Monsters Resurrected
Encyclopedia
Monsters Resurrected is an American documentary
television series that premiered on September 13, 2009, on the Discovery Channel
. The program reconstructs extinct animals. It is also called Mega Beasts.
was depicted as a mortal predator that competed with the smaller, but equally aggressive Smilodon
, and Canis edwardii
. The force and power of the neck muscles is shown by a rendering of the animal hunting a horse in the beginning of the episode. To kill it, it drives its beak into the vertebral column, severing the spinal cord. Another example of this power is shown when the creature kills a ground sloth, using the same method. At the end of the episode, the crew was discussing extinction in the terror bird, two million years ago, and their conclusion was it was out competed for food by Canis edwardii, as well as inability to adapt to climate change.
s are depicted as the main predators of the Cretaceous
seas, competing with the Ginsu sharks and plesiosaurs
, eventually driving the former to extinction. It is also shown competing with and killing other mosasaurs.
is depicted as the apex predator at the time, killing Rugops
, Carcharodontosaurus
and Sarcosuchus
. It fights with a Carcharodontosaurus and emerges victorious by smacking its face with a swipe of its claw. The Spinosaurus was shown being attacked by a Sarcosuchus. It quickly paralyzes the crocodile with a bite to the neck before disemboweling apart the dead crocodilian. During the heat, the Spinosaurus attempts to steal a dead titanosaur from a pack of Rugops, but their numbers are too great: one Rugops bites the Spino's claw, while another one clamps its jaws on his massive tail. Afterwards, the spinosaur slams to the ground, breaking its fin and dying. The pack then devours it, symbolizing the differing fates of the two species.
is depicted as an apex predator, strong enough to kill prey ten times its size. Afterward, a young Acrocanthosaurus is shown being scared off by a pack of Deinonychus
and being forced to hunt harder prey, like the ankylosaur Sauropelta
.
ingens as the new top predator of North America, able to defeat the Daeodon using its intelligence and smaller size to outcompete it. After five million years of dominating the landscape, the bear dog grows bigger, but then the Epicyon appears and competes with Amphicyon. They begin to attack and kill the offspring in their burrows, and in the end both go extinct.
This is the last episode of the series.
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
television series that premiered on September 13, 2009, on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. The program reconstructs extinct animals. It is also called Mega Beasts.
Featured animals
Creatures in bold are the featured animals of their episodes.
|
Epicyon Epicyon is a large extinct canid genus of the subfamily Borophaginae , native to North America. It lived from the Hemingfordian age of the Early Miocene to the Hemphillian of the Late Miocene Epicyon ("near dog") is a large extinct canid genus of the subfamily Borophaginae ("bone-crushing dogs"),... Gorgosaurus Gorgosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, between about 76.5 and 75 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found in the Canadian province of Alberta and possibly the U.S. state of Montana.... Megalania Megalania is a giant extinct goanna or monitor lizard. It was part of a megafaunal assemblage that inhabited southern Australia during the Pleistocene, and appears to have disappeared around 40,000 years ago... Merychippus Merychippus is an extinct proto-horse of the family Equidae that was endemic to North America during the Miocene from 20.43—10.3 Ma living for approximately .It had three toes on each foot and is the first horse known to have grazed... Moropus Moropus is an extinct genus of mammal, belonging to a group called chalicotheres, which were perissodactyl mammals, endemic to North America during the Miocene from ~23.0—13.6 Mya, existing for approximately .... Paluxysaurus Paluxysaurus is a genus of basal titanosauriform sauropod dinosaur from the late Aptian or early Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Twin Mountains Formation of Hood County, Texas, USA... Paralititan Paralititan was a giant titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur genus discovered in coastal deposits in the Upper Cretaceous Bahariya Formation of Egypt. The fossil represents the first tetrapod reported from the Bahariya Formation since 1935. Its 1.69 meter long humerus is longer than that of any... Procoptodon Procoptodon was a genus of giant short-faced kangaroo living in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch. P. goliah, the largest known kangaroo that ever existed, stood approximately 2 meters tall. They weighed about .... Ramoceros Ramoceros is an extinct genus of artiodactyl.-References:*Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton*The Evolution of Artiodactyls by Donald R. Prothero and Scott E. Foss... Rugops Rugops is a genus of theropod dinosaur which inhabited what is now Africa approximately 95 million years ago... Sarcosuchus Sarcosuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform and distant relative of the crocodile that lived 112 million years ago. It dates from the early Cretaceous Period of what is now Africa and is one of the largest giant crocodile-like reptiles that ever lived... |
Sauropelta Sauropelta is a genus of nodosaurid dinosaur that existed in the Early Cretaceous Period of North America. One species has been named although others may have existed. Anatomically, Sauropelta is one of the most well-understood nodosaurids, with fossilized remains recovered in the U.S. states of... Smilodon Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers... Spinosaurus Spinosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, from the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 112 to 97 million years ago. This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in 1912 and described by German... Tenontosaurus Tenontosaurus is a genus of medium- to large-sized ornithopod dinosaur. The genus is known from the late Aptian to Albian ages of the middle Cretaceous period sediments of western North America, dating between 115 to 108 million years ago... Titanis Titanis is a large extinct flightless carnivorous bird of the family Phorusrhacidae, endemic to North America during the Blancan stage of the Pliocene living 4.9—1.8 Ma, and died out during the Gelasian Age of the earliest Pleistocene, existing approximately .-Etymology:The generic name, Titanis,... Tylosaurus Tylosaurus was a mosasaur, a large, predatory marine lizard closely related to modern monitor lizards and to snakes.-Paleobiology:... Xiphactinus Xiphactinus was a large, 4.5 to 6 m long predatory bony fish that lived in the Western Interior Sea, over what is now the middle of North America, during the Late Cretaceous. When alive, the fish would have resembled a gargantuan, fanged tarpon... Glossotherium Glossotherium was a genus of ground sloth. It was a heavily built animal with a length of about snout to tail-tip, and could potentially assume a slight bipedal stance.Fossils of this animal have been found in South America... Hipparion Hipparion is an extinct genus of horse living in North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa during the Miocene through Pleistocene ~23 Mya—781,000 years ago, existing for... |
Episode 1: The Terror Birds
The terror bird TitanisTitanis
Titanis is a large extinct flightless carnivorous bird of the family Phorusrhacidae, endemic to North America during the Blancan stage of the Pliocene living 4.9—1.8 Ma, and died out during the Gelasian Age of the earliest Pleistocene, existing approximately .-Etymology:The generic name, Titanis,...
was depicted as a mortal predator that competed with the smaller, but equally aggressive Smilodon
Smilodon
Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
, and Canis edwardii
Canis edwardii
Canis edwardii is an extinct species of Canidae which was endemic to most of North America from the Blancan stage of the Pliocene epoch through to the Irvingtonian stage of the Pleistocene epoch, living 4.9 Mya—300,000 years ago, existing for approximately...
. The force and power of the neck muscles is shown by a rendering of the animal hunting a horse in the beginning of the episode. To kill it, it drives its beak into the vertebral column, severing the spinal cord. Another example of this power is shown when the creature kills a ground sloth, using the same method. At the end of the episode, the crew was discussing extinction in the terror bird, two million years ago, and their conclusion was it was out competed for food by Canis edwardii, as well as inability to adapt to climate change.
Episode 2: T-rex Of The Deep
In this episode, the mosasaurMosasaur
Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...
s are depicted as the main predators of the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
seas, competing with the Ginsu sharks and plesiosaurs
Plesiosauria
Plesiosauria is an order of Mesozoic marine reptiles. Plesiosaurs first appeared in the Early Jurassic Period and became especially common during the Jurassic Period, thriving until the K-T extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period.The name "plesiosaur" is used to refer to the order...
, eventually driving the former to extinction. It is also shown competing with and killing other mosasaurs.
Episode 3: Biggest Killer Dino
SpinosaurusSpinosaurus
Spinosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, from the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 112 to 97 million years ago. This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in 1912 and described by German...
is depicted as the apex predator at the time, killing Rugops
Rugops
Rugops is a genus of theropod dinosaur which inhabited what is now Africa approximately 95 million years ago...
, Carcharodontosaurus
Carcharodontosaurus
Carcharodontosaurus was a gigantic carnivorous carcharodontosaurid dinosaur that lived around 100 to 93 million years ago, during the late Albian to early Cenomanian stages of the mid-Cretaceous Period...
and Sarcosuchus
Sarcosuchus
Sarcosuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform and distant relative of the crocodile that lived 112 million years ago. It dates from the early Cretaceous Period of what is now Africa and is one of the largest giant crocodile-like reptiles that ever lived...
. It fights with a Carcharodontosaurus and emerges victorious by smacking its face with a swipe of its claw. The Spinosaurus was shown being attacked by a Sarcosuchus. It quickly paralyzes the crocodile with a bite to the neck before disemboweling apart the dead crocodilian. During the heat, the Spinosaurus attempts to steal a dead titanosaur from a pack of Rugops, but their numbers are too great: one Rugops bites the Spino's claw, while another one clamps its jaws on his massive tail. Afterwards, the spinosaur slams to the ground, breaking its fin and dying. The pack then devours it, symbolizing the differing fates of the two species.
Episode 4: Great American Predator
In this episode, the AcrocanthosaurusAcrocanthosaurus
Acrocanthosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that existed in what is now North America during the Aptian and early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous. Like most dinosaur genera, Acrocanthosaurus contains only a single species, A. atokensis. Its fossil remains are found mainly in the U.S...
is depicted as an apex predator, strong enough to kill prey ten times its size. Afterward, a young Acrocanthosaurus is shown being scared off by a pack of Deinonychus
Deinonychus
Deinonychus was a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur. There is one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This 3.4 meter long dinosaur lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115–108 million years ago . Fossils have been recovered from the U.S...
and being forced to hunt harder prey, like the ankylosaur Sauropelta
Sauropelta
Sauropelta is a genus of nodosaurid dinosaur that existed in the Early Cretaceous Period of North America. One species has been named although others may have existed. Anatomically, Sauropelta is one of the most well-understood nodosaurids, with fossilized remains recovered in the U.S. states of...
.
Episode 5: Bear Dog
This episode features the AmphicyonAmphicyon
Amphicyon is an extinct genus of large carnivorous bone-crushing mammals, known as bear-dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae, subfamily Amphicyoninae, from the Aquitanian Epoch until the Tortonian...
ingens as the new top predator of North America, able to defeat the Daeodon using its intelligence and smaller size to outcompete it. After five million years of dominating the landscape, the bear dog grows bigger, but then the Epicyon appears and competes with Amphicyon. They begin to attack and kill the offspring in their burrows, and in the end both go extinct.
Episode 6: Giant Ripper
In this episode they recreate the Varanus, the top predator of Australia for hundreds of thousands of years. Hunting the largest marsupials ever to evolve using its senses and venom to kill its prey, and it had almost no competition, until humans arrive. The episode also discusses the cryptozoological side about Megalania, ruling out if it could have survived until recent times.This is the last episode of the series.
Paleontological inaccuracies
- When reconstructing the SpinosaurusSpinosaurusSpinosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, from the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 112 to 97 million years ago. This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in 1912 and described by German...
for the show, scientists instead used an outdated reconstruction of SuchomimusSuchomimusSuchomimus is a genus of large spinosaurid dinosaur with a crocodile-like mouth that lived sometime between 121-112 million years ago, during the late Aptian stage of the Cretaceous period in Africa.-Description:...
s skull, which is thicker and does not have a notch on the top of the jaw. - In The Great Ripper, it was said that mammals quickly took over once the dinosaurs died out. However, for the first 10 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs, with the exception of Asia and Australia, mammals were shadowed by birds like GastornisGastornisGastornis is an extinct genus of large flightless bird that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene epochs of the Cenozoic. It was named in 1855, after Gaston Planté, who had discovered the first fossils in Argile Plastique formation deposits at Meudon near Paris...
. - The term mosasaur is used liberally throughout, as though it referred to a specific genus. However, it was actually a family of lepidosaur reptiles that included leviathans such as TylosaurusTylosaurusTylosaurus was a mosasaur, a large, predatory marine lizard closely related to modern monitor lizards and to snakes.-Paleobiology:...
, the mosasaur featured in the program, HainosaurusHainosaurusHainosaurus is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It was one of the largest mosasaurs, though its size has been revised more than once. At first it was estimated to be , and the largest mosasaurid. During the 1990s, its size was revised to long; more recently,...
, the largest known mosasaur, and MosasaurusMosasaurusMosasaurus is a genus of mosasaur, carnivorous, aquatic lizards, somewhat resembling flippered crocodiles, with elongated heavy jaws. The genus existed during the Maastrichtian age of the Cretaceous period , around 70-65 millions years ago in the area of modern Western Europe and North America...
itself, the first extinct animal identified by science. - The TylosaurusTylosaurusTylosaurus was a mosasaur, a large, predatory marine lizard closely related to modern monitor lizards and to snakes.-Paleobiology:...
is depicted as able to bite the neck of ElasmosaurusElasmosaurusElasmosaurus + σαυρος sauros 'lizard') is a genus of plesiosaur with an extremely long neck that lived in the Late Cretaceous period , 80.5 million years ago.-Description:...
clean in half, yet this would be impossible, since the neck of ElasmosaurusElasmosaurusElasmosaurus + σαυρος sauros 'lizard') is a genus of plesiosaur with an extremely long neck that lived in the Late Cretaceous period , 80.5 million years ago.-Description:...
was held stiff by bony rods. - In "Biggest Killer Dino", "Great American Predator" and other episodes using stock footage of theropods, their hands are depicted with the palms able to rotate, but this would have been anatomically impossible for the real animals, as their forearm bones (ulnaUlnaThe ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...
and radiusRadiusIn classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment from its center to its perimeter. By extension, the radius of a circle or sphere is the length of any such segment, which is half the diameter. If the object does not have an obvious center, the term may refer to its...
) could not rotate in this way. Their palms should have been relatively fixed facing each other, like a person about to applaudApplauseApplause is primarily the expression of approval by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences are usually expected to applaud after a performance, such as a musical concert, speech, or play...
. - While many experts today agree that dromaeosaursDromaeosauridaeDromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small- to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus meaning 'runner' and sauros meaning 'lizard'...
were feathered, the show's model of the DeinonychusDeinonychusDeinonychus was a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur. There is one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This 3.4 meter long dinosaur lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115–108 million years ago . Fossils have been recovered from the U.S...
is surprisingly feather-deficient. - According to the program, AmphicyonAmphicyonAmphicyon is an extinct genus of large carnivorous bone-crushing mammals, known as bear-dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae, subfamily Amphicyoninae, from the Aquitanian Epoch until the Tortonian...
is bigger than any living predator. However, it is very easily dwarfed by the sperm whaleSperm WhaleThe sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
, although it was bigger than any living member of CarnivoraCarnivoraThe diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
. - The show states that birds of prey are the closest living relatives of Titanis. However, it is more closely related to the seriemaSeriemaThe seriemas are the sole extant members of the small and ancient family Cariamidae, which is also the sole surviving family of the Cariamae. Once believed to be related to cranes, they have been placed by one recent study near the falcons, parrots and passerines, as well as the extinct terror birds...
. - The program states with certainty that Spinosaurus had a sail and weighed nine tons, while its true nature is more problematic. Some believe that it actually had a hump, while estimates of its weight range from four to 20 tons.
- The Spinosaurus size continued to be changed throughout the documentary, sometimes making it about 18m tall at the peak of the sail and over 37m long, far larger than even the adult Paralititans, who the narrator said were safe from attack because of their size, and also far larger than even the blue whaleBlue WhaleThe blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....
, the largest creature to ever live. - Rugops is depicted much like a carnosaur with a longish skull, 3-clawed, long-fingered hands and long legs, with smooth, scaly skin. However, in real life Rugops was a ceratosaur that had severely reduced arms with 5 tiny fingers and only 3 useless claws, a short, wide skull, short legs (for a theropod), and skin covered by armour (its name literally means "wrinkled face").
- The program portrays Spinosaurus habitat as a coniferous coastal swamp, while it may have been comparable to the modern Okavango deltaOkavango DeltaThe Okavango Delta , in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea...
. - In the Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
site description of Monsters Resurrected, they say that Spinosaurus is twice as big as Tyrannosaurus rex, but Tyrannosaurus is 40 feet (12.2 m) feet long and weighed 6 to 7 tons, while Spinosaurus would probably be up to 60 feet (18.3 m) feet in length and 4-20 tons. - The Paralititan is shown chewing the leaves of the trees. However, sauropods could not chew, so instead they swallowed stones to grind the plant matter that they swallowed whole.
- The inside of the show's DVD box states that "the terror bird was the biggest, baddest bird to ever stalk the planet." However, the largest birds to ever live were the herbivorous AepyornisAepyornisAepyornis is a genus of aepyornithid, one of two genera of ratite birds endemic to Madagascar known as elephant birds. This animal was the world's largest bird until its extinction, about 1000 years ago.-Description:...
and Dinornis, not Titanis. - The commercial break quizzes pronounce Spinosaurus as SPIN-oh-SOHR-us, as opposed to SPY-noh-SOHR-US.
- RugopsRugopsRugops is a genus of theropod dinosaur which inhabited what is now Africa approximately 95 million years ago...
was shown killing a juvenile sauropod by biting it's neck and killing it, however Rugops had a extremely weak bite and could never have bite on something so tough and Rugops instead may have been a scavenger instead of a predator. - The program suggests that Spinosaurus is an obscure dinosaur, even though it was made known to the general public by its role in the film Jurassic Park 3.