The Ballad of Ka'Hai: An Uktan Story | Fantasy Dinosaur Documentary

The Ballad of Ka'Hai follows the life story of Ka'Hai, an uktan, monarch of Kaimere's vast and dynamic prairies. Uktan are megaraptorans, theropods descended from animals like Australovenator and Orkoraptor that evolved into giant many-ton apex predators after the tyrannosaurs went extinct. Uktan are a social species, and Ka'Hai's life is defined by his family and all the critical lessons they teach him in preparation for a challenging life out on an unforgiving savanna.
Though entirely fictional, the format was inspired by a range of wildlife and paleontology documentaries, with The Ballad of Big Al by Impossible Pictures being the greatest inspiration and earning an homage in the title.
Songs of the Inland Sea is the sequel to Tales of Kaimere! It is a nautical anthology, with all six short stories and novellas taking place in aquatic settings. There are heists on a ship, a desperate chase through a marsh, and a survival story from the perspective of a killer whale!
Order from your local bookstore! Ask for:
Paperback ISBN: 9798218093723
Hardcover ISBN: 9781088049181
Songs of the Inland Sea:
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Tales of Kaimere ISBN's:
Paperback ISBN: 9781087927442
Hardcover ISBN: 9781087919560
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Music Credit for Ballad of Ka’Hai:
1: As the Bird Sings by Deskant
2: Warning Signal by Max Anson and Cave Memories by Deskant
3: Tudor by Bonnie Grace
4: One with the Tribe by Bonnie Grace
5: Deer Hunt by Bonnie Grace
6: As The Rivers Collapse by Deskant
7: As the Bird Sings by Deskant
Cheers to Connor for this episode sponsorship. Email [e-mail] to sponsor an episode!

[@gavinsiville9969]

Somewhere in dinosaur heaven, Big Al is watching Ka’hal. Smiling as he feels proud for him

[@robertjackson1813]

He'd be like hell yeah ceolurosaurian .

[@nemanjastanimirovic155]

Man poor Druk. The man's essentially been a third parent to all his siblings for most of his life and right as his reign is meant to begin he gets screwed over by his own changing body.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Yeah uktan mortality often spikes after departure, even with all the preparation their parents give

[@ewaszot1243]

Can I just say how op the Ka'hai and Onia couple is? Ka'hai comes from a family that specializes in chelotaurs that don't migrate during the dry season, and Onia comes from a family that knows where to find giant loung fish during the dry season and becous of that they will do great during the dry season

[@TalesofKaimere]

They sure got a bright future ahead of them

[@Adthereccomendationsguy]

The wet season, though, im not completely sure

[@Adthereccomendationsguy]

If kahai can hunt pronghorn there extremely op

[@quinkana1]

​@@Adthereccomendationsguy his parents hunt giant pronghorn and Ka'hai hunted eqquids and other smaller prey. I think Ka'hai's usual fare would be relatively small prey species (for uhktan) like equuids, pronghorn and druhkel and ignore ghanos, and I think he'd have learnt Oniya's open area hunting techniques, so he should be a relatively successful buffalo hunter too.

[@Adthereccomendationsguy]

@@quinkana1 ok thank you for the info

[@Horrendous347]

This series should be placed as the number 1 episode of tales of kaimere, No doubt in my personal opinion

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! Given how much time it took it’s the one I’m currently most proud of!

[@themadkipaerys6713]

I can feel the effort, not just of the “documentary” itself, but of the years of research and development you put into their world. It’s so nice to see what felt like a thousand little pieces of lore from across your videos come together for a story like this.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Much appreciated! I do feel like this was able to convey the dynamic connectivity of a full ecosystem

[@thephilosoraptor8565]

Mans seriously just dropped a full feature length movie on us for free and IN TIME WITH HIS REGULAR UPLOAD SCHEDULE Keenan Taylor you absolute mad lad I salute thee

[@SaintBigfoot]

The way they mourn, they way they rage, they way the perform, I know you say they aren’t Sophont but…I don’t know I can see the sparks, almost like Elephants. Really loved this.

[@Stooltoad5017]

I think the thing that distinguishes them from sophonts is that in the end, they are still merciless animals that still choose themselves and their family unit over other individuals. Take the challenger Uktans for example, they were willing to kill Ka’hai’s parents for their own gain (and vice versa). That isn’t the case for sophonts. (At least, not most of the time.)

[@SRMC23]

dinosaurs in Kaimere have got a lot of time to continue evolving compared to their relatives on Earth so it makes sense all these millions of years of clashing, even after the Dynastic Extinction have made them way smarter than what we generally believe non avian dinos were. they are probably on the Crow or Parrot spectrum of intelligence, if not more taking in to account the sheer size of most of them.

[@globin3477]

@@Stooltoad5017 Personally, I think that what really makes a sophont species is complex language. These dinosaurs can communicate mood and general strategies through body language, and they can teach eachother via demonstration. They cannot, however, discuss something that isn't physically present at the discussion, nor can they talk about their histories and experiences.

[@beastmaster0934]

I feel like they are just below elephants in terms of intelligence. Smart enough to feel sadness, anger, and love. But still largely running on basic instinct. Such as when the intruding mated pair attempted to take Trok and Hyani’s territory, and no doubt would kill Ka’hai and his siblings without a second thought.

[@toesalotboys3378]

@@Stooltoad5017I mean we humans do that too though

[@alghoulaj7172]

This is just amazing. You finally made the Uktan Video, which is just sheer perfection. My friend, what a way to end the year with such an amazing and epic tale, and what an amazing idea to shine the spotlight on the most known and anticipated face of Kaimere! Thank you for giving us a wonderful gift, and see you next year. Please stay safe, and take care.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@alghoulaj7172]

​@@TalesofKaimereAnd thank you for being this generous. This is one of the top three documentary I ever seen, and unbiasedly? It's probably at the very top of the list.

[@ianswinford5570]

This is amazing! A documentary about the wildlife of Kaimere in the style of David Attenborough? It feels like I’m actually on Kaimere watching these majestic creatures living their best lives. I can’t wait for whatever video you do next. Are you able to go deeper detail about the Age of Demons/Witches? You’ve mentioned them before and every bit of info you gave expounds my curiosity. Sorry about that.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks so much I hope you enjoy! I would certainly like to though I have not gotten a sponsor for such a topic.

[@ianswinford5570]

Given how much we love you're worldbuilding and storytelling, I don't think you should have that big of a problem with that.@@TalesofKaimere

[@noahcreutziger7690]

What a beautiful story! Watching Ka'Hai grow from a tiny hatchling to a proud father was a truly wonderful experience! I love how all of the "characters" despite being wild animals all have thoughts, feelings, flaws and unique personalities like any other character in fiction and this has given me some inspiration for my own writing.

[@canonbehenna612]

Wish big Al had this kind of ending

[@luizgustavoalvessantos8728]

Grab your popcorn, it's time for the best movie of the year! After watching this documentary I have one thing to say... THIS WAS THE BEST THING I SAW THIS YEAR!, the way you tell the story was like a professional documentary, I can't Describe how amazing this video was!

[@thechikenman1836]

I got some snacks they're better.

[@nassimlariane6869]

I got some bubble gum

[@thechikenman1836]

@@nassimlariane6869 that sounds good too

[@arkgodardian3850]

It uso has lion king in there.🦁🦖

[@nassimlariane6869]

Fake, it's Uktan king 🦖🦖🦖🦖

[@tec-jones5445]

Now this is a Christmas gift to remember! This has to take the cake for the best Kaimere video I've seen this year. Here's hoping to many more incredible stories of this amazing world in 2024!

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! Yeah I was able to do so much more than usual with this budget and focus.

[@cgyoboi]

felt more emotion while watching this then anything Hollywood has made in the past 20 years, thank you.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! Very much appreciated.

[@dudotolivier6363]

Was great indeed, but I wouldn't be so harsh and extreme about Hollywood thus.

[@quinkana1]

​@@dudotolivier6363 eh it depends on what you like and what you don't tbf. I love documentaries so this is absolutely great tho.

[@kearsargeyt8848]

Wow, just Wow. You really made them a character, not animal! This is a movie, not a documentary! This 2 hours Ballad, about a dinosaur, is a work of art. This could be the best thing I’ve watch this whole year and it’s so great to end this year with it. Now it’s time to gather money to buy your book. I have been hesitated to get it for very long time but after watching this video. Now I know it’s gonna worth it.

[@kearsargeyt8848]

Wait, peoples here commented before they watch the video? Wha-

[@troutinspace5427]

Just and I agree and I’m also happy that despite having clear characters there never anthropomorphised and are still clearly animals in the wild

[@devonblackwell7405]

imagine if someone animated this I bet that would be absolutely legendary to watch, maybe it could happen in the future.

[@TalesofKaimere]

I would be so excited!!

[@turkey4802]

Even better, someone makes models!

[@voiddragon903]

Boy am I glad this showed up in my recommendations. 11/10, reminds me of the big cat shows I watched in mornings before school

[@TalesofKaimere]

Heck yeah welcome!

[@dudotolivier6363]

Everything was very, very well balanced and imagined, both with the format, the events of the stories, the characters, their (assumed) destinies (which is surprisingly decently good, 90% of the characters having a decent or good ending, while the 2 intruders, 2 siblings Jakya and Japli and Druk are the only to have a pretty bad or gruesome ending), the narration, the balance and statu quo between the realistic aspect of the animals/real-life in Nature and the personnification/characterization and empathy of the characters/protagonnist with human features and reactions... And so on .... there really SOOOOO to say ! (but it would be too long, so I just resume here what I liked and appreciated to put forward from this episode). 1) I like that you give to Ka'Hai a happy and good ending to his story ! Because I must admit, since this episode was based and heavily inspired by the "Walking With Dinosaurs Special : The Ballad of Big Al" (to a point that is even not hidden), I was very worried that Ka'Hai end up like Big Al like in the original show = dead whithout even not enjoying the adult age and while still young. So I myself happy that Ka'Hai received a normal good ending, with him having reached adulthood and starting fully his adult life, with his mate and eternal wife for the rest of his days, happy and loved and by giving love to it newly created family he just started, and at the beginning of a decent and overall normal life for a member of his species. The story and destiny and ending you give to him is decent, sure simple and at reach of everyone, but yet the way it must be. Being in a way that it display the overall early life of an Uktan and coming to a full circle when the latter start again the circle by making its own family and becoming a father himself as its own parents and father did with him. What happen after is exactly the same thing that we just whatched since the beginning, so there any use to display more or going into some sort of shinanegans or spicing things up with a out-subject element coming from complete nowhere and which ruin completely everything (sometime like a middle finger in our face, as sadly PLENTY of productions did this error. Like *kof**kof* "Legend of Korra" *kof**kof* among the relevant examples that came to my head right now). No, instead, it simple, what we want and expect, and end up on a new beginning, still not yet fully written but bright future for everyone implied. It sufficient as ending, with none useless heavy andover the top/too much orchestra breaking our ears etc... and us being sastified with all the elements of actions, gore and interactiosn we see throughout the episode which filled enough to job for that matter. 2) All the events, such hunting scenes, nuptial/mating parade, interactions etc..., are normals stuff occuring to the animals in their life (nothing crazy for them) and are simple themselves but yet they remain decent enough attractive, interesting and entertaining to keep us stuck with the story and as event that can serve as (important, notable or driving) forces into the story of the characters/protagonnist in a typical movie story and serving their own story arc and developpement/evolution all along the story itsef. It mainly the way about how they are depicted, described and explained that made them such entertaining and similar/close enough to a typical scene in typical theater action or familial movie. Such scenes being important in order for the story and the characters to have something interesting to tell, to display, to give to the watchers, to evolved and keep us interested, involved and invested in them all along the movie. 3) I like that you decide to made one of the protagonnist having a mutation, here melanistic for Kyan, and that she end up pretty good in term of life and have a good ending to her character. Usually, when a character have something rare or pretty notable about him which made him diferent compared to the others in a story, especially in teenagers or adults medias, the characters is just killed or end up bad anyway. Here no. She live a decent life and reach adulthood and own family whithout too much of a problem, and still had a decent familial relationship with others members of her family to the very end. Her differences may still pose to her some problems, but thankfully are minors and she managed to adapt whithout much efforts to it and even to take advantage of her weakness to made it as a force making her successfull. I like how melanism is displayed here. Usually depicted as a very helpfull mutation compared to others mutations, here it does create some issues with the Uktan for the species in its life on the Houze Prairie (heat, cammouflage etc...). But that still don't prevent the specimens targeted by this mutation to thrive in their own way ! 4) I like how you made the characters stading apart from each others justly by making them with their own distinctives features. Such Keyan melanistic, Oniya and her brother Adoyi white/light in coloration etc... 5) We have a nice balanced of typical scene where there nothing wrong, bad, sad or interesting to say and positives, good stuff to that happen, or between comfortable, hearthwarming and pleasant loving family scenes and completely serious, terrible, sad, moment of loss, harsh and hard scenes. There any too things good or too things bad depicition of life. And as such, it end up as a results with the depiction of a world and nature neither good or bad, with evil bad guys or straight up pure good guys, composed by moments of birth, plenty abundance, joy and success, and moment of obstacles, harsh times, tests and death. Like an anthology that anyone can read or follow. While the Houze Prairie is wanted to be harsh and mercifull, it still not depicted as complete Hell on Earth either, with/filled of plenty of numerous life booming and having periods of quiet and relaxing good times for the inhbaitants calling this place home. That was all I wanted to say about this episode ! XD

[@liambrandley2716]

Are uktan capable of feeling grief? What happens if one in an established couple loses its mate?

[@TalesofKaimere]

At least in some capacity yes

[@mag6474]

What type of coloring material would you usually use? To draw I'm quite amazed by your skill and the smooth coloring

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! I use Prismacolor colored pencils and backgrounds just drawn in photoshop

[@Feranogame]

Wow, this was amazing. Not more I can say to deacribe it. It made me truly empathize and understand the Uktan in a way I didn't think was possible whilst keeping them fully animalistic. I hope we eventually get another one like this, but even if not, it'll be a video to be remembered!

[@reaganhayden5165]

Perfect for sick 🤢 and rainy days, Mary Christmas 🎄🎁

[@TalesofKaimere]

Merry Christmas! Hope you feel better soon!

[@Andrey.Ivanov]

27:42 Nice reference to a classic paleoart piece! Loving the story so far

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you!

[@Andrey.Ivanov]

​​@@TalesofKaimereYou are welcome! Thoroughly enjoyed the story from start to finish as well as the illustrations. I'm absolutely on board if you ever decide to do more in this format. It's obvious how much work went into making this and I think you should be quite proud of the result. What a great way to close this year! Can't wait to see what you have in store for 2024!

[@CrazyFlamingGaming]

Well, this was certainly a welcome surprise today! Glad it didn't have a sad ending either like The Ballad of Big Al.

[@TalesofKaimere]

I like stories with tough challenges but happy endings. Definitely some sad moments but gotta end on happy in these trying times

[@Medicbagg]

Wow im not even 1/4 in and im impressed are you gonna do more of these story like documentaries with other animals? Like komu ka bawe or tikakatik

[@1998topornik]

2023 Summary Mammals of Kaimere videos: 17 (Chimps of Kaimere, An'Garu, Bears, Wild Dogs, Bokodu, Prehistoric elephants, Modern elephants, Arvelith Mammoth, Drenduga, Koga, Manephaunt, Komatu, Hugoldun, Sloths of Kaimere, Toxodons, Litopterns of Kaimere, Byamdan) Avians of Kaimere: 1 (Passenger Pigeon) Reptiles of Kaimere: 2 (Snapping turtles, snakes) Non-avian dinosaurs of Kaimere videos: 4 (common drake, Komu Ka Bawe, Tikakatik, The Ballad of Ka'Hai) Pterosaurs of Kaimere: 4 (Pterosaurs part 1, Pterosaurs part 2, Pterosaurs part 3, In the Shadow of Raven King) Invertebrates of Kaimere: 3 (Arthropods of Kaimere, Ants of Kaimere, Trilobites of Kaimere) Unique clades: 2 (Moorkutlot, Pakardiant Firebirds) General animal subjects of Kaimere video: 3 (Vermin of Kaimere, Convergent Minds, Cryptids of Kaimere) Harvest videos: 2 (Phoenix from Ashes, The North African Harvest) Regions: 4 (Permian Islands, Jurrassic Islands, Permian Continent, Desert Forest) Culture of Kaimere: 1 (Falconry in Kaimere) Reviews: 1 (Life on Our Planet) Homunculi: 2 (Giants, Harpies) Demons of Kaimere: 1 (Hezuki) Undead of Kaimere: 1 (Vampires and other walking dead) Characters: 1 (Nasiri) Teasers: 5 (2 for episodes, 3 for books) Others: 4 (Forgotten Bloodlines, April Fools, Q&A 1, Q&A 2, What is Kaimere) Number of videos: 58 My top 10 favourite videos of 2023 1. The Ballad of Ka'Hai: An Uktan Story | Fantasy Dinosaur Documentary - giant piece of work, a lot of art, hope we will get something similar in the future 2. The Moørkutlot: Spirits of the Silent Forest | Silent Ones of Kaishel - the best intro so far, deep dive into evolution and behaviour of the critter, additional look into relatives and a lot of art 3. Realms Beyond the Known World: The Permian Continent | Land of the Griffins - the most complete of realms beyond the known world. Only second place due to relatively small amount of art. 4. River Monsters: Twelve Deadly Fish in the Rivers and Lakes of Kaimere - great designs of fish, gives wide look on ecologies of various places of Kaimere. It also has quite good pacing. 5. Realms Beyond the Known World: The Permian Islands - Here There Be Dragons! - very original take on dragons, only slightly less detailed in comparison to Permian Continent 6. Elephants of Kaimere Part I: An Examination of Prehistoric Kaimeran Proboscideans 7. Sloths of Kaimere: Evolution, Biology, Ecology, and Modern Taxa 8. Tricksters, Gardeners, and Wetland Eremites: The Pakardiant Firebirds 9. Wardens of Dreamtime: Snakes of Kaimere 10. Ogres, Trolls, and Walking Trees: Giants of Kaimere My top 3 least favourite videos of 2023 1. The Common Drake: Quintessential Dinosaur of Kaimere - feels undercooked due to lenght and practically no new art, which is weird for one of the most common and diverse dinosaur of this world 2. Realms Beyond the Known World: The Jurassic Islands - the most underdeveloped among regions beyond known world (lack of aquatic fauna, aerial absence and very few smaller predators). 3. Cryptids of Kaimere - video feels more like summary of all cryptid lore that was already reveal from previous videos and posts rather than video exploring various kinds of cryptids. My top 10 Favourite hightlighted creatures: 1. Bokodu 2. Moorkutlot 3. Kaimeran dragon 4. Jormungandr 5. Greater owlbear 6. Dragon turtle 7. Xhetsukaan 8. Hugoldun 9. Karakai 10. Komu ka Bawe My top 10 new creatures 1. Jormungandr 2. Greater Owlbear 3. Grizzleback mastodon 4. Dragon turtle 5. Xhetsukaan 6. Hugoldun 7. Makhos 8. Common phoenix 9. Permian oliphaunt 10. Hog sloth From my previous year predictions these came into reality (look episode A Long Road to Immortality: Childhood in Kaimere): Overview of Permian Islands Canids of Kaimere Ogres/ giants of Kaimere My top 10 predictions for next year videos: 1.Remake of rhinos of Kaimere 2.Equids of Kaimere 3.Camelids of Kaimere 4. At least one harvest video 5. Video about one of the characters 6. Desmostylians of Kaimere 7. More sloths of Kaimere (new spiecies, designs etc.) 8. More info about marine life north of equator 9. Bovines of Kaimere 10. Amphibians will get some love (most likely not episode but some new species)

[@1998topornik]

What's yours favourites from this year?

[@loisonnut]

don't forget the Toxodonts

[@kearsargeyt8848]

Good news for you. First video of next year will be about the First Dynasty.

[@1998topornik]

@@loisonnut Thanks, I edited my summary to include them.

[@saintbeefus1944]

Currently on 6hr car ride home from visiting family for the holidays and this is a life saver! Probably my favorite of your works yet. Absolutely wonderful art and a very unique and interesting in depth look at one of your coolest animals. Hope you had a wonderful holiday and keep the good work!

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you so much I hope it brings a lot of fun for the drive! I had a blast putting it together

[@xtornoxysx1962]

This is the best movie of 2023 and its not a close race.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks so much I love to hear it!

[@xtornoxysx1962]

@TalesofKaimere bro, I'm super biased towards the Uktan lol. I love the body plan, I love the feathers and patterning of the colouration. I love the fact you built my favourite real dinosaur (T-Rex) out of my second favourite real dinosaur (dromeasaurs generally) and in doing so made something better than either, maybe even both (heresy lol). Seeing them relaxing with the wind in their feathers just makes me so happy. I'm 32 years old and the Uktan inspire childlike glee in me every time. Every time. Make a second channel of just Uktan lol (don't actually- I love everything)

[@pohiena2666]

Can't believe I was blessed in the same year by two spec evo documentary in the animals' perspective. This together with Southern Scrimshaw are giving my ideas to do something similar in my own project. Keep up the good work, Keenan! Also are you planning in doing something in this style for other kaimeran animals?

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! I really gotta check that out. No other episodes like this planned yet but I would absolutely be open to it! Took a tremendous amount of time so I’d need a pretty large budget but we’ll see what happens in the future!

[@soudino2723]

do adult uktan have to worry about large crocodiles when going for a drink or are they too big? and i love this type of video hopefully we see more in the future

[@TalesofKaimere]

That can absolutely be a threat: there are two crocodilian species in their size class

[@krb1235]

This was beyond excellent Keenan! This is on par with Planet Earth (or Kaimere in this case). Maybe in the future we could see the adventures of a Ghlanos stallion or a Drenduga matriarch!

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks so much!!

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Odoye approaching Tikaa: _the Moto Moto theme begins to play_

[@briscoschaefer9578]

Top tier documentary, it reminded me a lot of books like White Fang I read growing up. The father defending the territory from the upstart couple was unreasonably tense! Would love to see more videos in this style in the future, though I’m sure they’re no easy feat to produce

[@devonblackwell7405]

I hope you make another video like this with another species

[@TalesofKaimere]

I would certainly like to!

[@ottergod4327]

I would definitely wanna see more of this style in the future, but your content is amazing all around, so I'm good with anything.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Would certainly love to do so!

[@izdatchiken4mz571]

20 minutes and in this shows why you are a great writer

[@Adthereccomendationsguy]

Yes this has got me hooked

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you!

[@dynamoterror7077]

I only just noticed, but near the end of the pronghorn chase segment, you mentioned that Ka’Hai’s swift prey has included *Prairie Dogs*. Is this a misread, or perhaps are they so-far-unreferenced parts of a known harvest?

[@brandondaman2692]

Love how ka hai had a happy ever after compared to big al or the T. rex couple in dinosaur revelations

[@TalesofKaimere]

Absolutely. I didn’t want it all to be sunflowers and rainbows but a happy ending just felt right

[@brandondaman2692]

@@TalesofKaimere been following ya since 2020 keep em coming 👍

[@kadenbowdige2896]

Were you inspired by Big Al?

[@TalesofKaimere]

Yup! The title is a nod to that documentary

[@Ariu_the_furry]

this reminds me of a visual novel called „South Scrimshaw” i was not expect this to be 2 hours long this is probably THE BEST fantasy documentary i have seen! 57:15 🤣 2:07:38 and the new generation begiens....

[@TalesofKaimere]

I really gotta check out South Scrimshaw so many people have recommended it

[@NP3GA]

​@@TalesofKaimereit's awesome, I guarantee you that

[@dariusrose9909]

Wow. First I get a Woolly Rhino tooth for Christmas now this. What a Christmas gift!! Thanks

[@TalesofKaimere]

A woolly rhino tooth? That’s awesome! Hope you enjoy the episode!

[@dudotolivier6363]

Noooooo way !! Serious ?! How ?!

[@mosterchife6045]

I think more videos like this would be really interesting. Maybe just as a rare, perhaps yearly thing, and maybe not as long, covering other Kaimeran species. Amazing work!

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! I would very much like to. It helped me paint a much more complete picture of the ecosystem and was a whole lot of fun

[@nojorooney]

So excited to watch this, been waiting for a long video on the houze prairie for a while! It’s like the Africa of the known world

[@TalesofKaimere]

Heck yeah!

[@oddjam]

Comment for the algorithm. This shit absolutely slaps.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Much appreciated!

[@darksaber8611]

Loved the video. Just got the first anthology of kaimere for Christmas and I’m loving it. There are somethings I’d love to learn about kaimere in the future. Such as the religions of kaimere and if any earth religions have spread in kaimere via the assembly. As well as more information on the war of the three spears.

[@shingtiong9425]

This is amazing.This is definately where you peak imo.I wish ka hai and kyan good luck on their future endevours.Also I love that you make me feel sad and sorry for the animals like the duruk terror bird scene without anthrophomizing them.I hope I can make a doc witg spec project one day.I've been thinking of doing it with a species of probasideans in my project. One question how did albanism affect oniya and her brother's hunts on their own?

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! Being leucistic is generally pretty beneficial to uktan in their northern range where it's often more desert and prairie than seasonally mosaic forest like where Ka'Hai grew up and therefore has more darker pigmentation like he has.

[@AmiEpyk5899]

IF KYAN DIES, I SWEAR...

[@Bothofoneperson]

I wonder if your ever going to make a master peace like this but with another apex like the Komu Ka Bawe, Tikakatik, or the Bokodu. If so I can’t wait.

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

I love the sound effects and music choices you used for this story. And what a story it was! Over two hours of excellent storytelling from one of my favorite KZbinrs makes for an excellent late Christmas present. I'm very eager to see what you have in store for next year's episodes, and I hope you and your friends and family had an amazing Christmas.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you so much, and my gratitude for all your support this year! Hope you and yours also had a wonderful Christmas

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

We did, and I'm glad I was able to help out as much as I was.@@TalesofKaimere

[@Data_Freddle]

Absolutely splendid! Idk if you plan any other stories like this but if you do or don't what other interesting species of Kaimere come to mind? This was a realy nice Christmas treat and was honestly very well done. Easy to imagine in a Walking With style story that I imagine it was roughly inspired from.

[@Data_Freddle]

Note: I also really enjoy the slight human aspects that are given in a way. Like how Drok is handled before there banishment, you really get a sense of frustration and a attentive care at which they want yet are losing. Be it to natural hormonal aggression or a deep emotional frustration alongside it. Stuff like this gives a good sense of intellegence of the creatures while not feeling overbaring and still quite natural for an animal. Many animals can have some human like emotions and thoughts but are not human, which I think here was done well.

[@jacobjerny7502]

Wow. This is an amazing work of art, and definitely one of if not the highest quality video I’ve seen you create. What a wonderful way to close out the year! I gotta say, the structure of the story reminds me of the nature documentaries made to follow a specific pride of lions. In many ways, Uktan fill the niche of lions, at a dinosaur size. But my main question is, was this a one-off special, or will you make similar stories about other beasts of Kaimere in the future?

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks so much I'm glad you enjoyed! I would happily revisit the format. It's a much better way to show the complexity of an ecosystem than through my usual format, especially with this run time. I'd love to do others with beasts in the titan gardens and seagrass meadows to round out the trilogy, maybe even do one for each megaraptoran. I'd also happily explore other taxa, like maybe a titanosaur would be a better candidate for the garden and a mammoth for the steppes. I'm not sure! Definitely open to more like this though it took a tremendous amount of work and I'd need a very steep budget.

[@jacobjerny7502]

@@TalesofKaimere I wish you the best of luck!! Will this episode be made into a short story in one of your anthologies, or remain as just a video?

[@TalesofKaimere]

@@jacobjerny7502 I'm not sure yet. The next anthology is going to be about beyond the known world, and this is just north of the known world so probably would't fit that theme. However, I do plan on doing a xenofiction anthology later on and it might take place in that book

[@thenerdbeast7375]

The way the Uktan carry prey is hilarious to me, while logically sound it looks so anthropomorphized like @ 14:02 looks like they brought home KFC for the kids lol.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Haha gotta bring home the snacks

[@dynamoterror7077]

This has got to be one of the most incredible and engaging videos you’ve ever made, and I loved every second of it! You’ve made the Houze prairie feel so alive and dynamic, yet not over-the-top fantastical, and it all culminates in a story I’ll keep watching over and over again for as long as KZbin exists and I’ve got the means to open it (also, that little edited cut after Brakopa canonballs the Cockatrice is hilarious).

[@TalesofKaimere]

Love to hear it! I had several drafts and am really happy with this one going for a more grounded tone. Glad some folks noted the quick gif it just so well encapsulated how I envision his character lol

[@jorgen-ingmarcastell2864]

A very interesting, and great story. One learn a lot about the Uktan, and also care for them.

[@Evergreen_Wizard]

Peak xenofiction

[@TalesofKaimere]

Much appreciated!

[@cryoking5025]

This reminds me of an old classic(Balled of Big Al) anyone agree?

[@TalesofKaimere]

Heck yeah

[@Stooltoad5017]

2 Hours!?

[@TalesofKaimere]

Buckle up!

[@ianswinford5570]

Truly a Christmas present if ever I’ve seen one!

[@theperfectbotsteve4916]

you ever notice that fantasy names sound like spices of you add a ack to the end

[@theconfusedkulu-ya-ku7587]

The American hood: *gun shoots* *sirens* *dogs barking* The British hood: *swords clashing* "Runith they pockets!" "I think not you scallywag" The Kaimere hood: 21:33

[@karlmoore9422]

I can't help but hope that Druk is still alive out there somewhere.

[@NP3GA]

Same

[@chaosmorris5865]

So if one air sack being ruptured compromise the whole system, would Atlatls make short work of an Uktan? Even if it didn't kill quickly if you didn't go between the ribs into the heart with a small point ((the same way Clovis hunted mammoth and sloth, or so its believed)) seems like horseback mounted Atlatl hunter(s) could be a real threat to Uktan. After all Aztec Atlatls could pierce conquistador steel armor and Atlatl only went out of style for much of the world with the decline of ice age megafauna and bows being better for small game. Also good stuff, great little documentary.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! An atlatl or even an arrow has a chance of causing serious damage. However, it’s important to note that a ruptured sac *can* compromise. It’s not a guaranteed death sentence or anything. The skin is thin yet tough and ribs strong despite comparative hollowness, so it may not penetrate and even if it does, they can tough out even several collapsed sacs. Not like one atlatl is a sure way to bring them down, but it could impair them and decrease hunting success down the road. Birds can still fly with gun, arrow, and spear injuries after all. If you need to take down an uktan and you’ve got an atlatl, aiming from the side is your best shot, just don’t expect it to work reliably.

[@c0dy85]

the story gives me Raptor Red vibes

[@TalesofKaimere]

Got that one on my shelf!

[@Derpysaur123]

I would love more of these, I'm new to the community so you'll have to forgive me for not remembering but I'd love to see a similar video to this but following one of the giant calicotheres.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Welcome aboard! That would certainly be fun though I’d probably do a creature in a new environment next time. Will see though!

[@ananslator3655]

Thank you for this it is glorious

[@reedchalder9907]

this documentary was wonderful you did a amazing job

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks so much!!

[@charliethepaleonerd9023]

This is the best gift for Christmas I got amazing work

[@volatile5479]

This was one of the best documentaries I’ve ever watched. And it was a fictional one to boot. I sat through the entire thing watching every chapter with renewed anticipation and enthusiasm. This is not my first video of Kaimere I’ve seen, and it certainly won’t be my last, keep up the great work friend!

[@TalesofKaimere]

I'm so glad to hear it! Was an absolute treat to work on

[@lorencalfe6446]

they are kinda like orcas, but less gregarious to unrelated conspecifics.

[@aaronbeckett4062]

Thank you for this gem Keenan. It will help give me inspiration on how to write from the perspective of an intelligent theropod. This tale was beautiful and powerful, reminding me much of raptor red

[@NP3GA]

Ka'Hai is by far my favourite character in all of Kaimere and he will probably eat me if approach him. Also we need a sequel and spinoffs about the rest of his family, I want, no, I need more, this was incredible I became invested in every bond and every character within a minute each, you have outdone yourself Keenan.

[@karlmoore9422]

Disney's The Lionsaur

[@TalesofKaimere]

Heck yeah

[@dudotolivier6363]

This was a amazing, wonderfull and extremely neat and well made episode ! For the first very special episode of the channel, the first "audiobook" and "visual novel" of it too, the first more than 1 hour long aka true large video, the 2023 Christmas/New Year special episode and last video ever of the year (yep, really a lot of things at the same time...), you really managed to bring, created and gived to us an amazing piece of writting, reading, entertainment, a movie (and as an amator fan-production one on top o that), wildlife documentary and spec evo production as I can for certain confirm that any other piece like it was ever made before ! And a nice tribute to the BBC franchise "Walking With..." especially "The Ballad of Big Al", which was the main inspiration behind this episode, while in the same time being and managing to be it own proper thing. For the first video documentary-like format as this one of the channel, of this Spec Evo project and entire universe that is "Tales of Kaimere", it a complete success and masterpiece ! As a very first attempt tot his format and the potential others that will come in the years to follows (of course, very very spaced between each others, and of course NOT every years, but still a event to behold in itself so what was made was just wonderfull and deserved praises and respects !).

[@dinosaurian-qe2pz]

This is a great documentary even with drawings you managed to create the most beutiful documentary i have seen this make me imagine how really harsh Kaimere is but still awsome

[@Ditidos]

This was an impressive video. I loved how you used the storytelling with the Chelotaur. I feel sorry for their big brother, albeit I noticed that in doing what he did, he actually increased by a lot the chances of survival of his sibblings, including Ka'Hai and the sister that accompanied them. Definetly one of your best videos yet. The part with the Modotan was really impressive in particular and reminded me of when the Brachiosaurus appears for the first time during Time of Titans. The relation between the juveniles and buffalo herd was really cool and remarks how these diferent groups coexist in Kaimere in a way that they never did or do on Earth.

[@robertjackson1813]

The way he described the fight between the young couple and the older couple was so cool. I was riveted.I might rewind it

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks and glad to hear it! Action can be hard to land with stills and text but it was fun to coordinate

[@leoornstein3963]

2 hours of Uktan🔥🔥🔥 Update 1: Please tell me Druk is fine😭 Update 2: Hunting buffalos in the rain = Uktan's Tinder Update 3: Lmao the Chelotaurs can't catch a break, constantly being hunted down by Ka'hai family Update 4: Ka'hai have a family of his own now🎉

[@Yeitsjames]

Best day ever honesty you spoil us

[@ianswinford5570]

Indeed. I fear he may spoil us rotten

[@RandomVideos-tg3mx]

Sorry to say but Im gonna need a infinite amount of documentaries like this on Kaimere injected into my brain

[@TalesofKaimere]

I would be honored!

[@NP3GA]

You are not alone in this addiction

[@ashenen2278]

Finished it! And what an epos! Congratiulations! Spoilers ahead: Because of the reference to the Ballad of Big Al, I expected it to end tragically. But actually, it's a nice happy ending ^^ Though very sad about his older brother :((

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! I was heavily inspired by Big Al in episode format, though I prefer hard journeys and happy endings.

[@margchannel7430]

Beautiful Uktan story, great job mate.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Glad you enjoyed it, and much appreciated!

[@alithegeek]

1:03:39 Is that some kind of rattite?

[@Andrey.Ivanov]

No, it's an enantiornithean which convergently evolved to resemble ratites

[@thylaconical2840]

What a story indeed! I’d love to see more videos in this style in the future.

[@TalesofKaimere]

It was a ton of fun. About 5x more work than my usual videos but I'm really happy with the result.

[@buckledben]

Id like to add a little fun fact: monogamous birds almost all lack sexual dimorphism. Given that Uktan are related to modern birds we can actually assume this rule applies to them as well.

[@bignelly9476]

I love this format of story telling, you keep up the good work. I would love a story like this with a family of shield drakes

[@svea-rikehenningsen835]

Ka'hai: let's see how many of the things I can stick my nose in are edible! Kyan: Guess I gotta back up my idiot brother. Well at least he's usefull *sideeyes Bracopa*

[@V1ncenz010]

I really like the story, the setting, how well it’s described, in my opinion this is the best episode yet. Interesting how fleshed out the characters were while not ending up anthropomorphic, the art is also very well detailed, this could even be an entire book on its own

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! I’d definitely be down to make this a book for those interested at some point. Would be a good chance to add some scenes I had to cut for time constraints

[@user-pn2px3de1f]

ln advance, thank you for your work.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks, and you are most welcome!

[@landenriley8442]

What if Disney made a movie called the Uktan king

[@magnolia1253]

This was beautiful. Can we please have more long-form videos like this? I like documentary style for fictional animals. More in-depth than your usual videos and less emphasis on the drama than your average nature documentary. Though, I did learn that teenage drama is oddly compelling when it's about dinosaurs.

[@ananslator3655]

Happy new year❤️❤️❤️❤️😀

[@TalesofKaimere]

Happy new year!

[@TRKPurgatos]

Oh man Bravo! This is just....beautiful. I can't believe how attached I became to these fictional animals.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you so much! I definitely got invested

[@troutinspace5427]

Enjoyed all two hours of this I would love to see more of these for some of Kaimers other famous mega fauna

[@falcarius12]

this is so good, i loved every chapter of this story and seeing this world with a more open perspective.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thank you! I really enjoyed it and liked working with the format. Was a ton of work but I definitely hope to do it again

[@RocketPawcalypso]

That was the most incredible thing I've ever watched! I was gripped from beginning to end at the storytelling and beautiful illustrations! Thank you for the content!

[@cuckoshroom5394]

I swear the baby Uktan look like lil Woodstocks

[@Samy-jk2ru]

You should do a video on the fauna of kairul since you only really covered the more notable creatures

[@TalesofKaimere]

I'd be all about it! Just a matter of time

[@eyeoftheswarm5708]

Hell yeah it’s always nice to see a documentary style with these speculative evolution projects. Quick question are you planning on doing this with other creatures from different habitats?

[@LordMaster1231]

IT IS HERE! YESSSSSSSSSS

[@danteodon9283]

This is the kind of stuff I love. More like this! Its amazing how you were able to make what is one of the best dino docs I've ever seen and it isn't even a real documentary. You really killed it with this.

[@joshbray5016]

I just started the video, but I can’t lie I’m very optimistic of this. Kaimere is my favorite spec EVO project in existence, tied with the world of the Birrin project & the subnautica games. Considering spec EVO is my favorite subject, that’s one of the highest compliments I can possibly give. Well done Keenan, you’ve designed a truly beautiful and exciting world, but most of all one that feels believable. I appreciate that even things as unscientific as magic have been given a biological explanations in your world. Lol. Cosmically brilliant. I can’t compliment it enough.

[@Joshua-b8y]

This is probably the best thing I’ve listened to in a long time you can tell the dedication and time you put into this I really enjoyed this from start to finish. The artwork and world building is top notch I will definitely be wanting more of this.

[@TalesofKaimere]

Thanks so much! Definitely hope to make more like it down the road