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Join Buddy, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his adoptive Pteranodon family on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans, as they unearth basic concepts in life science, natural history and paleontology.
2011
Buddy and the Pteranodon family begin their journey on the Dinosaur Train, gathering all their Theropod friends together to travel to a really big Theropod Club Convention which is being held in Laramidia, the “Dinosaur Big City”!
The Pteranodon family continues their journey to the Theropod Convention in Laramidia, the Dinosaur Big City! Among the Theropod dinosaurs that ride the Train with them is King Cryolophosaurus, who sings his songs “Big Ol’ Whistle-Stop Rock-n-Roll Dinosaur Tour” and “Whole Lotta Theropods”!
The Dinosaur Train arrives in Laramidia, the Dinosaur Big City, and Buddy and the Pteranodon family explore the crowded “dinosaur metropolis.” At the Theropod Convention, our kids reunite with Annie Tyrannosaurus and her parents Dolores and Boris, and they all meet the multi-horned mayor, Mayor Kosmoceratops!
Buddy and Tiny help King Cryolophosaurus overcome his fear of performing in front of his biggest audience ever, and he wows a large dinosaur audience when he sings his new song, “Whole Lotta Theropods” at the Theropod Convention in Laramidia, the Dinosaur Big City.
Sidney Sinovenator shows the Pteranodon family his favorite stargazing spot
When the kids build their own version of a nest on the beach, below their actual family nest up on the cliff, they get the idea to turn their beach nest into a clubhouse. Shiny thinks that a clubhouse needs a club, and “the Nature Trackers” club is born! The kids decide to make their club about getting outside, getting into nature, and making new discoveries. The only problem is: which kid is in charge of the club?
Shiny gets over her fear of snakes when Tiny challenges the Nature Trackers to meet the ultimate snake: the Sanajeh, a huge Cretaceous snake from what is now India. Dad takes the kids on the Dinosaur Train to find Sana Sanajeh, who may be huge, but turns out to be quite friendly. Once Shiny and Sana become friends, Shiny returns home with the knowledge that snakes aren’t scary – they’re just another part of nature!
The family goes to the Big Pond to find buttercups
Buddy wants to learn more about his ancestors
The kids must find something in nature that helps calm them
Game rules change at the Biome Block Party so that all creatures can play the games
The Nature Trackers gather seeds and bring them home to plant a garden
The kids meet a relative of Tank Triceratops, an early ceratopsian named Penelope Protoceratops.
The kids discover that a nursery car has been added to the train.
The kids learn that the train has added an aviary car.
The kids take a hike through the woods, where they observe life returning following a forest fire.
The family camp at Big Pond during a drought
Dad takes part in a fishing contest.
The family ride out a hurricane in a cave
Two refugees from across the Western Interior Sea arrive on a raft.
Dad takes the kids on a special Night Train to Troodon Town, where the Troodons have decorated their Roundhouse into a “haunted house” for a spooky party. The kids end up meeting a strange new nocturnal creature – a mammal named Vlad Volaticotherium, who was hiding in the roundhouse trying to get some sleep.
The Pteranodon family learns more about the customs of their neighbors, the Lambeosaurus family, when they are invited for the first time to accompany them to the Big Pond to celebrate “Gourd Day” – a kind of Mesozoic Halloween. The kids see their first pumpkins, and Larry Lambeosaurus even shows our family how to hollow them out and carve faces into them.
The Pteranodons travel to the North Pole, where Don wishes to see snow fall again.
The Pteranodons stop to watch the aurora borealis.
Tiny thinks it would be fun to have a picnic with all the dinosaurs from the "Dinosaurs A to Z" song.
Tiny thinks it would be fun to have a picnic with all the dinosaurs from the "Dinosaurs A to Z" song.
The Pteranodon kids learn about classification.
Don organizes the dinosaurs by species, features and size.
The kids meet some of the biggest dinosaurs, including Allie Alamosaurus
The kids learn about nocturnal and diurnal animals while on an overnight camping trip with Dad.
The kids meet a super long dinosaur while on a nature trackers adventure
Shiny is nervous about Gilbert's impending visit.
Apollo Apatosaurus is a long-necked, long-tailed dinosaur who likes adventure
The kids make nature art on the beach.
Buddy, Tiny and Mom visit their pal Arnie Argentinosaurus, who's grown so large he can't ride on the train anymore;
The kids visit a field of geysers and take a dip in the nearby hot springs.
2009
Buddy wonders if he’ll grow horns when he gets older, so Mrs. Pteranodon takes him to visit some dinosaurs called Stygimoloch, who have really impressive horns.
After Mr. Pteranodon teaches the kids his fishing method, Buddy and Tiny work together as a team to catch fish in the Big Pond.
2014
Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don go river rafting for the first time at Nature Adventure’s Tracking Camp. Their old pal Jess Hesperornis meets up with them and they all learn about erosion and the importance of rivers, before finishing up their adventure by cruising through some rapids!
For their second outing at Nature Trackers Adventure Camp, Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, Don and other friends learn about the tree line as they set out to hike up a mountain. Shiny is determined to get to the top of mountain forest. Buddy wonders if they’ll be able to see anything from the mountaintop, through the tall trees. The kids are amazed that the higher they hike, the shorter trees and bushes get! Then they reach the tree line — a certain point on the mountain, where trees are really small because they don’t have enough air to breathe and the temperature is too cold. In the end, Shiny and all the kids use teamwork to all reach the mountaintop together!
2019
During a visit from their friend Mikey Microraptor, the kids go looking for an even smaller dinosaur.
The family surprises Mom for her birthday with a trip to a concert given by Cory and her family of Corythosaurus, who play music through the crests on their heads.
Our Pteranodon family eats lunch with their friend Tank Triceratops and discovers that he and his family are all plant-eaters, with great leaf-eating teeth and giant appetites!
Buddy and Tiny travel to the Jurassic to make a new friend, Morris Stegosaurus, and discover how this huge dinosaur keeps cool in the heat.
The kids go to the Big Pond to look for flowers to give to Mom on her special Mothers Day. They find many different flowers while following a very busy bee.
Buddy travels to Rexville on the Dinosaur Train and meets Delores Tyrannosaurus and her daughter Annie. When he sees that he shares all the same features, Buddy learns that he is a Tyrannosaurus rex!
Buddy and Tiny tour the Dinosaur Train and earn their Junior Conductor hats while their friend Ned, a four-legged, long-necked Brachiosaurus and regular Train rider, tags along.
Buddy and Tiny want to test their memory, so they ride the Dinosaur Train and spend some time with the Conductor, since he’s a Troodon with a great memory. The kids get to meet the Conductor’s mom, Mrs. Conductor.
Buddy and Tiny ride the Dinosaur Train to meet Petey Peteinosaurus, a “flying lizard,” who is fun, funny, and friendly, and has some features similar to both Buddy and Tiny!
Buddy, Tiny, and Mom ride the Dinosaur Train to meet Oren and Ollie Ornithomimus, some of the fastest dinosaurs ever! The kids love meeting the fast-moving and fast-talking twins.
When Buddy loses a tooth, Mom takes him to Rexville to ask his Tyrannosaurus friends all about T. rex teeth. They explain that he’ll grow new teeth to replace the old ones.
Dad gives Tiny and Buddy a mystery feather and the kids become “detectives,” riding the Dinosaur Train to meet Valerie Velociraptor, who shows the kids what it’s like to be covered with beautiful feathers.
The kids help Tank Triceratops overcome his awkwardness with having a huge head by showing him how cool and amazing his features are, especially his frill.
Tiny and Buddy visit a dinosaur family called Argentinosaurus, some of the biggest land creatures ever! The kids find out there are great things about being really big, and that it’s also great being their own size.
Buddy is excited that his friend Annie Tyrannosaurus is coming to the Pteranodon nest to visit and play. After Tiny feels left out, Buddy and Annie show her that they can all be friends!
The kids travel on the Dinosaur Train with Mr. Pteranodon to see his hero, Hank Ankylosaurus, play a game of Dinoball. Afterwards, they even get to play with Hank and learn what it’s like to be a dinosaur that is covered with armored plates and has a mighty club for a tail.
Our Pteranodon family goes to the Big Pond for their first overnight camp out and meets a small frog with a big voice!
Buddy spends time with Laura Giganotosaurus, a large dinosaur who always rides the Dinosaur Train and, like Buddy, is a three-toed theropod! Buddy also discovers that Laura is an avid bird-watcher.
Buddy and Tiny learn that all creatures poop, even really big dinosaurs.
Buddy, Tiny and Mom visit a family of Deinonychus, dinosaurs with large, sharp toe-claws. They meet a kid named Derek who uses his toe-claws to not only hunt with but to carve great art!
Don makes a new friend with red feet, a dragonfly named Howard.
Mrs. Pteranodon takes Buddy and Tiny to visit a Microraptor named Mikey. Microraptors were one of the smallest dinosaurs ever. Tiny is annoyed that Mikey is even smaller than she is, but Mikey looks up to Tiny as a role model.
Buddy and Tiny go to visit their friend Annie Tyrannosaurus and discover she isn’t home, so they follow clues and find her on a migration with her family.
Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don meet Perry Parasaurolophus, a dinosaur with a crest on his head who teaches them a new way to hoot some hip music.
Shiny, Tiny and Don throw a surprise party for Buddy on the Dinosaur Train and invite a whole caboose full of his friends!
Buddy’s Theropod Club meets with other dinosaurs that walk on two legs, eat meat, and have three toed feet. But Tiny feels left out until the Club invites her to join too!
Buddy, Tiny and Mrs. Pteranodon attend an egg hatching party and meet their friend Cory Corythosaurus’s new brothers and sisters.
Dad takes the kids on the Dinosaur Train to fish in a new place, where they meet a huge, grumpy old dinosaur, called a Spinosaurus, that doesn’t want the kids in his sea. Eventually the kids befriend him, and they teach each other their own unique way to catch fish.
Buddy and Tiny help settle an argument between Morris Stegosaurus and Alvin Allosaurus, two very big dinosaurs – one with a very spiky tail, the other with a mouthful of sharp teeth.
Dad, Buddy and Tiny take a special ride on the Dinosaur Train at night, learning about animals that are active after dark, culminating at the Big Pond for a nature walk under the full moon.
Buddy, Tiny and Don play “detective” and search around the Big Pond for fossils. The kids end up finding an entire skeleton of a Jurassic dinosaur.
Buddy and his Pteranodon family ride the Dinosaur Train to the North Pole – where it’s cooler, and the skies are dark all winter long! The kids get to play in the snow and slide on a frozen pond for the first time.
The whole Pteranodon family have fun celebrating Mom’s favorite holiday, Winter Solstice. They learn about large conifer (evergreen) trees and help decorate them at a holiday party.
The Pteranodon family rides the Dinosaur Train to meet a family of amazing, burrowing dinosaurs that live in holes and put on a “Cirque de Soleil” kind of acrobatic show every evening!
Shiny, with help from Buddy, Tiny and Don, looks for the shiniest sea shells she can find, but ends up making a new friend named Henry, a hermit crab who lives in his own shell on the beach at the Big Pond.
Buddy, Tiny, Don and Mom meet a reclusive, singing dinosaur named King who has a big swooping crest on his head and a voice that sounds an awful lot like Elvis Presley.
Buddy and Don are “”footprint detectives”” as they track and find creatures they know at the Big Pond. The plot thickens when they discover fossilized tracks that are millions of years old!
Buddy, Tiny and Mom make a play date with Petey Peteinosaurus to ride the Dinosaur Train to meet Arlene Archeopteryx, a bird from the family of the oldest birds ever! The kids are excited to learn that Arlene is a bird and a dinosaur.
Shiny and Don stay at home. We get to see that just because they don’t always ride with Buddy and Tiny on the Dinosaur Train doesn’t mean that they are not having fun. An adventure into a local caves leads to a marvelous and brilliant discovery.
Buddy and Tiny learn about camouflage when they meet a shy dinosaur, Leslie Lesothosaurus, who is very good at hiding. The kids end up persuading Leslie to stop hiding and come out to play with them.
The Pteranodon family travels to the Big Pond for a Scavenger Hunt. Using clues and rhymes, the kids solve word puzzles and finally glimpse a bug-eating plant they thought was mere make-believe.
Buddy, Tiny, and Mom ride the Dinosaur Train to the Cretaceous Picnic Grounds. They meet Ernie Einiosaurus, who shows them what it’s like to live in a herd of horned Ceratopsians.
The Pteranodons venture to the Big Pond to find out if dinosaurs can live in the water. Their quandaries are quenched when they meet Jess Hesperornis, who turns out to be not only a water-dwelling dinosaur, but a bird as well!
Don mistakes a shell for a rock and meets Adam Adocus, a turtle with a head he can retract into his shell for self-defense. The Pteranodon family travels to the Triassic and meets Pauline Proganochelys, another kind of turtle who shares her own methods of defending herself.
Tank Triceratops has a new baby brother that everyone dotes on, making Tank feel left out. Buddy, Tiny, and Tank play with some older kid Triceratops, and Tank learns the perks of being a big brother.
Buddy, Tiny, and Mrs. Pteranodon go on an expedition all the way back to the Triassic Time Period to meet Erma Eoraptor, one the first species of dinosaur that ever lived. They ride to the end of the line to find Erma, and then bring her back for a ride on the Dinosaur Train!
Buddy, Tiny and Dad take the Dinosaur Train to see Old Smoky, the local volcano. It’s such a spectacular sight that they go back for the rest of the family, only to discover they've already gone to see the volcano! The merry mix-up concludes as the whole family meets up just in time to catch Old Smoky erupting.
The entire Pteranodon family embarks on a roaring, exploring, World Tour adventure! They meet the Conductor's nephew, Gilbert, who acts as their tour guide to meet Martin Amargasaurus, a spine-spangled quadruped with an intimidating sail.
The Pteranodon family continues on its World Tour on the Dinosaur Train. During their first full day on the train, the kids play with Gilbert, the Conductor's nephew. Don gets jealous of Gilbert’s friendship with Buddy.
The next stop on the Dinosaur Train World Tour takes the Pteranodon family to Confuciusornis Gardens, where they meet a very wise old dinosaur. They try some new foods and even learn to meditate.
During a stop on the Pteranodon family’s World Tour, Tiny accidentally leaves her beloved Tiny Doll behind in Velociraptor Valley. Knowing Tiny can't sleep without it, Valerie and Velma Velociraptor enlist the help of a wide-winged Pterosaur named Ziggy to fly Tiny's doll back to the train.
The Pteranodon family continues their World Tour and meets Iggy Iguanodon, a large, four-legged chap who shows them his unique way of walking while leading them to some famous white cliffs.
Shiny gets homesick while the Pteranodon family continues on their World Tour. She tries to fall asleep in their Sleeping Car, but can’t, so Dad takes her for a walk around the Dinosaur Train, where they observe the night activities of nocturnal creatures.
As the Pteranodon family’s World Tour continues, they travel to Africa to meet a Stegosaur named Kenny Kentrosaurus. He teaches the kids about his plates, spikes, and big, thumping tail, which leads to a fun drumming party.
The Pteranodon family oversleeps and has to hurry to make another guided walk on their World Tour! Don asks to stay back on the train, where he ends up having a great day with the Conductor and his mom, Mrs. Conductor!
Buddy, Tiny, Don and Mrs. Pteranodon head to the thicket to ask a Therizinosaurus family about their colossal claws. They demonstrate how they use their claws for self-defense, while the daughter, Teri, shows the kids her favorite practice spot.
When Tank spends the night at Pteranodon Terrace, the last thing he wants to do is sleep. But as the night wears on, the other kids nod off, leaving only Buddy to try to stay awake with Tank. Buddy realizes that Tank is just nervous about sleeping in a strange place, so he and Mom help Tank feel at home so he can finally get to sleep.
Mr. Pteranodon is annoyed when some hadrosaurs move in next door! The new neighbors are a family of Lambeosaurus, who have crests that hoot – and too loudly, as far as Dad is concerned. After a rocky start, the Pteranodon and Lambeosaurus families agree on terms they can both live with and become fast friends.
Don and new neighbor, Lily Lambeosaurus, stay at Pteranodon Terrace while the other kids take a day trip to the Big Pond. Don shows off his knowledge of the area to an admiring Lily as they search for more items for his collection.
The Pteranodon family stretches their wings at Quetzalcoatlus Canyon, where Mr. Pteranodon flew when he was younger and nicknamed the "Wing King." The family meets Quincy Quetzalcoatlus and his Dad, a huge flying Pterosaur. Together, the two "Wing Kings" wow their kids with some sensational aerial acrobatics.
There's big trouble at the Big Pond Larry Lambeosaurus gets stuck in a mud pit, and then Dad tries to get Larry out, and ends up getting stuck himself. Buddy and Leroy Lambeosaurus have to think quickly to pull their dads out before some big meat-eater finds them!
When Don finds a mystery tooth in Dad's old tooth collection, Dad decides to take the kids on an investigation. They discover that the tooth belongs to a dinosaur called Masiakasaurus, a creature with a mouthful of protruding buck teeth!
Tiny gets upset when she finds a miniature mammal named Cindy Cimolestes has moved into her "Tiny Place," a hole in a tree near the family nest. Buddy ends up using his sharp eyes to help Cindy find a new home that more perfectly fits her small size.
The Pteranodons tag along as Hank Ankylosaurus visits the Big Pond to scout a Dinoball talent named Eugene Euoplocephalus. Eugene is a smaller version of Hank, an armored dinosaur with a giant tail-club. Hank and Eugene really hit it off, and after they all play Dinoball, Hank recruits Eugene to play on his team!
Tiny and Shiny practice their swoop-de-loops and other flying moves in anticipation of their play-date with fellow Pterosaurs Petey Peteinosaurus and Quincy Quetzalcoatlus. With Buddy helping with the choreography, the Pterosaur Flying Club puts on a flying show!
Tiny is very worried after she loses Shiny's favorite shiny shell, and enlists Dad and Buddy to help find a new one. As Tiny becomes more frantic, she begins stomping with frustration. Then the kids meet Daphne, a Daspletosaurus kid who shows them how to make stomping a fun dance instead of a temper tantrum.
At the Big Pond, Tank introduces the Pteranodon family to his friend, Stacie Styracosaurus, a fellow Ceratopsian with a crown of elaborate horns on her head. Everyone attends Stacie’s “Hornucopia” celebration, where she reveals her new big
“Mom’s” the word when Mrs. Pteranodon meets fellow mom Millie Maiasaura, who is a little too over-protective of her kids. The two moms compare mothering methods in a play date at the Big Pond.
Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon decide to surprise each other with gifts on their anniversary. Despite some close calls, the kids help each of them to keep their gifts a secret until the perfect moment when the whole family can celebrate.
The Pteranodon family travels on the Dinosaur Train with the Aquacar to an underwater train station to transport Elmer Elasmosaurus back to his home in the ocean. At first Buddy is not enthusiastic about travelling underwater, but quickly becomes a convert when he sees the spectacular sights under the sea.
The Pteranodon family hosts a block party to introduce their new neighbors, the Lambeosaurus family, to all the other neighborhood creatures. The different species all join together to fly, dive, fish, race and especially, to rock the block!
The Pteranodon family takes the Dinosaur Train underwater to visit a marine reptile called Paulie Pliosaurus, a creature known as the "T. rex of the Ocean." Buddy and Paulie compare features and find that they actually have a lot in common.
Our Pteranodon family takes their ocean friend Elmer Elasmosaurus on the Dinosaur Train to a place he’s never been before: the desert! Once there, the kids compare the sandy terrain to Elmer’s ocean, and they meet a local lizard named Percy who tells the tale of his desert home.
On this underwater excursion, the Pteranodon family meets up with Carla Cretoxyrhina, a young shark who turns out to be much nicer than her reputation suggests. She introduces the family to her dad, bringing them face to face with the "Big Fish in the Sea."
The speedy dinosaur brothers Oren and Ollie join our kids on a train trip to Troodon Town, but unplanned engine trouble sends Oren and Ollie sprinting the Roundhouse to bring back another engine to save the day!
The Pteranodon family travels deep underwater on the Dinosaur Train to view two backwards-bounding brothers named Max and Mitch Michelinoceras. The kids are delighted to see that Max and Mitch put on a synchronized swimming show.
Buddy, Tiny, and Mr. Pteranodon join Annie Tyrannosaurus and Leroy Lambeosaurus and their dads for a Dads’ Day at the Big Pond. It’s all fun and games until it starts to rain, and they all have to take cover in a cave they’ve never noticed before.
Our kids ride the Dinosaur Train from one end of the line to the other, through all three Time Periods -- from the Cretaceous, through the Jurassic, to the Triassic. All along the way, they pick up friends who join them for a Junior Conductor Jamboree!
The Pteranodon family rides to Troodon Town to celebrate Troodon Train Day, where the main event is a concert by King Cryolophosaurus, giving his first performance in years! When King comes down with some last-minute jitters, Buddy and Tiny help him overcome his stage fright and he sings a medley of his hits, including the Dinosaur Train theme song!
The campers explore levels of the ecosystem in a rain forest before riding on a zip line.
Hiking down a canyon
The Pteranodon family is super excited to be traveling to the ‘Classic in the Jurassic’, an Olympics type competition in which different dinosaur teams representing the three Mesozoic time periods will compete in various contests. Today’s competition is a race between turtle and theropod teams. When the fast running theropods all get tangled up at the finish line, the race comes down to the slow moving turtles. It’s an exciting race as the turtles are neck and neck! Who will win this pre-historic match up?
Buddy, Tiny and Mrs. Pteranodon are eating lunch at Pteranodon Terrace, and even though they've just eaten a big fish meal, Buddy's still hungry. Mum understands that because Buddy is a carnivore he needs meat.
The Pteranodon Family is excited to be going back to the ‘Classic in the Jurassic’! This time, it’s a race between pterosaurs from each of the three Time Periods. The best part—all of the family members will have a role to play in the race! Mom and Tiny will be in-air referees, Buddy and Don will do “play-by-play”, and Dad and Shiny will man the start and finish lines. It’s an exciting race as the pterosaurs fly between hanging vines, swoop through a canyon, push through a wind tunnel, slalom over and under branches, then carry food from a pond as they race to the finish line! Teddy Pterodaustro finishes first, but the race is contested when Remy Rhamphorhynchus (another competitor) protests that Teddy never retrieved a fish from the pond. Everyone is surprised to learn that Perodaustro don’t eat fish, they strain plankton through their bristle teeth. Teddy shows everyone how he does it to prove that he did indeed get food from the pond! Teddy is declared the winner!
Buddy, Tiny and Mom are riding the Dinosaur Train when they bump into their old friend, Crystal Cryolophosaurus. She’s on her way to visit King Cryolophosaurus down in the Jurassic Antarctic and invites our family along. Mom and the kids jump at the chance, and upon arrival surprise King as he’s singing a brand new song, Top Carnivore. King and Crystal’s heartfelt reunion is marred when Crystal tries to convince a reluctant King to take this fantastic new song out on the road to share with his adoring Mesozoic fans. But King doesn’t like leaving home and excuses himself to do some thinking. Buddy and Tiny follow and King sings a song called Good ol’ Gondwana to explain his feelings about his home. Tiny has a great idea—King and Crystal can perform a live concert in Gondwana and invite dinosaurs from around the Mesozoic to attend! The concert is a huge success, and King is surprised and delighted when Crystal decides to stay there with him instead of going back out on the road.
It’s time for the ‘Classic in the Jurassic’ – the Mesozoic Olympics! Today’s “Air, Water and Land” contest is a three-part competition pitting teams consisting of a pterosaur and a crocodile from each Time Period against one another. Mrs. Pteranodon, Tiny and Shiny are recruited to help in one of the three “legs” of the race, while Buddy, Don and Dad watch from the stands. The competition’s three “legs” are flying, swimming and a lap around a track. Early on, Team Cretaceous pulls ahead and hold onto its lead, until the wild card of the race is revealed: Team Triassic’s croc, Effie Effegia who shocks the crowd when she runs, and then sprints, on two legs! Effie wins the race, and her bi-pedal abilities prompts many questions – and a healthy discussion – about her features. Tiny is disappointed her team lost, but cheers up when reminded that she was part of `Classic in the Jurassic’ history.
While playing ‘Cold and Hot,’ a game they made up, the Pteranodon kids learn from Mr. Pteranodon that there might be more variety in the desert then they imagined. Their curiosity piqued, they plead for a trip to investigate the desert scene. Mr. Conductor tells them just how diverse plant and animal life can be in the desert. He happens to know a desert mammal Fruitafossor. Upon disembarking from the Dinosaur Train, the Pteranodon kids meet Frankie Fruitafossor, a chipmunk-sized mammal. They quickly learn that their assumption that desert life was hot all the time and relatively uninhabited was incorrect. Come dusk, they find the desert hopping and crawling with life, as creatures emerge all over – mostly underground – where they hide from the blazing sun. Frankie gives our family a tour, including a peek at underground burrows he dug. Back on the desert floor, Don and the siblings can’t believe how cold the desert has become. Nighttime in the desert is a different world than daytime! The family goes back to the Dinosaur Train to warm back up and have a snack.
The 'Classic in the Jurassic' games are back, and this time, it’s the Ultimate Smackdown. Mr. Conductor explains the “wrestling” matchups from the three Time Periods are: T. Rex vs. Triceratops, Allosaurus vs. Stegosaurus and, Zupaysaurus vs. Riojasaurus (dinos new to the Pteranodon clan.) Fears that competitors may get injured are allayed by the explanation of how the `Smackdown’ works – the best choreographed and most entertaining show wins! Morris Stegosaurus beats Alvin Allosaurus. When Ziggy Zupaysaurus goes up against Renaldo Riojasaurus, Mr. Conductor explains that Riojasaurus may be smaller, but has a powerful tail and speed on his side. Then Boris the T. Rex loses to Trevor Triceratops. Tank and Buddy are thrilled –what a face-off! Once the judges tally the results, Team Cretaceous is declared the winner, and the fans love it!
Buddy and Tiny start wondering aloud whether the Triassic was the beginning of time, and if there was anything before the Age of Dinosaurs. So, to the Dinosaur Train they go where Mr. Conductor takes them back to the beginning of the Triassic time period to get some answers. In the Triassic, Buddy, Tiny, Mom, and Mr. Conductor meet up with Erma Eoraptor who is happy to explore the “before the Triassic” question with them. Our group walks through a Pedestrian Time Tunnel (that’s beyond the end of the train tracks) to get to the Permian Time Period, the time period immediately before the Triassic. There, they meet Deon Dimetrodon, who has never met a dinosaur or pterosaur before. Buddy and Tiny are amazed to learn that there are neither in the Permian (or earlier)! Deon marvels at our family’s features – especially Tiny and Mrs. Pteranodon’s wings. Deon shows our group around the hot and humid Permian, and he explains how his sail fin keeps him cool. Then Deon is delighted to experience the Mesozioc Era. He walks through the Pedestrian Time Tunnel with our group, and is blown away by the vegetation and the variety and size of dinosaurs. Another lifelong friendship is forged!
The family visits Troodon Town Roundhouse to see the Solar Train, which is powered by the sun.
Birds show off their feathers for birdwatching/drawing day.
The whole family plans a surprise birthday party for Mr. Conductor
The Pteranodon kids learn about clouds.
Dad and the kids search for the biggest frog ever -- the Beelzebufo
The Pteranodon family rides the "Night Train" all the way back to the Jurassic Period to visit their nocturnal friend, Vlad Volaticotherium, who tells them that he wants to take them caving! Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don don't even know what caving is, but they are soon having a great time seeing all the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites that have formed inside the cave.
Tiny tries to find a mammal in the Mesozoic who likes fish.
Don befriends a butterfly.
Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don have fun when their babysitter watches them for a night
The kids learn about sycamore trees while visiting their grandparents.
The Pteranodon kids are riding the Dinosaur Train with friend and fellow pterosaur, Quincy Queztalcoatlus. When they pass by a waterfall, Buddy comments on how big it is! Quincy’s dad mentions a giant waterfall at the edge of the Western Interior Sea. Mr. Conductor gives a lesson about waterfalls and then suggests a unique and amazing way to view the giant falls – from above! They can fly in the experimental Dinosaur Train Zeppelin…if Thurston Troodon will agree to take them all there on the zeppelin’s maiden voyage. Thurston does and our Pteranodon family gets to experience a spectacular zeppelin ride! The Queztalcoatluses fly alongside, impressing everyone with their flying abilities. After learning more about waterfalls, the Pteranodons catch lots of fish and dine before heading back to the Train via the one-of-a-kind Dinosaur Train Zeppelin!
When the Pteranodon family spots Annie and her T. rex herd migrating to follow the food, the Pteranodon kids wonder if other creatures, even marine mammals, also migrate. The Conductor flies the Pteranodon family over the ocean in the Dinosaur Train Zeppelin to look for Polycotylus, a type of marine reptile that does migrate in the ocean. After spotting a pod of migrating Polycotylus from the sky, the Zeppelin lands in an atoll and our family meets Paulette and Polly Polycotylus, a mother and daughter (from what is modern-day Australia.) Our Pteranodon kids, and Mom, Dad and the Conductor learn all about Polycotylus migration and the reptile features. Then the whole group of new friends enjoys a fish-picnic on the reef of the atoll before the Pteranodon clan heads back home in the zeppelin.
When the Pteranodon kids decide to draw some maps, Don’s map of one big land mass for “the whole Mesozoic” triggers a discussion on whether the Mesozoic is “one big place that’s all connected” or comprised of a bunch of smaller, interconnected land masses. On the Dinosaur Train, the Conductor explains that millions of years ago there actually was just one big land mass called “Pangaea”! Then, over a long period of time, it started to drift apart and form separate, smaller landmasses, or continents. Our family can’t believe it! The Conductor offers to take the Pteranodons up in the Zeppelin and through a Sky Time Tunnel, back to the time of Pangaea. At the Zeppelin Station, they meet up with Tricia Troodon, who helps pilot the Zeppelin on their journey. Once in the sky and through the time tunnel, our family is able to see Pangaea, the one giant landmass, just as it’s starting to break apart. Then the family travels forward in time and views the continents separating more as oceans and seas move in between the land. Looking down at how their coastline looks in the Cretaceous, Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don all agree that seeing Pangaea breaking apart is one of the coolest things they’ve ever seen!
As the Pteranodon kids are playing outside their nest, a few seedpods fall from a nearby tree, bonking Don on the head. This leads to a discussion about how far away things can fall from…maybe even from space?? Buddy hypothesizes that perhaps if a star came close enough, it could land on Earth! On the Dinosaur Train, the Conductor explains that things actually do fall from space. Big space rocks, called “asteroids”, sometimes land on Earth, and when they occasionally do, they make a biiiiig hole, called a crater. Don perks up at this—he’d love to see a crater! So the Conductor takes the Pteranodon Family up in the Zeppelin to see a giant crater from above! On the ground, they explore the crater and find fragments of “space rocks” from the former asteroid. As evening falls and our family flies back home, the Conductor and Mom and Dad surprise the kids with a picnic dinner on the Zeppelin—hurrah!
Tank Triceratops , who has 3 horns, wonders why Mayor Kosmoceratops has 15, and Protoceratops has only 1. The kids go on a quest to track down Ceratopsians with horns.
Shiny and her friend Annie disagree when Shiny gets scared while exploring a cave. Mom's and her friend Tilly tell the kids about the time Mom got too scared to complete one of their childhood adventures.
Mom, Tilly, Tiny, Shiny, and Annie visit the old neighborhood where they complete Mom and Tilly's unfinished adventure and meet Goldie Globidens.
The Conductor’s nephew Gilbert has been taking Conductor courses at the Troodon Academy, and has finally graduated to Cadet Conductor! The kids are thrilled – will Gilbert get his own Dinosaur Train to conduct?
Our kids want their own clubhouse, separate from the family nest. They try out several locations, but none of them are the right fit. Eventually, the kids build their own clubhouse using natural materials.
The Conductor and the kids are out digging in a favorite fossil spot. Buddy turns up something that the Conductor doesn’t recognize. They may have discovered a whole new Jurassic species!
Buddy gets the idea to travel to the Early Jurassic and meet their new discovery, a theropod they named "Buddysaurus." Unfortunately, there is no train to the home of the Buddysaurus, nor a train station! The Conductor decides to take them all to the Early Jurassic, and hike.
When Don is told he can’t dig any more holes around the nest, he complains that he needs his own day just for digging holes—a hole-iday! The kids make up an imaginary holiday just for Don.
The Pteranodon kids meet a new, small mammal friend, Adele Alphadon, and introduce her and their Big Pond friend, Cindy Cimolestes, to a new concept -- that not all Mesozoic creatures are dinosaurs. And that includes the Pteranodons! They live in a diverse world.
The kids meet an autistic dinosaur named Dennis Deinocheirus.
2025
Shiny gets sick but she must rescue Tank and Mikey when they are stranded on the tracks.
When flying home from the train station, Don's left wing gets tired and causes him to crash into the nest.
While the nest is being repaired, Tiny has to find somewhere else to sleep.
While Tiny is at Camp Dino, Thurston tells a ghost story about a ghostly dinosaur.
When Buddy comes to Camp Dino, he gets kidnapped by two evil Troodons.
When the Dinosaur Train is on a collapsing bridge, Don must face his fears of crashing to save the train.
Don has lost his digging ability and decides to retire from digging holes forever.
2015
When Mr. Pteranodon and Larry go out to the Big Pond to find some red platanoids for the Winter Solstice Celebration, they accidentally miss the last train home. Will Larry and Mr. Pteranodon stop bickering long enough to figure out a way home, or will they get stranded in the middle of nowhere and miss the family Winter Solstice Celebration?
As the Winter Solstice Celebration approaches, Mr. Pteranodon, Larry Lambeosaurus, and their new friend Mr. Seastar still can’t seem to find a way home. As Mr. P and Larry continue to argue, Mr. Seastar tries to remind them of the true meaning of the Winter Solstice Holiday – spending time with family and friends.
The whole Pteranodon Family takes a rollicking adventure on the Dinosaur Train Riverboat! Buddy and Don vow to spend every minute together, but while Buddy wants to spend all his time investigating the creatures on the river, Don wants to spend all his time playing games and investigating the buffet. Can they come to some kind of agreement?
While still rolling down the river on the Dinosaur Train Riverboat, Grandpa Pteranodon tells Buddy about the Legend of Admiral Globidens – a HUGE Mososaur that supposedly lives on the river, but no one has ever seen. Buddy enlists Dad and Tiny’s help to look for Admiral Globidens, but they can’t seem to find him. Does Admiral Globidens really exist, or is he just a figment of someone’s imagination?
The Pteranodon Family decides to take a little vacation and swap nests with Larry’s friends: a family of pterosaurs (Nemicolopterus, to be exact). But when the Pteranodon Family arrives at the Nemicolopterus nest, they realize that the Nemicolopterus Family is MUCH smaller than them, so everything is smaller: the Pteranodon Family doesn’t even fit in their nest! Can the family make do, try something new, and still have a good time?
Tank Triceratops is really excited to show Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, and Don his favorite picnic spot, but when they arrive, the spot is overrun with a whole herd of Triceratops. Tank and the kids try to find another place with a little more privacy (and a lot less Triceratopses), but no matter where they go, the herd follows them. Will Tank be able to find a quiet spot without the herd, or does the herd have a good reason for following Tank around?
Mom takes Tiny, Buddy, and Don on a super secret daytrip to Qianzhousaurus Pond, where they meet Quentin Qianzhousaurus – a Tyrannosaur with similar features to Buddy, except for one major thing – Quentin has a long, thin snout covered in tiny horns! The kids think that Quentin’s long snout gives him a super smelling sense, but after a series of tests, they realize that he and Buddy have the same sniffing power. Can Quentin and Buddy’s super sniffers solve the mystery of Mom’s secret daytrip?
Mrs. Pteranodon organizes a “Mom’s Campout” with other moms and kids in the neighborhood. While on the way to the campout, Mr. Conductor challenges the kids to make a real “nature connection” by creating games that push them to look at nature from a different point of view.
The Conductor takes the Pteranodon Family for a special trip to Lizard Island, where they discover that it’s been overrun by plants and bugs, and there are few precious lizards left. The Conductor concludes that the Changyuraptor Family (that he dropped off there awhile ago, and has since multiplied) has been eating all the lizards and throwing the entire ecosystem out of balance. Can the Pteranodon Family and Mr. Conductor convince the Changyuraptor Family to leave their home in order to get the island ecosystem back in balance?
With a hurricane looming, the Pteranodon Family convinces the Conductor to leave his train for the night and come with them to the safety of their hurricane shelter (a large, underground cave). But the Conductor has a hard time getting comfortable away from his train. Can the family and the Conductor pull together and help a family of beached Ichthyosaurs back into the ocean after the hurricane leaves them beached on the shore?
The kids are all excited! Why? Because they’re off to Junior Conductor’s Academy in Laramidia, to try to become Junior Conductors First Class. Buddy has a feeling he’s going to be a star in class, until he meets Dennis Deinocheirus – a kid who knows even more dinosaur facts than he does! Can Buddy get over his disappointment that he’s not the smartest kid in class, and make friends with Dennis (who seems like he’s having trouble making friends on his own)?
Now that Buddy and Dennis are friends, they have to work together (with the other kids) in order to pass a series of tests. If they succeed, they’ll receive their Junior Conductors First Class pins! But standing in the way of their success is the most challenging instructor of all… Thurston Troodon!
Crystal and the King organize a benefit concert to prevent over-fishing of the Big Pond.
Crystal gets stage fright when she's getting ready to perform at the concert.
Shiny invites Annie Tyrannosaurus to Pteranodon Terrace for a sleepover, but all Annie wants to do is investigate the “spooky tree” that Don says “comes alive at night.” All Shiny wants to do is stay as far away from the tree as possible. Can the kids get to the bottom of the mysterious tree, and figure out if it really comes alive at night?
When Don stumbles across a stick that looks EXACTLY like Old Spinosaurus, he’s determined to have the grumpy old dinosaur pose for his sculpture (so he can get the Spinosaurus’s features exactly right). But when they arrive at Old Spinosaurus’s home, he makes it clear that there’s no way he’s posing for anything. Can Don convince Old Spinosaurus to pose for his sculpture, or will Don have to come up with another plan?
The Conductor takes the Pteranodon family on a very special journey on a new invention - the Drill Engine Train - in search of the perfect spot for a new Underground Dinosaur Train Station! Don is THRILLED to be venturing into the BIGGEST HOLE THE EARTH HAS EVER KNOWN! Shiny is nervous to be underground, until they meet a new friend (a Mesozoic Mole named NATASHA NECROLESTES), who teaches them all about the different layers of the Earth. Story A Educational Objectives: The Earth has several layers - the crust (a thin, solid outermost layer), the mantle (the deeper, denser layer), and the core (the super dense center that's as hot as the sun). Also, a Necrolestes is a type of Mesozoic mole.
As the Pteranodon Family continues their journey underground, Don accidentally breaks Buddy's trilobite fossil (the oldest fossil in his collection!) When the search for another trilobite fossil turns up empty, their new friend Natasha Necrolestes takes them to Fossil Alley, where the kids learn that the older the fossil, the deeper underground it is. Story B Educational Objectives: You don't usually find fossils from different time periods mixed together in the Earth. The Law of Superposition means that when we see a stack of rock layers, the deeper you go into the Earth, the older the rocks and fossils you find.
The Drill Engine Train burrows into an underground limestone cave, where the Pteranodon Family meets some strange creatures without eyes called "troglobites." In a contest to see who would make the best troglobite, Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, and Don participate in a treasure hunt - with their eyes closed! The kids have to rely on their other senses (with some guidance from the actual troglobites) to navigate the cave and find the prize. Story A Educational Objectives: A speleologist is someone who studies caves. Also, there are creatures called troglobites whose bodies are specially adapted for living in deep caves without any light.
While digging even further underground, the drill bit on the Drill Engine Train breaks. The Pteranodon Family find themselves in the Cave of Giant Crystals, where they learn all about rocks and crystals (what they are, how they're different, how they form). In order to get back home, the Pteranodon Family has to fix the drill bit by finding a mineral harder than the mineral that broke the bit in the first place. Story B Educational Objectives: Minerals form naturally in the Earth and are made of the same thing all the way through, while rocks are made up of a bunch of different kinds of minerals. Minerals come in thousands of different types (more than 4000 to be more exact), many of which form large and beautiful crystals, some of which are harder than others.
