The Ballad of Big Al (also simply known as Allosaurus in north American marketing) is a 2000 special creating as part of the Walking with Dinosaurs series created on christmas day, and the first special to be made for the Walking With series as a whole. The special was split into two episodes: the main special itself and a behind-the-scenes episode called Big Al Uncovored, which aired two days after the official release of the special. The special follows the life of the famous Allosaurus specimen known as "Big Al" during the Jurassic Period, whose life story is hypothesized through the well-preserved specimen of the same name on display in the University of Wyoming's Geological Museum.
Plot[]
The special begins in modern day at the University of Wyoming's Geological Museum, showing a few skeletons of Jurassic dinosaurs, including the famous "Big Al" fossil. During the discussion, the ghost of Big Al itself briefly appears by the fossil and towards a nest of fossilized eggs.
On the eggs, the special then goes back to the Jurassic Period (specifically 145 million years ago). Big Al is shown hatching in a similar nest alongside several of his siblings, with their mother aiding them all in reaching a nearby river. While there, the young venture around, exploring the environment and hunting small insects. However, as the mother ventures off for a bit, suddenly a one-year-old Allosaurus rushes out of nowhere and kills one of the offspring (not Big Al).
Jumping after a few years, Big Al is then shown trying (and failing) to hunt a group of Dryosaurus. He soon finds a small lizard to snack on to satisfy his hunger for the time being though and continues only to find a Predator Trap in the form of mud. In it, a dead Stegosaurus and a dying Allosaurus remain in the mud as another female Allosaurus ventures close only to get caught in the mud herself. Big Al, being taught to avoid carcasses due to larger predators they usually attract, manages to avoid this fate. Those trapped in the mud become food for Anurognathus.
Now at five years old, Big Al appears again along a Salt Lake, stalking a migrating herd of Diplodocus. He is joined by several other Allosaurus, and they all race into the tiring herd to panic the dinosaurs into leaving a tiring and sick individual behind. This strategy works, but as they all corner the sick animal, Big Al gets struck back by the Diplodocus. They all decide to wait it out until sickness and the heat eventually kill their prey. As they feed on the carcass, a five-year-old female arrives. Big Al takes some remnants of the carcass for himself and leaves, trying to find a safer place to eat.
A year later, Big Al becomes old enough to look for a mate. After having a drink by a river, he follows the scent of a female Allosaurus and issues a mating call, only for the female to refuse. Big Al continues to persist though, which results in the female attacking him to drive him away. Although surviving the encounter, this attack still resulted in an injured arm and smashed ribs. The dry season continues on, and during a hunt after more Dryosaurus, Big Al trips over a fallen log and breaks one of his toes, leaving him with a limp. As the dry season turns to a drought, Big Al's limp from the fall gets worse and his right middle toe becomes badly infected. Soon, unable to hunt because of this handicap, he dies in a dried-up riverbed, where two hatchling Allosaurus are hunting for bugs and come across his emaciated carcass. The special concludes in saying that Big Al, in death, represents a frozen moment in the fast and furious life of a carnivorous dinosaur.
Featured Animals[]
- Allosaurus
- Anurognathus
- Apatosaurus
- Brachiosaurus
- Diplodocus
- Dryosaurus
- Nanosaurus
- Ornitholestes
- Stegosaurus
In Other Media[]
The Ballad of Big Al was adapted into a children's book by Stephen Cole. Titled Allosaurus! The Life and Death of Big Al, the book was published in North America by Dutton Children's Books on 4 June 2001. An accompanying website to The Ballad of Big Al was launched in 2000, featuring a written retelling of Big Al's story by the researcher Alexandra Freeman and an online role-playing game, the Big Al game, based on the episode.[1]