[train whistle toots] - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Once upon a time, there was a mom ♪ ♪ Her name was Mrs. Pteranodon ♪ ♪ Sitting on her nest, she heard a scratching and said ♪ - Oh, boy, my eggs are hatching!

- ♪ One by one, her kids popped free ♪ ♪ Baby Pteranodons, one, two, three ♪ - I'll name you Tiny, Shiny, and Don.

- ♪ But Tiny said ♪ - Wait, there's one more, Mom!

- ♪ The last little baby was a different size ♪ ♪ With teeth and a tail and big green eyes ♪ ♪ He didn't look anything like the rest ♪ - What am I doing in a Pteranodon nest?

- ♪ But dear old Mrs. Pteranodon said ♪ - Oh, this is your family, and I'm your mom.

You may be different, but we're all creatures.

All dinosaurs have different features.

Come on, Buddy, we'll take a vacation.

I'll get us a ticket at Pteranodon Station.

We'll travel the world in sunshine and rain and meet all the species on the... - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ We're gonna ride... ♪ - ♪ Ride, ride, ride, ride ♪ [train whistle toots] - ♪ The Dinosaur Train ♪ - [roars] [train whistle blows] - Tickets!

Tickets, please!

both: Well, hello, Pteranodon Family!

all: Hello, Mr.

Conductor!

Hello, Gilbert!

- Ah!

I see you're headed on today's special cruise on the Dinosaur Train Riverboat.

all: Yes!

- Are you going too, Gilbert?

- Abso-tutely-lootly, Ms.

Shiny.

I wouldn't miss it.

- [squawks] We're all just so excited.

- Yeah!

Would you tell us about the Dinosaur Train Riverboat, Mr.

The Conductor and Gilbert?

- Well, I could tell you about the Riverboat, or I could just show it to you!

Behold the Great River, the largest river that flows into the Western Interior Sea!

all: Ooh!

- Wow.

We're going all the way out into that river?

- Yeah, on a Dinosaur Train Riverboat, whatever that is.

It's gonna be so great.

Don't you think, Buddy?

- Well, I'm kind of a land animal.

I've never been that far out onto the water before.

- Then stick with me!

I love being way out on the water.

- Okay, Don.

We'll stick together!

- Like buddies!

My buddy, Buddy.

[bells chiming] - Great River Station!

All off-board for Great River Station!

[brakes squeal] [steam hisses] children: Grandma and Grandpa Pteranodon!

both: Hello, kids!

- Oh, bring it in!

all: Mm!

[all giggle] - I'm so glad you're coming on the cruse.

This whole idea was your grandpa's.

He's been trying to find a way to travel and enjoy the scenery without having to fly all the time.

- [chuckles] Right.

This way, we can relax on the boat as we watch the world go by, and I don't have to flap my wings at all.

- [screeches] Best family vacation idea ever!

- Well, what are we waiting for?

Let's go see this Riverboat.

- Ladies and gentleman, dinosaurs and pterosaurs, may I present the latest from Dinosaur Train Industries, the steam-powered, stern-wheeled Riverboat, the "Great River Queen"!

all: Ooh!

Ah!

- It's got all the comforts of the Dinosaur Train, but we'll be on the water!

All aboard the "Great River Queen"!

[all cheering] [boat whistle blows] - Ready, Buddy?

- [inhales] Ready!

- ♪ All aboard, all aboard ♪ ♪ The fabulous "Great River Queen" ♪ ♪ It's the greatest boat this age has ever seen ♪ ♪ ♪ both: ♪ It's the ultimate family getaway ♪ ♪ To cruise on in comfort and style ♪ - ♪ So ready?

Let's get under way ♪ ♪ And roll down the river a while ♪ ♪ Come on ♪ all: ♪ It's the latest and the greatest boat ♪ ♪ The most magnificent thing afloat ♪ ♪ It's the fanciest, the danciest ♪ ♪ Rolling on The Dinosaur Train Riverboat ♪ ♪ Toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot ♪ ♪ Toot, toot ♪ - ♪ Think of all the things we'll do ♪ ♪ Eat and play and enjoy the view ♪ - ♪ And all the while we're steaming and rolling ♪ both: ♪ This paddle-wheeled palace never stops going ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ all: ♪ It's the latest and the greatest boat ♪ ♪ The most magnificent thing afloat ♪ ♪ It's the fanciest, the danciest ♪ ♪ Rolling on The Dinosaur Train Riverboat ♪ ♪ Toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot ♪ ♪ Toot, toot ♪ [all cheering] - Now that we're under way, who wants to take a tour of the Riverboat?

- I do!

- Me!

- It looks so fun!

- Excellent.

Follow me.

- We're especially proud of our well-appointed dining room.

- Hey, you guys.

It's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

- Within reasonable limits.

Carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore.

- Whoa!

There's even a bug buffet.

You know how we're going to do everything together?

Let's do the buffet.

- Next up on our tour, the engine room.

- The engine room?

Come on, Don.

We can come back to the buffet when our tour's finished.

- [munching and gulps] - Isn't this impressive?

The giant steam engines drive these turbines which turn the giant paddle wheel.

- Which you'll see at our next stop.

all: Ooh!

The paddle wheel!

- Yup.

Without the paddle wheel, we wouldn't be able to go against the current.

- What do you mean, Gilbert?

- See those sticks and leaves over there?

They're floating with the current, which is called downstream.

Without the paddle wheel, we'd be floating downstream with them.

- So the paddle wheel helps us go against the current?

- That's right, Shiny.

Against the current is called upstream.

The current of the river is really strong, so you need extra power to go upstream.

That's why we have giant turbines turning the paddle wheel.

- And the paddle wheel works like a bunch of oars, pushing against the water, propelling us forward.

all: Wow!

- One last stop on our tour, folks.

The upper deck.

- Come on, Don.

- [sighs] Oh, delicious bug buffet.

I hope you're still there when this tour is over.

- The upper deck is the perfect place to relax and watch the world go by.

- Ahh!

That's the stuff.

- And there are plenty of on-deck games to play too.

- What games, Gilbert?

- There's Pterosaur Shuffleboard.

- Ooh!

Is that some kind of food?

- [chuckles] Nope.

It's a game that involves sliding a puck and scoring points.

There's a jogging track.

both: Race you!

[both laugh] Come on you guys!

Race us!

- Oh, and here's my favorite.

The "Surf On A Log" wave pool.

- [screeches] That looks so cool!

Gilbert, would you show me how to do it?

- Oh, I'd love to, Ms.

Shiny.

See?

You paddle the surfboard into the wave like this.

all: Whoo!

Go, Shiny!

Go, Shiny!

- Wow!

Shiny, you're a natural.

- [giggles and snorts] [boat whistle blows] - You know, one of the best features of the Riverboat is the view of the river itself, which is enormous.

- Boy, I love counting features on creatures, but this river is so big.

It has its own features.

[birds squawk] - [clears throat] Gather round, kids, and I'll tell you all about this amazing river habitat.

- Yeah, learning about river habitats is great, Buddy, but look at all the games, and there's that bug buffet and-- - This river is a great place to observe all kinds of species living together, each one filling its own important role in the river habitat.

- Come on, Don.

- Um, but--okay, Buddy.

- [screeches] When will we begin to see the different species?

- Right now, Tiny.

River ecosystems are amazingly rich and diverse places, with plenty of plant and animal life adapted to living in this flowing water.

What species can you kids identify?

- Oh!

I see crocodiles!

Is that a Leidyosuchus?

- Those are some keen T. Rex eyes, Buddy.

Those are Leidyosuchus.

- [screeches] I see birds.

Are those Enantiornithines?

- Correct, Tiny.

See how they share the river with the other birds?

Some dive.

Some paddle.

Some stay on shore.

- Mr.

Conductor, how would all these species come to live together in this river habitat?

- Hmm?

Good question, Buddy.

Do you happen to have a hypothesis?

- [chuckles] Of course I do.

Because of all this water.

- Bingo!

There's always plenty of fish and other smaller creatures, and many of these river inhabitants like to eat the smaller creatures and fish.

- Did someone say, "fish"?

- [screeches] Don't mind if I do!

- You guys go ahead.

I got to stay here with Buddy.

- Wait.

Don, you love fishing.

- Yeah, but we said we were gonna stick together for the whole cruise.

- Sure, but we don't have to spend every minute of the trip together.

We can go do our own things, and then meet up every once in a while and share our stories.

- Really?

- Yeah.

That way, we can play games or race Oren and Ollie or-- - [gasps] Or do the all-you-can-eat bug buffet.

- Uh-huh.

- Whew!

Thanks for understanding, Buddy.

You're a great brother.

[screeches] Bye!

[Dad, Don, and Tiny squawk] - You okay up here while everyone else flies around and fishes, Buddy?

- Yeah, Grandpa.

I'm great.

Now I can really get down to some serious classifying and comparing all the creatures' features.

- Oh, well, fantastic.

What are you classifying now?

- Right now, I'm counting water birds.

See those way over there?

- Huh.

Say, why don't I fly you around for a better look?

- Wow!

Would you, Grandpa?

- [chuckles] Sure.

Let's go.

Upsi-daisy.

- Woo-hoo!

Turtles!

- Ooh!

Other species of Pterosaurs.

- I think those are clams.

- Yep.

We call them "invertebrates."

And look.

Those big dinosaurs that mostly stay on land and go in and out of the water, they're part of the habitat too.

- Wow!

I see Parasaurolophus and Kosmoceratops.

Can we go closer, Grandpa?

- Let's go back to the Riverboat.

Take a little break, huh?

I am pooped.

I think you're bigger than the last time we did this.

[both giggle] Whew!

Say, why don't we just stay on deck here and play a little Pterosaur Shuffleboard, hmm?

- Hmm.

I'd rather figure out my next quest.

- Well, how about you, Don?

Shuffleboard?

- Hmm.

I'd rather start my next quest.

Find more snacks.

- Hey, not a bad idea, Don.

Shuffleboard can wait.

It's snack time.

- Stick with me, Buddy.

I've got this whole buffet thing figured out.

Over there's some carrion that you really like.

- Ooh!

- Ooh, and next to that is a pretty good fishwich with berry sauce, and there's some leaves, but you don't really want that.

They get stuck in your teeth and then you got to floss and then you... - Hi there.

I'm Dr. Scott, the paleontologist.

During the age of dinosaurs, the Mesozoic Era, while dinosaurs were wandering around on land, those oceans were filled with big marine reptiles.

They weren't dinosaurs, but they were amazing creatures.

There were long-necked plesiosaurs.

It has a little head.

It has large paddles with five-fingered hands, just like you, but instead, those hands are made into paddles for swimming.

It had rocks in its stomach.

We call them gastroliths, and they were used maybe as ballast to help the animal sink down into the water.

In addition, there were these things called mosasaurs, and this is a mosasaur called plotosaurus here behind me.

Plotosaurus lived in California during the end of the Cretaceous times, and these mosasaurs, like plotosaurus, had big heads, short necks, and these long, long bodies, and they probably swam like sharks.

So they're large, marine predators.

They probably fed on fish a lot of the time just like sharks do, as well as squid, and these shelled creatures called ammonites, which are coiled shells a lot like we see in nautilus today.

So imagine, if you could go into a submarine and travel through that Cretaceous sea 70 million years ago, these would be the kinds of creatures you would see swimming all around you.

Now that would be amazing.

- Hello, folks.

It's me, the Conductor.

Today, the Pteranodon family is rolling down the river on the amazing Dinosaur Train Riverboat.

So come on along with me on the Dinosaur Train.

All aboard!

[upbeat music] ♪ ♪ - Come on!

all: ♪ It's the latest and the greatest boat ♪ ♪ The most magnificent thing afloat ♪ ♪ It's the fanciest, the danciest ♪ ♪ Rolling on The Dinosaur Train Riverboat ♪ ♪ Toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot ♪ ♪ Toot, toot ♪ [all cheering] [overlapping chatter] - That's my grandson, Buddy.

He loves collecting dinosaur facts.

He's been classifying all the species he can spot on the river.

- Ah, that's nice.

I've lived here my whole life.

I know quite a bit about the species along this river.

- You do?

- Sure do.

Ask me anything.

- Hmm.

Okay.

Are there any mosasaurs in the river?

[all gasp] [indistinct chatter] - Well, there is a local story of the legendary mosasaur river monster, Emperor Globidens.

[indistinct chatter] - Why do they call him Emperor?

- Because he's huge.

20 feet long.

He was like a huge sea snake, but with a crocodilian head and four flippers.

I spotted him once too.

- A 20-foot-long sea monster?

[chuckles] Nothing that big lives in the river.

The sea, maybe.

[indistinct chatter] - Grandpa, we have to find this Globidens mosasaur river monster.

- Do you think he might be at the buffet?

'Cause that's kind of where I'd like to go next.

- Well, you know who would be the perfect Pterosaur to fly you around and look for the river monster, Buddy?

[chuckles] The younger me, your dad.

- [screeches] Go ahead, hon.

I'm fine right here.

- Ha, all right.

Well, let's go find this mythical river beast, Buddy, and then you can tell everyone that you met Emperor Globidens, the giant river monster.

- Rawr!

Yeah!

Let's do it, Dad!

- [screeches] Wait, Buddy!

I'm coming too!

both: Bye, Mom!

- Good luck, kids, and you too, hon!

- Well, if anyone can find the mystery Emperor, I bet it'll be you and Tiny.

- Thanks, Grandpa.

- [screeches] - Mm.

I love riverboat food.

- Don, remember.

Chew first, then swallow.

- [gulps] Got it.

Thanks.

[chuckles] - Okay.

So where should we look first?

- Left, Dad.

Now a little to the right.

- [chuckles] I guess you have a plan.

- Sort of.

Okay, let's go a teeny bit lower.

I see something moving in the water.

children: Aww.

- It's only an Elasmosaurus, not the Emperor.

- [screeches] But we'll keep looking, right?

Hey.

There are some Enantiornithines.

Hi!

- And look.

a Pterodaustro.

- Crayfish.

- So many different creatures in this river.

- [gasps] Oh, Buddy, look!

both: The Emperor?

- No, it's Mr. Quetzalcoatlus!

Hi!

- Ugh!

I really, really want to find that mystery mosasaur.

- Me too, Buddy.

- Sheesh, this mystery mosasaur guy is really becoming a mystery.

Keep looking, team!

- [giggles] This is more fun than a tower of fishwiches.

Want to play, dear?

- Well, I'm not sure it's for me.

- Oh, of course it is.

You aim, concentrate, push.

Try and get your pucks in the zones with the most points, and knock your opponents pucks out of the way like this.

Woo-hoo!

Ten points!

It's the thinking woman's game, and as I said, it's fun.

- Does it matter how you hold the stick?

- Well, everyone seems to have their own method.

Here, I'll show you.

- I see something swimming there.

- [screeches] Me too, Dad.

- Hey!

Straight ahead!

There's a big creature.

Go for it, Dad.

- Roger that, Buddy.

I'm on it.

children: Aww.

- Nope.

It's just a shark.

Maybe a Squalicorax?

- A who-now what-now?

- A Squalicorax.

- Are you sure you're not making this up?

- Let's just say it's not the Emperor, but he's around here somewhere.

- You okay, Dad?

- Ah, yeah.

Just a little pooped.

Hey, let's, uh, take a rest and think over our game plan.

- Sure.

You have to rest, like Grandpa did.

- [chuckles] Well, that's how it goes.

The fish doesn't jump far from the pond, as they say.

Okay.

Back to the Riverboat, and we'll take five.

- [sighs] I don't know if we'll ever find the Emperor.

He may not even be real at all.

Maybe he's just a mystery that no one will ever solve.

- Buddy, come on.

You have to think positive.

Remember, we're a great mystery solving team.

Plus, it's fun.

Let's not give up, okay?

- Okay.

- [screeches] We will find you, Emperor Globidens.

- Go, Mom!

Go, Grandma!

Go, Mom, and Go, Grandma!

- Shiny, dear, would you like to play?

- Well, I don't know if I'm really-- Oh, why not?

[chuckles] Does it matter how you hold this?

- Well, everyone seems to have their own method.

Here, I'll show you.

- [giggles] - Mom, can you fly out with me to look for creatures, like Dad is doing with Tiny and Buddy?

- I will absolutely, just after I play with Shiny here.

In a little while, okay?

Thanks, honey.

- Grandma, will you fly with me to find new creatures?

- I will, Don darling, the moment after I'm done with this game.

I promise.

- So what's so great about this game?

- Well, maybe you should try it, but don't expect to be as good at it as I am already.

You need to concentrate, aim, and then push.

- [grunts] [all gasp] - Hey, look, a ten.

Is that good?

That wasn't hard at all.

- Wait, what?

Don, how did you just do that?

- I don't know.

I kind of just pushed the thingy with the stick.

- [grumbles] [water splashes] - Could that be Emperor Globidens?

- Not sure.

I see the splash, but no creature.

I don't see anything except the splashes, but we don't want the creature to see us and swim away.

- Shh!

[both gasp] both: Look!

- Four flippers.

Large, crocodilian head.

both: It's Emperor Globidens!

- And he's really real.

- Ooh.

Somebody call my name?

- Hi, uh, Emperor, mister, you're--you're, uh-- - Hi, I'm Tiny Pteranodon.

This is my brother, Buddy, and my dad, Dad.

Are you Emperor Globidens?

- I am indeed Emperor Globidens.

- Mr. Emperor, sir, we've been looking for you in the river since our grandpa told us about you.

- But no one was really sure you were real.

- [chuckles] Yeah, I'm still wondering if you're really real, sir.

- [chuckles] Oh, I'm real, and I like that I'm a mystery.

It's kind of fun.

- Mr. Emperor, do you mind if we compare features?

It's kind of my thing.

- Why sure!

I have strong rounded teeth.

I call them my crushers, 'cause they're perfect for crunching on hard-shelled snacks like turtles and clams.

I have these four flippers and my rather large crocodilian head.

both: Check, check, and check.

- [growls] [both gasp] - Don't be scared of me, unless you're a turtle or a clam.

[laughs] I'm a nice guy.

- [chuckles] Okay.

Um, Mr. Emperor?

I have an idea that might be fun.

- Ooh, I like fun.

I'm listening.

[indistinct excited chatter] [all exclaiming] - Oh, wow.

- It's over now.

- Okay, my turn.

- Hey, everybody.

- Not now, Buddy.

This is very important.

- Okay, but just look for one second.

- [giggles and sighs] Fine, Buddy.

I'll look for one second.

[gasps] Oh, my goodness.

- [gasps] Is that--is that-- both: Yup.

It's Emperor Globidens!

all: Wow!

- Well, now I've seen everything.

[chuckles] - Well, I never.

Amazing.

- Can you believe it, Dad?

The real Emperor Globidens.

He isn't made up.

- He's really real.

Yee-haw!

- [laughs] I sure am.

[all cheering] - Mosasaurs are fast-swimming reptiles from the Late Cretaceous.

They live in the water but breathe air.

- Woo-hoo!

[both laugh] - [giggles] La-la-loo!

[all cheering] - [whimpers and giggles] [all cheering] - Take care, everyone!

Bye-bye!

Nice to meet you, Pteranodon Family.

all: Bye, Emperor!

- I'm so happy we found the Emperor.

- [giggles] I'm so proud of you kids.

Now the mysterious legend is solved.

- What a wonderful, extraordinary adventure, Team Pteranodon.

Best Riverboat trip ever!

all: Yeah!

[all laugh] - Great.

- [screeches softly] - And the best news is the bug buffet is still open.

- Come on!

all: ♪ It's the latest and the greatest boat ♪ ♪ The most magnificent thing afloat ♪ ♪ It's the fanciest, the danciest ♪ ♪ Rolling on The Dinosaur Train Riverboat ♪ ♪ Toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot ♪ ♪ Toot, toot ♪ [all cheering] - Hi there.

I'm Dr. Scott, the paleontologist, and this is an ecosystem.

Pteranodon Terrace is an ecosystem.

In fact, everywhere you look in nature, you'll find ecosystems.

An ecosystem is made up of the local plants, animals, and other organisms that link together to make a circle of life.

The circle starts with plants, which get their energy from the sun.

Herbivores eat the plants and then carnivores eat the herbivores.

The remains of all these plants and animals then become food for insects and other tiny creatures, which make food for more plants.

This happened back in the time of the dinosaurs and it's still happening today.

Everything in an ecosystem is connected to everything else in a circle of life.

kids: Circle of life!

- In an ecosystem, everything becomes food for everything else.

Okay.

Get outside, get into nature, and make your own discoveries.

- We love playing games.

- Like "All Aboard."

- You can play too, online at PBSKids.org.

- And lots of other games.

- There's so much to learn about all kinds of dinosaurs.

- Go to... both: PBSKids.org.

- ♪ The Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ Dinosaur Train ♪ - ♪ We're gonna ride ♪ - ♪ Ride, ride, ride, ride ♪ [train whistle toots] - ♪ The Dinosaur Train ♪