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Bone Diggers
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Program Overview
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NOVA travels to a remote Australian cave to reveal
one of the most important paleontological discoveries ever made in the
outback—the full skeleton of a giant marsupial lion called Thylacoleo
carnifex.
The program:
reviews when Thylacoleo was first identified and how it was named, what
has been learned about the species since then, and what questions still remain. notes that the cave contains
numerous skeletal remains, including the first complete skeleton of Thylacoleo and the remains of other species never seen
before. considers the question of when
and why Thylacoleo became
extinct. outlines the difficulties with
undertaking an expedition in the Nullarbor Plain, a remote and dangerous
region. looks at three-dimensional
computer-generated recreations of parts of Thylacoleo's structure and considers how the animal may have functioned in
its habitat. shows how scientists build a
plastic replica of Thylacoleo's skull from CT scans. creates an overall picture of
what Thylacoleo may have
looked like, how it may have hunted, and what its habitat may have been.
Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after program is recorded off the air.
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