Jurassic Fight Club
2008 American TV series
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Jurassic Fight Club (titled Dinosaur Secrets in Australia and the United Kingdom) is a paleontology-based television miniseries on the History Channel which premiered in the United States in July 2008. Jurassic Fight Club was hosted by George Blasing,[1] a self-taught paleontologist, and also features well-known paleontologists such as Thomas R. Holtz Jr., Philip J. Currie, Lawrence Witmer, and others. The show ran for one season of 12 episodes and was not renewed.
| Jurassic Fight Club | |
|---|---|
| Narrated by | Erik Thompson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | History Channel |
| Release | July 29 – October 22, 2008 |
Summary
Scientists study the battles of prehistoric creatures, such as dinosaurs, before they became extinct. Each episode features a forensic-styled breakdown of a prehistoric battle. Based on fossil evidence and paleontologic analysis, a computer-generated imagery rendering of the battle, based on the evidence and the imagination of George Blasing (the show's host) is the final act of each episode. In most cases, the battles are based on actual fossil finds, although in several episodes, scientists simply put two contemporaneous prehistoric animals, against each other. It is the second most-watched show on paleontology beaten only by Walking with Dinosaurs[citation needed], has been quite controversial but has become very popular, for various show reasons.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Featuring | Original Air Date | Location and time period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Cannibal Dinosaur" | Male Majungasaurus vs. Female Majungasaurus | 29 July 2008 | Madagascar, 70 mya (Late Cretaceous) | |
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A male Majungasaurus prowls for a mate. He picks up the scent of a female and follows it until she finds her. He uses a courtship display to woo her, but she aggressively rejects his advances. Confused, the male soon realizes the female already has a baby and tries to kill it so he can mate with her. They fight fiercely until the female trips on a log. The male seizes the opportunity to grab the baby and kills it. After a brief moment, the female charges him and crushes his neck with a powerful bite. The male drops the baby as he slumps to ground, paralyzed. Upon realizing that her baby is dead, the female eats both the baby and the male to replenish her energy. | |||||
| 2 | "T-Rex Hunter" | Tyrannosaurus vs. Nanotyrannus | 5 August 2008 | South Dakota, 65 mya (Late Cretaceous) | |
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A pair of adult T. rex leave their babies unguarded to go hunting. They leave a series of scent marks that repel most predators, but the pungent scent attracts a Nanotyrannus, which kills juvenile Tyrannosaurus to eliminate future competition. A battle ensues, and the Nanotyrannus throws one juvenile T. rex to the ground, seemingly dead. But as the Nanotyrannus faces the second juvenile, the first one bites it on the leg. The retaliating juvenile is quickly killed as the Nanotyrannus snaps its neck. He prepares to kill the remaining juvenile, but the mother Tyrannosaurus returns, having been alerted by the cries of her young. After a brief duel, the mother kills the Nanotyrannus and tears its corpse apart as a warning to others of its kind that may threaten her offspring. | |||||
| 3 | "Gang Killers" | Deinonychus vs. Tenontosaurus | 12 August 2008 | Montana, 115 mya (Early Cretaceous) | |
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A pack of nine Deinonychus ambushes a migrating herd of Tenontosaurus, separating the weakest member. They viciously tear into their prey, but he fights back and kills two Deinonychus. The Deinonychus then retreat, following the ornithopod's blood trail as it looks for cover. At night, the pack finds the Tenontosaurus and moves in for the final assault. As he fights for his life, the Tenontosaurus retaliates and kills four more Deinonychus, but eventually loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The alpha male raptor crushes its windpipe while two remaining raptors begin feasting on the internal organs. They fight for the best parts of the carcass until the alpha pushes his rivals away and begins to taste the morsels. | |||||
| 4 | "Bloodiest Battle" | Allosaurus vs. Ceratosaurus vs. Stegosaurus vs. Camarasaurus | 19 August 2008 | Utah, 150 mya (Late Jurassic) | |
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A mother Stegosaurus and her baby approach a lake to drink, but they become stuck in the mud. The sounds of their struggling attract a Ceratosaurus, who eats the baby Stegosaurus alive. The smell of blood attracts a trio of Allosaurus, who kill the distracted Ceratosaurus. The pack goes after the adult Stegosaurus, but she kills one of them with her spiked tail. Meanwhile, a large bull Camarasaurus has approached the lake and gets stuck as well. The two remaining Allosaurus decide to attack him instead. The Camarasaurus swings his tail into one of the Allosaurus, killing it nearly instantly. The momentum frees the sauropod's front legs, allowing him to rear up and crush the last surviving Allosaurus. Stuck in the mud once again, the Camarasaurus dies alongside the Stegosaurus in a slow, painful death. | |||||
| 5 | "Deep Sea Killers" | Megalodon vs. Brygmophyseter | 26 August 2008 | Japan, 15 mya (Neogene, Miocene) | |
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A megalodon swims across the Pacific Ocean in search of food before suddenly sensing a lone Brygmophyseter. He mutilates the whale so severely that it cannot move. The Brygmophyseter uses echolocation to call his pod for help. Picking up the signal, the pod rallies to rescue their dispersed member. The whales use their superior numbers and sonar to overwhelm the megalodon. When they determine the shark is no longer a threat, the Brygmophyseter return to their injured member. After trying and failing to revive him, the pod leaves and sings a sad death song for their fallen member. The megalodon hears the song and later returns to feed on the now-dead whale. | |||||
| 6 | "Hunter Becomes Hunted" | Allosaurus vs. Ceratosaurus | 2 September 2008 | Colorado, 150 mya (Late Jurassic) | |
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A mated pair of Ceratosaurus venture into unfamiliar territory to find prime hunting grounds. Unbeknownst to them, it belongs to an Allosaurus. The female Ceratosaurus hides in a dense grove of trees while her mate chases prey towards her position. As she prepares to spring, the Allosaurus swiftly ambushes and kills her. The male Ceratosaurus reaches the ambush spot, but instead of his mate, he sees the Allosaurus closing in. The male fights back by slashing at the Allosaurus's face with his sharp claws and biting its back. The Allosaurus snatches the Ceratosaurus and breaks his back by slamming him into a tree. The victorious theropod disembowels its victim and roars in victory. | |||||
| 7 | "Biggest Killers" | Allosaurus, Utahraptor, Majungasaurus, Albertosaurus and Tyrannosaurus | 9 September 2008 | (Numerous places and times) | |
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Allosaurus, Utahraptor, Majungasaurus, Albertosaurus and Tyrannosaurus are compared to find out which was the most dangerous. | |||||
| 8 | "Raptor's Last Stand" | Utahraptor vs. Gastonia | 16 September 2008 | Utah (Early Cretaceous) | |
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A Gastonia searches for water during a drought. A scavenging Utahraptor notices the herbivore and prepares to ambush it. The Utahraptor leaps over the Gastonia and sinks its deadly claws into its soft underbelly. The Utahraptor attacks again, but the Gastonia does not fall for the same trick. The Utahraptor falls, and the Gastonia continues its search for water. But then the Utahraptor bites the ankylosaur's front leg. The Gastonia counterattacks, grabbing the raptor's leg with a pair of spikes on its tail. The Utahraptor breaks free and retreats, but before it can, the Gastonia inflicts several cuts along its side. The Utahraptor survives the battle, but ultimately both succumb to the drought. | |||||
| 9 | "Ice Age Monsters" | Short-faced bear vs. American lion | 23 September 2008 | Wyoming, 10 ka (Quaternary, Late Pleistocene) | |
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An American lion stalks a bison, then leaps onto its back and kills it. An Arctodus then catches the scent of the freshly killed animal. The bear follows the scent to its source and sees the lion eating. The Arctodus arrives at the kill and roars, but with resources becoming scarce, the lion stands its ground. The bear rears up to frighten the lion, but the lion knocks it down. The lion locks its jaws on its enemy's back as the bear reaches its feet, but the Arctodus's fur and fat are too thick for the lion to inflict enough damage. After shaking the lion unconscious and a brief standoff, the bear charges and slams its paw into the lion's head, but the lion quickly recovers. Unfortunately, despite its efforts, the bear throws the lion into a pit cave, where it dies in the fall. | |||||
| 10 | "River of Death" | Pachyrhinosaurus vs. Albertosaurus | 30 September 2008 | Alberta, 70 mya (Late Cretaceous) | |
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A pair of Albertosaurus charge at a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus. The herd stampedes towards a raging riverbed, and the predators corner the prey, although one breaks free. One Albertosaurus chases it into a clearing and attempts to kill the Pachyrhinosaurus, knocking it on its side. However, the Pachyrhinosaurus gets back on its feet and gores the enemy in the leg, enraging it instead of hurting it. The Albertosaurus then bites down on its neck, flips the herbivore over, and tears at its underbelly. Back at the river, the other Albertosaurus backs the Pachyrhinosaurus herd into the river. They all drown because they are too tightly packed to swim properly, and the Albertosaurus later finds the carcasses further downriver and begins to feast. | |||||
| 11 | "Raptors vs. T-Rex" | Edmontosaurus vs. Dromaeosaurus vs. Tyrannosaurus | 7 October 2008 | South Dakota, 65 mya (Late Cretaceous) | |
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A lone Edmontosaurus looks for a herd to live in but instead wanders into the territory of a pack of Dromaeosaurus. They attack the Edmontosaurus with their claws, but the herbivore's hide is too thick to do any damage, and he shakes off his attackers. The Edmontosaurus crushes one with his front feet and throws another into a fallen tree; however, the raptors keep attacking. Even with one or two pack members killed, they manage to bring down the herbivore. But just as they start feasting on the carcass, a Tyrannosaurus rex, drawn by the noise, comes over and steals the dead Edmontosaurus, leaving the Dromaeosaurus pack with just the tail, which it bit off to lighten the corpse. | |||||
| 12 | "Armageddon" | (Numerous species) | 22 October 2008 | (Numerous places), 65 mya (Late Cretaceous) | |
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The extinction of the dinosaurs is explained. | |||||
Inaccuracies
Jurassic Fight Club is often criticized for its portrayal of prehistoric life. All the carnivores are portrayed as having insatiable appetites and always fighting each other to the death, which rarely happens in nature. Conversely, nearly all herbivores are easy for the predators to kill, even when they reasonably could defend themselves.
Like other documentaries focusing on prehistoric life, Jurassic Fight Club contains scientific errors and outdated information. While some of this is the result of new discoveries during and after release, some inaccuracies were known even at the time. The show also often presents fringe theories and fabricated information as indisputable fact.
The theropods have errors common in other dinosaur documentaries of the time; minimal soft tissue restoration, pronated wrists, mammalian roars, and practically no feathering. With the exception of Utahraptor, dromaeosaurs are depicted as pack hunters with a dominance hierarchy, launching coordinated attacks using their sickle claws to slash and disembowel prey, which have long since been disputed.[2][3]
Specific errors
- At the time of production, Majungatholus was the name given to the abelisaurid from Madagascar, but by the time of broadcast, the name had been determined to be a more modern synonym for Majungasaurus.[4]
- The young Tyrannosaurus in the documentary are depicted as smaller versions of the adults, when they would have looked more like the Nanotyrannus at that point in their lives. Furthermore, they are depicted without feathers, when they likely would have had them before molting upon reaching maturity.
- The unidentified pterosaur in the episode "Raptor's Last Stand" is a scaled-down model of Quetzalcoatlus. However, the episode takes place in the Early Cretaceous, when Azhdarchids did not appear until the Late Cretaceous.[5]
- The Pachyrhinosaurus in the series is depicted with a rhinoceros-like horn on its head; however, current evidence suggests that the structure was a large bony mass,[6] but that is because experts at the time believed it had a keratin horn like rhinoceroses and therefore did not fossilize.
- In the episode "Raptors vs. T. rex ", it is stated that the Tyrannosaurus "burst onto the earth 90 million years ago, and ruled planet Earth for the next 25 million years", when in fact the oldest T. rex dates back 69 million years and went extinct along with the other dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Turf Wars
The Jurassic Fight Club game, Turf Wars was a fighting game that could be found on history.com but is no longer available. You could play as one of six dinosaurs, skills are used to defeat the other five. Cheat codes can make players invincible, access special attacks, etc. These dinosaurs are featured in battle order with their own status:
| Dinosaur | Offense | Defense | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female Majungasaurus | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Male Majungasaurus | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Tyrannosaurus | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Stegosaurus | 9 | 10 | 4 |
| Utahraptor | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Pachyrhinosaurus | 8 | 8 | 8 |