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Scene Two - HIERONYMOUS and CRANOCK pick up the story as it happened. They encounter DR. EAKINS, whom they wish to carry out autopsies to see if there is any pattern to the wave of dino deaths. CRANOCK and cast present "The Age of Reptiles," with its soon-to-be ironic refrain about how good life was for dinos in those days. Scene Three - DR. EAKINS reports that the results of her studies are uncertain. HIERONYMOUS hypothesizes that the dinos face some conspiracy by mammals to eliminate them. This seems wildly unlikely to CRANOCK, but HIERONYMOUS is determined to question ZALAMBDALESTES, the leader of a rebel band of mammals. Scene Four - Their deliberations are suddenly interrupted by a stampeding herd of Triceratops. CRANOCK calms the herd down, learning that the very group of mammals HIERONYMOUS seeks has caused the stampede. The TRICERATOPS LEADER is incredulous that any dinos would want to talk to mammals. "Mammals!" expresses in song what dinos really think about these lowly and despised creatures, but HIERONYMOUS is undeterred. DR. EAKINS departs to continue her research. Scene Five - ZALAMBDALESTES delivers a morale-building speech to his group, followed by the song "Zalambdalestes" depicting his determination to do whatever can be done to protect his kind from dinos. But he is suddenly captured by the dino team. HIERONYMOUS engages ZALAMBDALESTES in a tense round of questioning until it becomes obvious that mammals have nothing to do with the dinos' problems. The mammal leader points out that recent changes in the weather have affected the situation, at which point FLAP, a flying reptile, wanders in to show HIERONYMOUS a special rock. The detective deduces that a giant meteor has hit the earth - but how widespread are the climatic changes? They must talk to CRANOCK's cousins, a herd of migrating dinos called Edmontosaurs. Scene Six - In his solo, "Bad News," the EDMONTOSAUR LEADER informs everyone that firestorms and huge dust clouds blanketed the group's traditional migration route. All now realize that the dinos face a prolonged, worldwide period of cold and dark, with disastrous consequences for the dinos' food chain. The dinos depart to spread the word - perhaps some kind of survival is possible. Scene Seven - The dinos react with dispair to their apparent fate. The title of their next song says it all: "Extinction Is A Terrible Thing." It doesn't help matters for the mammals to drop in to remind dinos of their likely doom in a reprise of "Mammals!" presented from the mammal point of view. But the fat lady hasn't quite sung yet. A final conclave of dinos is called at which HIERONYMOUS and DR. EAKINS reveal that even if dinos are finished, creatures that evolved from dino stock long before - birds, of all things - will continue their line. In "Puttin' On Some Feathers," the dinos exit the scene with style, content to know that they will, in a fashion, live on.
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