy riverbed silent. However, he soon hears the sound of something else, something he doesn't appear pleased to hear.

***“ This isn't quite what he was hoping for. Fifty foot-long Rapetosaurs. They have been attracted here by the promise of a mud bath. For Beelzebufo, their timing couldn't be much worse. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
A herd of six *Rapetosaurus* have arrived to take a mud bath in the river bed. Looking up in disbelief, the *Beelzebufo* flinches back for a moment before scurrying away as the sauropods stomp down on his pool and proceed to roll around in the mud.

***“ His pools now lie beneath 70 tonnes of sauropod. Time is short. Female devil toads will only mate at the start of the rainy season. He needs a new pool. There's one. Reaching it will be dangerous. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
Retreating up a log at the edge of the river, the *Beelzebufo* assesses the situation, watching on as the six titanosaurs relieve themselves right where used to sit. Spotting an undisturbed pool of mud beyond the sauropods, just by a patch of fresh vegetation, he tumbles off, walking and leaping across the lumpy terrain, making the risky trip to get to where he wants to be. Just as he gets close, the rolling titanosaurs splatter around some mud, which the toad nonchalantly rubs off his face before finally settling down in his new pool.

***“ Finally he's got there... but he's been noticed. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
As he settled down, trying to get his bearings straight, one *Rapetosaurus* notices him, and curiously approaches him. At first, the *Beelzebufo*, blinking at the sight of the sauropod's muzzle slowly coming towards him, backs off, sinking slightly into his pond. Eventually, however, as the sauropod continues to inspect him, he loses his temper and leaps forward at the *Rapetosaurus*, growling in irritation. The titanosaur, getting the message, backs away as the frog gives out another croak of anger.

***“ Time to try more singing. But he can't make himself heard above the sound of satisfied sauropods. Luckily for him, there's one thing that Rapetosaurs enjoy even more than wallowing in mud, and that is food. The hungry herd moves on, although not without leaving something useful behind. Dozens of giant footprints, full of water. Perfect for a Beelzebufo to continue his quest for a mate. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
Turning around, the *Beelzebufo* returns to his priorities for the day, calling for females to mate with. However, his croaks are drowned out by the satisfied rumbling growls of the titanosaurs. Still, he perseveres, continuing his song in hopes that a female would hear and reciprocate. Eventually, feeling hungry, the *Rapetosaurus* herd leaves, and the *Beelzebufo*, taking advantage of the deep puddles formed by their footprints, leaps into a new pool, singing his guttural song of courtship once again.

***“ A devil toad can only survive here because every year, the land is flooded by seasonal rains. However, there are places where changing climate means the rains are less certain. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Swamps*
The segment ends with a view of the river (or, at the very least, another section of it), now fully replenished, the constantly-wet environment just right for amphibians, a sharp contrast to the setting of the following segment, which takes place in a dry basin deprived of rain for a decade.

### Trivia

* The idea of titanosaurs being a nuisance for anurans reflects how, even today, large animals may unintentionally disrupt the mating and breeding activities of frogs and toads.
* *Rapetosaurus* tracks and wallowing traces were simulated by several tools and techniques, including a plastic bin that served as a makeshift sauropod foot.

## Prehistoric Planet: Uncovered - How Did Dinosaurs Get So Big?

  **How Did Dinosaurs Get So Big?**
**Subject**
The evolutionary means and efficient systems that let sauropods attain their massive sizes.

**Experts**
Professor Paul Barrett, Dr. Susannah Maidment
Footage of *Rapetosaurus*, along with most of the other sauropods in the series, is used in this Uncovered segment, which is dedicated to discussing how sauropods got to grow bigger than their modern counterparts.

## References

### Dr. Darren Naish

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Several tools and techniques were used to simulate sauropod tracks and wallowing traces in the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia, including a plastic bin that served as a makeshift sauropod foot.
2. ↑ Anurans seek out pools to serve as a mating and breeding base, calling out females by vocalizing, and they may even plan ahead by forming special spawning pools, channels for tadpoles to travel from area to area, and even providing food for their young every day. Their activities could be interrupted and ruined (albeit unintentionally) by larger animals, like *Rapetosaurus* in the case of *Beelzebufo*.

### Prehistoric Planet

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast, Episode 445: Dinosaurs in Swamps: Featuring Prehistoric Planet 2