This episode centers on a carving at Angkor Wat in Cambodia that some researchers interpret as a stegosaurus, raising the question of how ancient people could depict an animal mainstream science says vanished 65 million years before humans existed. Ancient Aliens theorists point to other alleged evidence of human-dinosaur coexistence: carvings showing humans riding dinosaurs, fossilized footprints of both species found in the same geological layers, and claims that some T. rex bones show unusually high radiation levels requiring lead paint during display. The episode's most provocative claim asks whether dinosaurs suffered not extinction but extermination—deliberately wiped out by extraterrestrials to clear the planet for humanity.
Paleontologists note that dinosaur science constantly evolves with new discoveries, from feathered tyrannosaurs to the sheer diversity of over a thousand known species ranging from chicken-sized to 120-foot titanosaurs weighing a hundred tons. The geological evidence for the mass extinction 65 million years ago—before any human ancestors walked Earth—remains robust in mainstream science. Yet the episode taps into something genuinely fascinating: our enduring childhood wonder at these "supernatural creatures" that once dominated a world utterly alien to our own, where everything grew larger and stranger. The mystery of what Earth looked like before us, and what catastrophic force ended that era, continues to captivate whether one credits cosmic collision or considers more speculative explanations.
Angkor Wat
Cambodia · Khmer
Contains carving that resembles a stegosaurus dinosaur — knowledge of extinct species suggests alien information
Borobudur
Indonesia · Sailendra Dynasty / Buddhist
The world's largest Buddhist temple contains over 2,500 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues — alien construction scale
Chicxulub Crater, Yucatan Peninsula
Mexico · Maya
Theorists speculate that the Chicxulub asteroid impact 65 million years ago may have been a deliberately directed extraterrestrial weapon intended to exterminate the dinosaurs and make way for humanity. Mainstream science identifies the Chicxulub impactor as a natural asteroid or comet approximately 8–10 miles in diameter whose impact caused the mass extinction event at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.
Coast of Madagascar (Coelacanth Discovery Site)
Madagascar · Modern
Theorists use the 1938 discovery of the living coelacanth off Madagascar as an analogy to argue that extraterrestrials may have preserved and reintroduced ancient species thought extinct, suggesting deliberate alien genetic intervention in Earth's evolutionary history. Mainstream science regards the coelacanth as a rare but naturally surviving species of lobe-finned fish, representing a lineage that avoided extinction through ecological isolation in deep ocean environments.
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
United States · Modern
Theorists claim that T. rex skeletons on display at the Field Museum are painted with high-density lead paint because the original bones were discovered to be intensely radioactive, which they present as evidence of an ancient nuclear event that exterminated the dinosaurs. No mainstream counter-explanation is offered in the episode for the alleged radioactivity claim.
Ica Stones Site, Ocucaje Desert
Peru · Pre-Columbian Andean
Theorists argue that approximately 50,000 carved andesite stones depicting humans interacting with dinosaurs, including riding triceratops and brachiosaurus, constitute evidence that humans and dinosaurs coexisted in ancient Peru. Mainstream scientists and archaeologists widely consider the Ica stones to be modern forgeries produced for the tourist trade, noting the lack of provenance and the implausibility of the volume required.
Solnhofen Limestone Quarries
Germany · Modern
The 1861 discovery of Archaeopteryx at Solnhofen is discussed as evidence that some dinosaurs evolved into birds, with theorists questioning whether extraterrestrials may have manipulated dinosaur DNA to engineer smaller, more manageable surviving species. Mainstream paleontologists regard Archaeopteryx as a transitional fossil linking feathered theropod dinosaurs to modern birds, supporting the evolutionary origin of avian species.
Temple of Angkor Wat
Cambodia · Khmer
Ancient Aliens claims that carvings within Angkor Wat's megalithic ruins depict a stegosaurus dinosaur, suggesting ancient peoples had knowledge of extinct animals. The show theorizes this could indicate alien contact or advanced knowledge of prehistoric life.
Tsodilo Hills
Botswana · San (Bushmen)
Theorists suggest that a 20-foot-long serpentine rock carving made over 70,000 years ago by the San People may represent not a python but a dinosaur, pointing to ancient worship of a reptilian species that coexisted with early humans. Mainstream archaeologists identify it as the world's oldest known religious artifact associated with python worship by the San people.