# Great Ball Of Fire

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 23 Feb 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70068542/at472_greatballoffire_mixdown.mp3

Three dinosaurs and a furry mammal are watching a strange light in the sky. Written especially for this podcast by Simon. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yea, hello. My name's Josephine, and this is the Animal
[0:18] Speaker 1: Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
[0:23] Speaker 1: There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
[0:26] Speaker 1: with a third premium only story every Friday. Please continue
[0:31] Speaker 1: to share Animal Tales with your friends and leave us
[0:34] Speaker 1: reviews where you can. Jordan is from Ohio in the USA,
[0:40] Speaker 1: and he would like a story featuring a t rex,
[0:43] Speaker 1: of a loss raptor, and a triceratops. You can learn
[0:47] Speaker 1: more about these creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay,
[0:52] Speaker 1: are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin Great Ball
[0:57] Speaker 1: of Fire. Millions of years ago, sixty six to be exact,
[1:03] Speaker 1: an ardleotherium named Jordan was taking a very careful walk
[1:08] Speaker 1: through the plants and rocks. Ardle Atheriums were furry mammals
[1:14] Speaker 1: about the size of a badger, and so Jordan was
[1:17] Speaker 1: moving very carefully to avoid drawing any attention. He'd not
[1:23] Speaker 1: gone far when, upon a small rocky mound, he saw
[1:26] Speaker 1: a t rex. She was gazing upwards, staring at something
[1:31] Speaker 1: in the bright blue sky. Jordan's first instinct was to
[1:35] Speaker 1: hurry away, but the way the dinosaur was Staring so
[1:39] Speaker 1: intently into space made the ardalotherium curious. Uh, what are
[1:46] Speaker 1: you doing? Jordan asked. He was taking a big risk
[1:51] Speaker 1: letting the t rex know he was there, but for
[1:54] Speaker 1: some reason, the t rex's strange behavior made him feel
[1:58] Speaker 1: a little braver. Normal. What's that, asked the t rex,
[2:04] Speaker 1: without looking around. Whatever she was looking at it had
[2:08] Speaker 1: completely captivated her. I said, what are you doing? Repeated
[2:15] Speaker 1: the small mammal, looking at the bright shiny thing, said
[2:20] Speaker 1: the t rex. Oh, you shouldn't do that, said Jordan, quickly.
[2:26] Speaker 1: Staring at the sun will damage your eyes. It's not
[2:30] Speaker 1: the sun, answered the t Rex. Well, not the usual one.
[2:37] Speaker 1: Jordan noticed his own shadow and realized the t Rex
[2:40] Speaker 1: was right. The sun was high up to his left.
[2:45] Speaker 1: What do you mean not the usual one, he asked.
[2:49] Speaker 1: Come up and have a look, suggested the t rex.
[2:54] Speaker 1: Under any other circumstances, it would have been madness for
[2:58] Speaker 1: an ardle Etherium to approach Tyrannosaurus rex, But Jordan wasn't
[3:03] Speaker 1: feeling in any danger whatsoever. He waddled up on to
[3:07] Speaker 1: the rocky mound, sat back on his hind legs and
[3:11] Speaker 1: looked upwards. What am I looking at? He asked, his
[3:16] Speaker 1: eyes scanning the sky, there, said the t rex, pointing
[3:22] Speaker 1: with one of her fingers on her short, stubby arm. Oh,
[3:27] Speaker 1: said Jordan. As he saw it at last, it did
[3:31] Speaker 1: look a bit like the sun, just smaller. What is it, Dunnoh,
[3:38] Speaker 1: admitted the t rex. I suppose it could be another son.
[3:44] Speaker 1: A snuffling noise from behind them made Jordan turn around.
[3:49] Speaker 1: He spotted a velociraptor, its nose close to the ground
[3:53] Speaker 1: as it followed a scent. His stomach sank as he
[3:56] Speaker 1: realized the dinosaur was probably sniffing him. This wasn't good news.
[4:02] Speaker 1: The velociraptor may have been much smaller than the tea rex,
[4:06] Speaker 1: but it was no less deadly. He looked to see
[4:09] Speaker 1: if he could escape down the rocky mound in front
[4:12] Speaker 1: of him, but it was steep and the drop was far.
[4:16] Speaker 1: The only way down was the way he'd come up.
[4:20] Speaker 1: The velocerraptor followed the trail to the mound's base, then
[4:24] Speaker 1: grinned as he spied the ardeleatherium a short distance away.
[4:29] Speaker 1: That smile vanished in an instant as he realized his
[4:33] Speaker 1: potential dinner was standing next to a tea rex. Oi
[4:39] Speaker 1: shouted the velociraptor. What's going on here, sh said the
[4:45] Speaker 1: tea Rex, without turning round. I'm busy. Well, does that
[4:51] Speaker 1: mean you're eating your mammal or not? Demanded the velociraptor.
[4:57] Speaker 1: What mammal? Asked the tea rex, her eyes still focused upwards. Um.
[5:04] Speaker 1: I think he means me, said Jordan to the t rex.
[5:09] Speaker 1: So do you want your mammal or not carried on
[5:13] Speaker 1: the velociraptor, because quite frankly, I'm starving and your bag
[5:19] Speaker 1: of fur there will fill my belly up nicely. Make
[5:22] Speaker 1: no mistake, it's not mine, said the t rex. Do
[5:27] Speaker 1: what you like. Jordan squeaked with fear as the velociraptor
[5:33] Speaker 1: stalked up the slope, feathered arms held wide and mouth open.
[5:39] Speaker 1: That put the dinosaur at just the right angle to
[5:42] Speaker 1: see the bright light in the sky just over Jordan's shoulder.
[5:47] Speaker 1: What's that, asked the velociraptor as he lost all interest
[5:52] Speaker 1: in the ardle etherium. It might be a new sun,
[5:57] Speaker 1: said the t rex. I think ooh, it does look weird,
[6:03] Speaker 1: said the velociraptor as he settled down beside Jordan. I
[6:08] Speaker 1: think it looks like a wildfire, like the kind you
[6:11] Speaker 1: get after a lightning strike. How can it be a
[6:15] Speaker 1: wild fire all the way up in the sky, pointed
[6:19] Speaker 1: out the t rex. Maybe lightning struck a cloud and
[6:23] Speaker 1: now the cloud is on fire, suggested the velociraptor. I
[6:28] Speaker 1: bet it could happen. Jordan was trembling to be so
[6:32] Speaker 1: close to two fearsome predators, but he realized not trembling
[6:38] Speaker 1: quite as much as perhaps he should have been. Both
[6:41] Speaker 1: the dinosaurs were far more interested in the light in
[6:44] Speaker 1: the sky than in him. I think it looks bigger
[6:49] Speaker 1: than a moment ago, Jordan said. Nah, said the t
[6:54] Speaker 1: rex looks the same size to me. Your simple mammal
[6:59] Speaker 1: brera is seeing it all wrong, added the velociraptor. With
[7:05] Speaker 1: the two dinosaurs distracted, Jordan decided to take advantage of
[7:09] Speaker 1: the moment. Well this really has been fascinating, but I
[7:14] Speaker 1: must be going, he said, and began to inch backwards.
[7:19] Speaker 1: Yeah whatever, said the t rex. See you later, said
[7:24] Speaker 1: the velociraptor, as if he was talking to an old
[7:27] Speaker 1: friend rather than what was going to be his next meal.
[7:33] Speaker 1: What are you lot doing up there, asked a voice,
[7:36] Speaker 1: making Jordan squeak again. He'd been backing down the slope
[7:41] Speaker 1: away from the two predators, so hadn't seen the large
[7:45] Speaker 1: female triceratops approach. What's that, asked the t rex. You what,
[7:53] Speaker 1: asked the velociraptor. Are you with those two? Asked the triceratops,
[8:00] Speaker 1: looking down her nose at the ardule atherium er well
[8:05] Speaker 1: sort of replied Jordan with a sigh. What's wrong with you?
[8:11] Speaker 1: Are you trying to get eaten? She scolded him. That's
[8:15] Speaker 1: the problem with you, little mammals. You're not very clever,
[8:19] Speaker 1: are you. It's why us dinosaurs rule the planet and
[8:23] Speaker 1: not you fur balls. But aren't you worried they might
[8:28] Speaker 1: try to eat you? Jordan asked, Not with these horns
[8:33] Speaker 1: on my head, said the triceratops proudly. I've dealt with
[8:37] Speaker 1: their like before, and I'm not afraid of them. I'm
[8:41] Speaker 1: not afraid of anything. Oh that's nice, said Jordan. There
[8:48] Speaker 1: are far too many dinosaurs around him for his liking. Look,
[8:52] Speaker 1: if I could just squeeze past, I'll be on my way.
[8:56] Speaker 1: The triceratops, though, wasn't budging. What exactly are you doing
[9:01] Speaker 1: up there? What are they looking at? Oh? It's nothing
[9:06] Speaker 1: that exciting, began Jordan, as the triceratops began to advance
[9:11] Speaker 1: up the slope, forcing him to back up again. What's
[9:16] Speaker 1: all the fuss about, barked the triceratops as she stopped
[9:20] Speaker 1: beside the velocivaptor. It was now very crowded at the
[9:25] Speaker 1: mound's top, and the Ardleotherium was almost nudged over the edge.
[9:30] Speaker 1: Fortunately he was small enough to duck under the triceratops chin,
[9:35] Speaker 1: but now found himself wedged between it and the velociraptor's
[9:39] Speaker 1: feathery body. It's a new sun, said the t rex.
[9:45] Speaker 1: It's quite beautiful. No, it's not a sun, said the velociraptor,
[9:51] Speaker 1: shaking his head. That's a cloud on fire. Doesn't look
[9:57] Speaker 1: like that to me, said the triceratops. That's just the moon.
[10:02] Speaker 1: You can be forgiven for not knowing, as you're just
[10:05] Speaker 1: simple brained predators, But any herbivore knows that the moon
[10:09] Speaker 1: can often be seen during the daytime. That's not the moon,
[10:14] Speaker 1: spat the t rex. It's quite clearly a new sun.
[10:20] Speaker 1: Are you too daft, spluttered the velociraptor. The simplest answer
[10:25] Speaker 1: is that lightning started a fire on a cloud. It's
[10:30] Speaker 1: not even raining, shrieked the triceratops. Yea, and there's not
[10:36] Speaker 1: a rain cloud to be seen, added the t rex.
[10:40] Speaker 1: How can a cloud have been struck by lightning if
[10:43] Speaker 1: there are no rain clouds? The velociraptor made a huffing noise,
[10:49] Speaker 1: then said, maybe it struck itself, or maybe it's a
[10:54] Speaker 1: very big cloud that caught on fire a long way
[10:57] Speaker 1: away before floating here. Squeezed between the triceratops and the velociraptor,
[11:05] Speaker 1: all Jordan could do was listen to their bickering. All
[11:09] Speaker 1: three dinosaurs were totally transfixed by the bright object in
[11:13] Speaker 1: the daytime sky, but all he wanted to do was leave.
[11:19] Speaker 1: Although being in the presence of three gigantic dinosaurs was
[11:22] Speaker 1: troubling enough, something about the thing in the sky was
[11:26] Speaker 1: worrying him more. It really is a bit bigger than
[11:31] Speaker 1: a minute ago, said Jordan quietly. Nonsense, said the t rex.
[11:38] Speaker 1: Stop speaking garbage, said the velociraptor. Critically, it looks perfectly
[11:44] Speaker 1: unchanged to me, said the triceratops. Jordan, though, was certain
[11:50] Speaker 1: of the opposite. In fact, he would go as far
[11:54] Speaker 1: as to say that the object was twice as big
[11:56] Speaker 1: as when he'd first seen it. I d like the
[12:00] Speaker 1: look of it, he said, So if you don't mind,
[12:04] Speaker 1: there's a big, deep cave not far from here, I'm
[12:08] Speaker 1: going to crawl into its depths and not come out
[12:11] Speaker 1: until that thing in the sky has gone. The three
[12:15] Speaker 1: dinosaurs burst out laughing. The little mammal scared of a sun,
[12:21] Speaker 1: shortled the t rex. A flaming cloud can't hurt you
[12:27] Speaker 1: all the way up there, chuckled the velociraptor. Who ever
[12:32] Speaker 1: heard of someone afraid of the moon, giggled the triceratops. Well,
[12:38] Speaker 1: you see, I don't think it's any of those things,
[12:42] Speaker 1: said the Ardeleatherian bravely. I think it's a big fiery ball,
[12:48] Speaker 1: and it's coming this way, and I really don't want
[12:51] Speaker 1: to be here when it arrives. This created even more laughter.
[12:58] Speaker 1: Suns don't come to warder, they travel across the sky,
[13:03] Speaker 1: befforeed the t rex. Clouds don't get closer, they float
[13:08] Speaker 1: on by, sniggered the velociraptor. Doesn't anyone know how moons work,
[13:15] Speaker 1: cackled the triceratops. Jordan glanced upwards. He was positive that
[13:22] Speaker 1: the object was now even bigger. Laugh all you like,
[13:27] Speaker 1: he said, But the cave I'm going to is big
[13:30] Speaker 1: enough and deep enough to hide you all come with
[13:33] Speaker 1: me until this is all over. I'm sure you won't
[13:36] Speaker 1: be sorry you run along to your hidie hole, sniggered
[13:42] Speaker 1: the t rex Us. Braver animals will be just fine
[13:46] Speaker 1: up here, Yeah, snorted the velociraptor. As a weak and
[13:52] Speaker 1: feeble mammal, you'd best run away quickly from the terrible
[13:57] Speaker 1: scary cloud. This proves what I was saying about these
[14:02] Speaker 1: simple mammals, said the triceratops, with a knowing shake of
[14:06] Speaker 1: her head. It's why they'll never rule the planet like
[14:10] Speaker 1: us dinosaurs do. Jordan was already forcing his way backwards,
[14:16] Speaker 1: ducking down to wriggle beneath the dinosaur's bodies popping out
[14:21] Speaker 1: beneath their tails. He scrambled down the slope of the
[14:24] Speaker 1: rocky mound and away between the spreading plants. When he
[14:29] Speaker 1: felt he'd put enough distance between himself and the mound,
[14:33] Speaker 1: he stopped briefly to look back through a gap in
[14:37] Speaker 1: the plants. He could see the three dinosaurs still staring
[14:41] Speaker 1: intently upwards at what was definitely a much larger shape
[14:46] Speaker 1: in the sky. The Ardolotherium didn't want to waste any
[14:51] Speaker 1: more time. He hurried on to the cave's entrance, disappearing
[14:56] Speaker 1: into the darkness, and he didn't stop until he was
[15:00] Speaker 1: safe and secure deep underground. There, the mammal curled its
[15:06] Speaker 1: furry body up into a ball and waited. Meanwhile, up
[15:12] Speaker 1: on the rocky mound, the three dinosaurs hadn't moved a muscle,
[15:17] Speaker 1: you know, said the t rex, after a moment of silence.
[15:22] Speaker 1: That new sun does look a little bit bigger, don't
[15:26] Speaker 1: you think, Perhaps just a teensy bit bigger, admitted the velociraptor.
[15:33] Speaker 1: Maybe the cloud's going to crash land because of the fire.
[15:38] Speaker 1: It's a well known fact, said the triceratops, that the
[15:42] Speaker 1: moon sometimes looks bigger in the sky. They were quiet
[15:47] Speaker 1: for a few more moments. Then the t rex said,
[15:52] Speaker 1: it's getting quite bright, isn't it? And large, added the velociraptor. Oh,
[16:00] Speaker 1: said the triceratops. I do believe the ferball was right,
[16:06] Speaker 1: And that was the moment that the gigantic blazing asteroid
[16:11] Speaker 1: struck the Earth. Animal fact t Rex velociraptor and Triceratops
[16:23] Speaker 1: were amongst the last of the dinosaurs that were wiped
[16:26] Speaker 1: out by an asteroid strike sixty six million years ago.
[16:31] Speaker 1: The asteroid was around the size of Mount Everest, and
[16:34] Speaker 1: by using special equipment, we can see the impact crater
[16:38] Speaker 1: today just off the coast of Mexico. T Rex and
[16:44] Speaker 1: Velociraptor are theropod dinosaurs, many of which had feathers. They
[16:49] Speaker 1: are very closely related to birds, so close in fact,
[16:53] Speaker 1: that we now refer to birds as avian dinosaurs and
[16:57] Speaker 1: the dinosaurs that went extinct as non avian dinosaurs. Triceratops
[17:04] Speaker 1: was more distantly related to birds, belonging to a group
[17:08] Speaker 1: of dinosaurs called Ceratopsians. There's no evidence that these horned
[17:13] Speaker 1: dinosaurs had feathers, although they did have impressive horns and
[17:18] Speaker 1: neck frills. Thank you for your suggestions, Jordan. We hope
[17:22] Speaker 1: you enjoyed the story, and thank you to all of
[17:25] Speaker 1: you across the world for listening to it. Remember, if
[17:29] Speaker 1: you prefer your stories advert free, then please consider our
[17:34] Speaker 1: premium service through Apple or supercarst for a tiny fee.
[17:39] Speaker 1: The stories are advert free. Join us next time for
[17:43] Speaker 1: another great animal tale. Good Bye,

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