What happens when continents collide? - Juan D. Carrillo

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/less...
Tens of millions of years ago, plate tectonics set North and South America on an unavoidable collision course that would change the face of the Earth and spell life or death for thousands of species. Juan D. Carrillo explains the massive biological repercussions of this collision, which caused one of the greatest episodes of biological migration in history: The Great American Biotic Interchange.
Lesson by Juan D. Carrillo, animation by TED-Ed.

[@FrostedCreations]

To anyone wondering, fishes is the correct plural because it is referring to multiple groups (species) of fish.

[@ScienceMarc]

+FrostedCreations really?!

[@todd1896]

+FrostedCreations Same applies to the word "peoples" I think. It's only right if it refers to multiple groups.

[@aeuk2]

+Todd No person is one. People are many.

[@todd1896]

xXDevil_GamerXx "Peoples" is correct in a certain context. Look it up.

[@aeuk2]

No. Although both people and peoples are grammatically correct, they cannot be used interchangeably because they have different meanings.

[@ajaylegend8163]

The last shot of that comet turning into a spacecraft was really cool :) Love these videos

[@singleturbosupra7951]

I really love these videos about natures history. They are very interesting

[@kpacuBua]

SingleTurboSupra Read the Bible! Jeez!

[@singleturbosupra7951]

+kpacuBua Haha

[@dotmhk_7168]

+kpacuBua ;)

[@chris3177]

I HATE THESE VIDEOS! I'M ONLY WATCHING BECAUSE MY SCHOOL IS MAKING ME!

[@arandomzoomer4837]

what are you talking about, I am currently watching this video for fun

[@ZarathosRoflmao]

"What happens when continents collide?" Littlefoot's mom dies, that's what happens.

[@karweng94]

the land before time!!

[@theImprobableSteve]

:'(

[@williamtael8379]

ZarathosRoflmao Right out of the chest!

[@AE86ofMtAkina]

Go away skeletor

[@kennethsatria6607]

Oh god XD

[@jwkennington]

Don't they exchange insurance information?

[@Talltrees84]

John Kennington Both their rates would go up regardless of who was at fault.

[@mk_rexx]

Talltrees84 Let us contem-plate for this deadly pun.

[@Ok-bl5yw]

"What happened when the continents collided?" Ice Age 4: Continental Drift

[@AnasHart]

2:51 is the mouth supposed to be like that?!

[@ZVEKOfficial]

Anas Hart I know right ? I was like who the fuck bashed up up his poor jaw ?

[@gabrielagista2525]

Anas Hart It is, but why D:?

[@ChainsawGutsfuck2]

Coil Namae For the sabres to rest in the mouth.

[@kpacuBua]

Coil Namae For the glory of Satan, of course!

[@ShibashishMahapatra]

+A Name They remain outside the mouth.

[@katherineatchison242]

Why is this guys voice so soothing reply/like if you agree

[@guy_does_nothing_productive]

yup

[@kellanmurphy5287]

the slight crackle it has gives me life

[@shunnedtoast2299]

Yeah

[@shunnedtoast2299]

Gierom guy_does_nothing_productive yeah

[@shunnedtoast2299]

Horse vs giant ground sloth... WHO WILL WIN?

[@ilickcatnip]

"We are the product of history" That last line touched me!❤️

[@ranjankumardas8458]

I love TED-Ed's videos. They are useful and enjoyable to learn.

[@bletwort2920]

What about India's collision with Eurasia?

[@craigbradley225]

That didn't have 6 foot tall meat eating Dino-birds fighting giant sabertoothed felines

[@UpheavaI]

it did lol. and it made the biggest mountain, mnt everest

[@danmueller4021]

TheCookieRoosterTM India and Asia were devoid of large carnivorous birds by that time

[@adrish2813]

The insane collision didn’t really impact fauna and flora, but affected geological landscapes

[@AmanRishitwenty15]

@@adrish2813 it gave life to india and china by rivers from Himalayas and tibet

[@gustavoaguilara.9873]

I love that Costa Rica has the best part of the two "continents"

[@2x2leax]

Sí, Sudamérica y Nortamérica son diferentes continentes.

[@asadattayyem2637]

Especially the magnificent "capital"!

[@ToyotaNutjob]

Except that Costa ricans live there

[@ms.z980]

hi TED-Ed , as usual love your video , i have one note Allam and Lalla did a small mistake in Arabic translation they wrote Africa instead of america twice from 2:39 to 2:50 ; thank you and your translators for the great work

[@23.hrishikeshmukhopadhyay8]

"We are the product of history" This is a very good statement 👏👍

[@panushalimbu]

I remember learning this in chemistry class. some scientist called alfred wenerd (i spelled his name wrong) came up the idea of 'continental drift' that the continents were once all joined up in a supercontinent and the north and south america once had a bridge that had link them both. that is why they share most of the similar fossils, rocks and animals that exist today

[@JustinGabriel425]

panusha limbu Alfred Wegener ;)

[@panushalimbu]

***** thanks for correcting my mistake

[@JustinGabriel425]

panusha limbu np.

[@Ale.147.S.M]

Alfred weggener

[@alphax1049]

HOW DO THEY CONCLUDE THEIR VIDEOS SO WELL!?!? EVEN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CANT DO THIS AS WELL AS THEY DO. Nice vids

[@caleblounsbury2954]

I really love these videos about natural history. They are very interesting

[@oranjizer]

MEH! The Indian plate collision with Asia giving rise to the Himalayas is the BEST tectonic collision EVER. India moved FASTER than any tectonic plate recorded speeds. Resulting in the highest mountain range in the world and with it, creating a bio diversity exchange and blockage.

[@paweandonisgawralidisdobrz2522]

Also they are still growing

[@thedripkingofangmar6778]

For fuck's sake are you really pissed because your favourite tectonic collision wasn't in this particular video?

[@csjoels]

I don’t think its a competition

[@thebestevertherewas]

@@thedripkingofangmar6778 yes he is

[@hamtoriz1084]

Your voice is so soothing Mr.Anderson I could listen to you talking all day

[@HogBurger]

“What happens when two continents collide?” Me: *_t h e y c o l l i d e_*

[@Rav3r916]

Addison Anderson. . . *swoon*. . . I could listen to him narrate, all day! I wonder if he's done narration work for audible. Anyone know?

[@sprigtlytech5395]

Rav3r916 you did it!!! I now KNOW HIS NAMEE!!😭😭😭

[@aa-to6ws]

Now this is the most ambitious crossover in history.

[@antholog2150]

This is the era when humans really needed to work together 💯

[@laranjaghirga5058]

Bruh these realistic drawings with cartoon eyes looks legit

[@somedude140]

You forgot to mention how many whales migratory paths were cut off when the two continents collided. Over half of the whale genera at the time went extinct, along with their predators, such as megalodon.

[@adityagirishkumar]

Who is disliking a ted video. It is such a knowledgeable KZbin channel

[@bibekgautam512]

... And on a slightly more important note: powerful earthquakes like the recent Nepal Earthquake and possibly volcanoes occur every decades or so killing thousands of people and destroying things when continents collide.

[@guilhermeferrao5968]

That's exactly what I was thinking

[@renarddubois940]

slightly more important? seriously dude.. modern humans have never seen and will never see the light of such collision..

[@HoveringAboveMyself]

Why does the terror bird drawing at 1:18 has its eyes set where its nostrils should be?

[@greminboye]

HoveringAboveMyself The nostrils are it’s ears

[@chrono-glitchwaterlily8776]

@@greminboye I thought its cheeks were its eyes

[@josephbojarski2536]

Because it's broken... this creature is too ( 2:51 )

[@wilt3051]

@@josephbojarski2536 the thylacosmilus seems pretty acurrate. Most saber teeth mammals are likely to have puches for their teeth.

[@AyubuKK]

Yes

[@lucasfunkt]

This is about a 1000 times more interesting than the previous video that was on this channel.

[@marionmorrison2854]

Can someone explain to me how fresh water fish migrate across a land bridge?

[@Einargizz]

Normally via a network of lakes and rivers. That's how they usually do it.

[@chris3177]

LOOOOL, Yo stupid!

[@learnerktm]

rivers, maybe?

[@daltonbeaty2142]

Master Hacker it's called sarcasm ya dingus

[@AphelionFish]

CX

[@hiro6704]

How To Time Travel 1 Sleep At 11:00 P.M. 2 You Wake Up 10:00 A.M. 3 Shout "HOLY SHIT I TIME TRAVELED!!"

[@gcook725]

I'm amused that the animation seemed to imply that dandelions migrated so early from NA to SA, that is around the time of the land bridges forming. It was impossible for it to do so because dandelions weren't in NA at that time: They were originally brought over by European colonists as a self-planting food crop, its leaves used as a green leafy vegetable similar to how we use lettuce today. The fact that dandelions are so easily able to self plant, are fairly hardy and is quite aggressive quickly elevated it to the position of a weed, however. I would also bet that how bitter dandelions greens tend to be also had a factor in it!

[@epicgamer-ur1wg]

gcook725 oh wow ur a science boi

[@kellel5610]

they never said that there were dandelions, they just used it as an exaple to understand plant migration

[@jamesdeininger3759]

Fantastic lesson!

[@wayneriedel1644]

A wise man once said that you can learn alot by studying nature!

[@ElSafti781]

Great one. One of my favourites ❤️ and I discovered it now :)

[@chairxhair]

that boxing match with north and south america was so funny i choked on my drink and went unconcious, im typing this from a hospital bed, they are not sure if ill make it

[@tomdalton4587]

More like this, I really enjoyed it

[@swapertxking]

Terrorbirds the last large dinosaur on earth that was predatory. We still have small predatory dinosaurs, but nothing compared to those brutes.

[@pablo9234]

harpy eagles are still pretty impresive

[@trvth1s]

Birds are built to be light, by design they are not capable of competing with non avian dinosaurs or even mammals for megafauna niches. The mighty dinosaurs are long gone, birds are built to be light for flight

[@trvth1s]

@RITVIK MENON I disagree. throughout the cenozoic there were birds that filled those niches. Terror birds were apex predators in south America for millions of years yet the largest species was smaller than some brown bear, far smaller than the super theropods. Moas and elephant birds filled the niche of giant herbivores for millions of years yet they didn't come close to sauropod size, not even elephantidae size. The largest bird ever was smaller than some bovines of today. Birds have a zip zag stance, not a column stance. This is a great limitation to size. Side note; mammals lived along side non avian dinosaurs for most of our existence some 90 million years. Just how birds have trouble competing with mammals for megafauna niches, both mammals and birds could not compete with nonavian dinosaurs for megafauna niches. There were numerous extinctions which gave mammals and birds the opportunity yet dinosaurs ended up filling those niches again. I think some animals are built better for certain roles

[@hitman3648]

The animation really improved a ton since

[@highafchihuahua]

i'm learning this for geography now

[@kaustubhreddy2090]

this is a damn good channel

[@tristl8203]

*15 million years ago Nani tf this wasn’t here yesterday

[@benjamindavis8821]

This is good history of the Americas.

[@memesloth9712]

1:15 ye boi! Dats my son!

[@gettingshotsomeonesgonnapa8635]

Lol

[@chadfabian3143]

Can you do a video on the science of friction and explain it more in depth, like how friction slows cars please?

[@singleturbosupra7951]

+1 (Can't like comments with my phone)

[@ddram2319]

WE ARE THE PRODUCT IF HISTORY...salute to u

[@sonia-kh8cg]

salute to u aswell

[@-EJM-]

Who is Ted? I was promised a solid 10.

[@craigbradley225]

Imagines terror bird and ground sloth versus Mammoth and sabertooth tiger 🐯🐘🆚🐥🐨

[@craigbradley225]

This is the funniest thing I've ever seen in the las 911 days

[@craigbradley225]

.im a10 year old child I'm easily appalled

[@MilanMilan0000]

shut up kid

[@bucketgeared7639]

Vegeta ur a bad person

[@kennethsatria6607]

A cis white straight Male The sloth would get a bunch of leaves and watch... the bird would wait for leftovers not far off

[@chadfabian3143]

Can you do a video on how friction slows things down and how friction works?

[@cabanatuan95]

I thought school was keant to teach you how friction works.

[@Deloxo]

He said the worst disasters are worst if they are slow and irreversable, then he said we are a product of history, so he and other disasters are the worst.

[@johnlocke5172]

Very enjoyable to see how nature develops and how we, humans, get affected by such changes. However, can one take these scientific findings and contributions as facts or are they just theories that could go wrong one day? I mean none of us have ever lived in that period of time!

[@AyubuKK]

This is so fascinating

[@TheSulross]

Rapid events of 12,000 years ago lead to an extinction of numerous large mammals in North and South America. Not all the prehistoric bio-change has been gradual per the topic presented here.

[@crkcrk702]

Yes also 40 000 years ago

[@crkcrk702]

Im so sad for american fauna

[@matthewmarx9251]

Our story actually begins during the Miocene epoch like two million years ago, not the Eocene epoch.

[@lakshmisravanthi4303]

How many agree we're product of history... absolutely true tomorrow me is a much modified,filtered,better version of today's me ✊✊

[@gomagoma313]

I love the anime for this episode, those fantastic animals!

[@AquaMarino]

How freshwater fishes traveled from North to South and vice versa? Did lakes also travel?

[@cgaccount3669]

Rivers connected

[@ccasmr2899]

How does evolution relate to tectonic plate movement?

[@CommanderLVJ1]

Curiously they don't really touch on the species and aspects/races that died do to cross/inter breading; the north and South American wolves for example... They do touch on the havoc coused at least though at least.

[@ericbaer7880]

The plates don't move over a layer of magma. They move over the asthenosphere, part of the mantle.

[@stoar]

Blame it on the Magic School Bus.

[@zachfrazier8027]

2018 binge watching

[@Royed]

Anyone else immediately think about that spongebob episode "When World's Collide"? Lmfao

[@ReannaPeters12]

I love science so much! I want to become a scientist... 🔬

[@heatherportelance2959]

Could y'all do something on the Great American Biotic Interchange?

[@pencilpractice9074]

The art is amazing, but who is it from?

[@chr0min0id]

It would be cool to see a Kelenken and a smilodon fight!

[@meow-vinswift273]

Under 150 views! Also amazing video! It really dives into the what and why of the continental drift!

[@CSLucasEpic]

There was also the Zanclean flood, but that was over in Southern Europe and Northern Africa.

[@initialjeff2476]

"I'm a force of nature!" ~ Scout :)

[@jay-rock6627]

I love this stories I'm saving all of them & I'm going too us the as history & science & life in general & teach it too others 😀

[@awesomebroke]

Next Eurasia and Australia

[@limitlessfantasy6735]

Good video but lacks mentioning the dates

[@jonathanlee6660]

And we all know what else is crawling toward irreversible change

[@millianarakuzen]

this's better than school

[@jomelcastro9971]

1:17 the eye is on the place of the nose and the nose is in the place of the eye of the bird

[@rodrigoluciano1139]

É incorreto dizer colisão das américas, o mais correto seria dizer união das americas. A formação da América Central uniu a América do Norte e América do Sul formando um só continente. Dizer que o continente americano é na verdade dois continentes é uma falácia absurda. A América é um continente só, dividida em três regiões geográficas: América do Norte, América Central e América do Sul.

[@makky6239]

Puta merda

[@makky6239]

Como você consegue interpretar errado o título do vídeo e ainda parecer tão arrogante?

[@melikeyou5677]

This makes me think just how old our earth is....to survive all the changes....just like now, who knows maybe in a million years earth would not be like today.

[@darrenanimatic9675]

Who do u live in? 0:36 North or South America? I'm in North America. Tell me which America you're in!

[@cgaccount3669]

North

[@Watupm]

HA, the ending - brilliant !

[@anni-riin3254]

I have an exam in 2 days. I should be studying and looking over my estonian homework and stuff. But nope I'm watching this.

[@chadfabian3143]

Can you do a video on how friction slows things down and how friction works

[@Balendula]

South America broke off Africa before that. The video fails to mention this.

[@naomicapland3555]

whats a 6 word summary for this video?

[@deniz4627]

SAME LMAO

[@sonia-kh8cg]

same.

[@sonia-kh8cg]

anyway, did u find out a 6 word summary wink wink

[@linaporcelijn124]

‘we are the product of history’

[@gargeeknama4935]

Please make a video on how India collided with Asia

[@definitely.not.your.type.]

*We are the product of history* 💯

[@thaophan7979]

Tôi đã vô tình tìm thấy một kênh youtobe quá tuyệt vời 😍😍😍

[@solehkelingking6942]

that last line is deep tho..

[@krazyxki]

Thank you for this informative video! It's so interesting and it just makes you appreciate the beauty of the world. Just awe-striking that such huge changes happened all from the movement of the Earth over time, and how many more possibilities and realities have happened and could have happened. Thinking of all the moving parts of the planet from the literal earth to the living organisms just really humbles you within your place of this "Circle of Life." It's like every part of the planet is alive and wanting to be balanced with everything else. Sounds like I'm trying to be woke lmfao, not spiritual or anything but I just find it humbling and beautiful.

[@BigBoiRedFrog]

I love this video

[@AstrousZeneca]

3:13 Are all of those in south america nowadays? or which ones are/arent?

[@colbonthecob2530]

Wait I thought horses were introduced to the north americas muuuuuuch later with European Settlers introduction. What did I miss out?

[@DerGyrosPitaFan]

As far as I know, wild horses went extinct on North Amerika around 10,000 years ago, long before anyone even wasted a thought about domesticating horses, but i may be wrong

[@ffion6009]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but apparently wild horses still roam North America today.

[@colbonthecob2530]

They do that is correct, but it's because tamed horses brought by conquistadors escaped captivity

[@Bl4ckDrg0n]

All answers are right. Horses evolved for the first time in North America 10 000 years ago. Then moved to Eurasia during Ice Age at the same time first men populated the American continent. They adapted to Asia, became extinct in North America and later became adopted by Mongols. They moved as a mean of transportation and weapon to Europe, and finally, when Europe makes contact with the Americas, horses find once again the continent that made them evolve into what they were (that's why when they escape, American land seems so natural for them). Hope information is clear. English is not my mother's language.

[@colbonthecob2530]

Ah that's what I thought. Thanks for clarifying! Also you're english is just fine my friend. Had you not mentioned it wasn't your mother language I would have never known. Cheers! :)

[@benthor3707]

I didn't know horses were always on the North American Continent. I thought they were introduced a few hundred years ago?

[@razredge07]

They went extinct in North America and then later populations of them were brought over from Europe by humans.

[@scavengerturtle5071]

Thlyceanse didn’t go extinct at this period they are commonly referred to as Tasmania tigers and died of around 1940

[@scavengerturtle5071]

Off *

[@JoeyBcollects]

They went extinct in South America at this time. They went extinct in the rest of the world (Australia and Tasmania) at the time you mentioned.

[@Dinosaur-mw9cv]

You can run. BUT YOU CANT HIDE! When worlds collide.

[@d3in0nychu5]

Good video, but wtf happened to that terror bird in the thumb nail and at 1:20 ? You put its ear in its eye socket, and its eye in its nostril. This isn’t hard, guys.

[@mavanachhakchhuak8198]

Ted ed : and terrifying terror birds Me : *flashbacks of terror birds attacking my base early on in ark in the dark*

[@Bram06]

1:00 this would have been soo much better for humans, no panama channel needed, and a giant river running through the amazon

[@marcelo2745]

the Amazon is a river how does a river run through a travel river? And no south America would be deserted,no people could cross, no machu Picchu. It'd be another Australia Europeans would live in it Since they had boats.

[@yourlocalengineer]

no gulf stream = a whole lot colder Europe, that would have been a history changer.

[@2nd3rd1st]

Marcelo M. The river got its name from the surrounding Amazon rainforest, which in turn got its name from a spaniard who named it after the native tribes' women which reminded him of the mythical greek Amazons. So there is actually a river running through the Amazon.

[@ABitOfTheUniverse]

Marcelo M. If the polynesian people could make it all the way from Southeast Asia to Easter Island, the people Native to North America would have found a way across the shallow sea to South America. They were taking canoes made from hollowed logs, out onto the ocean, as far back as 11,500 years ago, probably more, given they had made it from Siberia to Mexico from 15,000 - 11,500 BP down the western seaboard. Look up the Clovis People, some even try to say they were in Brazil 30,000 to 50,000 years ago, but that seems unlikely given everything we know so far. 30,000 or 10,000 that is still plenty of time to find a way across 1000 - 2000 km of shallow seas that would have certainly otherwise been populated with a multitude of islands. You know the distance from Papua to Eastern Island? 10,500 km, and that is just a direct route. The people that traveled from Papua 30,000 years ago to Easter Island 1,000 years ago, likely took a route 15,000 km to 20,000 km through Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Only the last 5,000 years or so of their story was spreading out throughout Polynesia, which covers more than twice the area of Micro and Melanesia combined. Point being, they would have found a way. The sun and the sea, call to us all.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

Bram06 That's not a river, its an inland sea. The water would probably have been salty or at least brackish.

[@22espec]

If horses and camels wouldn't have gone extincts they would have changed everything if the people have learn to tame them.

[@crkcrk702]

Also south american elephants, and megalodon. Imagine an aztec king on a megalodon like a mararadjah, it would be so cool !

[@SalvatoreEscoti]

here in Europe we consider both the Americas as one continent. We call it "double-continent", basically the only double continent on the planet