Discovery Channel Reveals its Killer Instincts When PREHISTORIC ASSASSINS Premieres Feb. 20

Millions of years ago, the oceans were ruled by two-metre sea scorpions with as many killing tools as a Swiss Army knife, and the land was possessed by the vicious predecessors of modern-day saber tooth cats. With a look at some of the fiercest creatures to ever roam the planet, PREHISTORIC ASSASSINS is a two-part special that looks at ancient beasts and reveals that – although long extinct – their prehistoric weapons are still found in their animal descendants today. Airing back to back on Sunday, February 20 beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel, the first episode of PREHISTORIC ASSASSINS explores the Earth’s vast oceans which were home to some of the fiercest and strangest creatures to ever claim the sea; the second episode, airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT, examines land-loving creatures and their sometimes surprising connection to modern-day animals.

At 8 p.m. ET/PT, the first episode of PREHISTORIC ASSASSINS, titled “Blood in the Water” dives deep and goes face-to-face with a giant bone-jawed beast with a bite force three times that of a Great White shark. Another underwater prehistoric terrorist had a neck – several times the length of a giraffe’s – with which it could ambush and decimate whole schools of fish. Then, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, PREHISTORIC ASSASSINS roams the land with “Claws and Jaws.” Tens of millions of years ago, terrifying beasts were the brutal masters of the Earth. Made of teeth, claws and muscle, and possessed of remarkable speed, these enormous predators were the ancestors of modern-day saber-tooth cats, mighty alligators and vicious raptors.