Ep 1. New Dawn

In Walking with Beasts season 1 episode 1, titled "New Dawn," viewers are taken back to the beginning of the age of mammals, 65 million years ago. The episode starts with a spectacular meteor crash which is believed to have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs and created a new home for mammals. The narrator takes us through this new world and the different species that populate it.

At first, we are introduced to the survivor species that have adapted to the new climate and left their underground burrows to claim the surface. These include the multituberculate, a rodent-like creature with sharp claws for digging, and the early marsupial, Alphadon, who is looking for small animals to hunt.

The plants and trees have also changed, and we see an early variety of grass sprouting in the arid plains. Soon after, we are introduced to the first of the season's "beasts," the Propalaeotherium - an early horse with four toes instead of just one hoof. The show explains how this species evolved over time, losing their toes to become better runners and allowing them to cover greater distances.

Next, we follow on the trail of the Gastornis, an early bird that looks more like a massive ostrich. The Gastornis, a terrifying species, would have intimidated even the bravest of humans. The episode explains how the Gastornis has replaced many of the powerful predatory raptors and later became extinct.

One of the most surprising creatures to appear in the episode is the Ambulocetus, a dog-like creature that lived part of its life on land but returned to the water to feed and mate. The show uses stunning CGI graphics to show how the Ambulocetus evolved into one of the first whales.

Throughout the episode, the narrator describes the different creatures and explains their traits and adaptations that helped them survive the changing environment. The show also gives some insight into the lifestyles of the different animals, from burrowing in the dirt to hunting for bugs.

Towards the end of the episode, as the world warms up and the humidity increases, viewers see how the landscape changes again with forests returning and mammals adapting to live in trees. The show concludes with a stunning scene of the newly adapted primates, that have developed the ability to grab things with their hands while living in the trees.

Overall, the "New Dawn" episode of Walking with Beasts is a fascinating journey through time, showing how plants and animals adapted to the changing world and transformed into the species that exist today. The stunning CGI graphics bring the prehistoric world to life, and the narrator's explanations make the episode engaging and informative.