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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:
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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.
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notes that the cave contains numerous skeletal remains,
including the first complete skeleton of Thylacoleo and
the remains of other species never seen before.
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considers the question of when and why Thylacoleo became
extinct.
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outlines the difficulties with undertaking an expedition in the
Nullarbor Plain, a remote and dangerous region.
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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.
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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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