For the first time in 65 million years, innovative imaging technology enables viewers to see deep inside the body of a dinosaur to reveal the secrets of these ultimate prehistoric survival machines. Combining cinematic photo-real 3D graphics and leading-edge anatomy and paleontology, CLASH OF THE DINOSAURS peels back the skin, muscles and bones to show how they survived in such a violent world. The four-part special premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday, March 14 and Thursday, March 18 at 8 and 9 p.m. ET/9 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT on Discovery Channel.
CLASH OF THE DINOSAURS reveals some surprising insights into how the world’s greatest animals really worked. Carnivores were animals engineered for the sole purpose of hunting and killing prey. A Tyrannosaurus Rex could grow to be 5.5 metres tall and over 12 metres long, with jaws designed to tear flesh to shreds. While it had a reputation for violence and terror, the T-Rex is actually thought to have had a large brain capable of complex behaviours, especially when it came to parental care. Experts believe the T-Rex was one of the most nurturing of all dinosaur parents, spending months caring for its eggs and defending its nest to help ensure the survival of its offspring.
For plant-eaters, protecting themselves against the carnivores meant evolving into some of the best-armoured animals in history. Herbivores of the Cretaceous period were built to take on the biggest teeth and sharpest claws nature has ever produced. But one herbivore was specifically designed to kill. The Ankylosaurus, at nine metres long and 3.6 tons, had a tank-like body with three layers of armour and a head so well protected by thick bone that not even an adult female T-Rex could inflict a deadly bite. Even its eyelids were made of bone. The Ankylosaurus also had a powerful offensive weapon: a tail that could snap more than 45 degrees in either direction with a bony mass at the end, like a built-in sledgehammer. It could pack a punch powerful enough to shatter the leg bones of almost any predator – no matter how big.
CLASH OF THE DINOSAURS: “Extreme Survivors”
Sunday, March 14 at 8 and 9 p.m. ET//9 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT
More than 120 million years of evolution made dinosaur bodies better adapted to their environment than any mammal today. Some dinosaur species had life spans of more than 100 years. Others had a one-in-3,000 chance of making it to adulthood. The latest science reveals the anatomical secrets that made dinosaurs such incredible survivors.
CLASH OF THE DINOSAURS: “Perfect Predators”
Sunday, March 14 at 8 and 9 p.m. ET/9 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT
The Cretaceous period spawned walking death machines of all sizes… except small. No creatures since can match the carnivorous dinosaurs’ savage combination of speed, eyesight, brainpower and razor-sharp implements. New scientific data explores the biology that made these bloodthirsty animals such incredible purveyors of terror.
CLASH OF THE DINOSAURS: “The Defenders”
Thursday, March 18 at 8 and 9 p.m. ET/9 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT
Predators didn’t dominate the Cretaceous period – plant-eaters did. And their bodies were built to take a beating. This episode shows how anatomical advantages made the Earth’s largest vegetarians successful survivors in a world of claws and teeth.
CLASH OF THE DINOSAURS: “Generations”
Thursday, March 18 at 8 and 9 p.m. ET/9 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT
Dinosaurs are the ultimate biological success story. More than a million generations improved and adapted each dinosaur species to a changing planet. However, each successful generation boils down to a single encounter between two like-minded reptiles. The latest science reveals the mechanics of life and love in an age of dinosaurs.