Six of the Planet's Biggest and Most Ferocious Creatures Brought Back To Life in Discovery's World Premiere Series MEGA BEASTS
Two-Episode Sneak-Peek of MEGA BEASTS on Sunday, September 13
August 28, 2009
(Silver Spring, Md.) - Each episode of Discovery Channel's all-new six-part series MEGA BEASTS is a detective story, bringing back to life some of the biggest and most ferocious dinosaurs ever to roam the earth. Through fossil clues and modern analogues (animals with similar traits used to suggest the mega beasts' behavior), scientists piece together what these mysterious creatures looked like, how they behaved, how they fought, what they ate...and what ate them. With the use of cutting-edge CGI, these enormous beasts are put in modern day scenarios to demonstrate what they would look and act like if they still roamed the planet today. MEGA BEASTS premieres Sunday, September 13 at 9PM E/P .
Featured in MEGA BEASTS are six monstrous creatures: "Spinosaurus," the largest known meat-eating dinosaur ever to live on the planet, with a long crocodilian skull and massive claws; "Megalania," a giant lizard with a poisonous bite and a mouth full of huge dagger-like teeth; "Terror Bird," a giant bird that used its mighty beak to bash in its victims' heads; "Acrocanthasaurus," a dinosaur whose powerful death grip and scissor-like bite could kill prey ten times its size; "Mosasaur," a fearsome marine monster with an extra row of teeth on the roof of its mouth and a jaw that slid to further decimate its prey; and "Bear Dog," a creature that combined the most lethal weapons of today's lion, wolf and grizzly bear.
A two-episode sneak-peek of MEGA BEASTS will premiere on September 13 (episode descriptions below). The remaining four episodes will air in Discovery Channel's upcoming "Dino December," along with additional all-new dinosaur specials.
Episode 1: Terror Bird
World Premiere: Sunday, September 13 at 9PM E/P
It's happened only once in the history of our planet. Four million years ago a mega bird dominated a continent, battling wolves and saber-toothed cats. This bipedal monster stood seven feet tall and weighed three hundred pounds. With eyesight as sharp as a hawk, this bird could spot its victim from a half-mile away. Running on two powerful legs, it could even over-take a horse. But the Terror Bird's deadliest weapon was its 18-inch hooked beak. With one sledgehammer blow the bird could bash in the skull of a victim. Researchers build a replica of its deadly head and neck muscles to demonstrate exactly how this bird killed its prey.
Episode 2: T-Rex of the Deep
World Premiere: Sunday, September 13 at 10PM E/P
Great White sharks may be the modern version of the ultimate predator, but this mega beast could eat one for lunch. The T-Rex is called king of the dinosaurs, but it never came close to ruling as much real estate as the Mosasaur. It battled giant sharks, 40-foot long plesiosaurs and other monsters of the deep and emerged triumphant. At a time when 85 percent of the earth was covered with water, these beasts were found in every corner of the globe. One reason for the Mosasaur's success was its incredible jaws. At six feet in length, they were as big as those of T-Rex. Researchers build a life-size, fully operational set of steel Mosasaur jaws to test exactly how this monster destroyed its victims.
MEGA BEASTS is produced for Discovery Channel by Creative Differences, where Erik Nelson, Phil Fairclough and Dave Harding are the executive producers and John Joseph is Supervising Producer. For Discovery Channel, Steve Schwartz is executive producer.
For additional press information about MEGA BEASTS , please visit: http://press.discovery.com/us/dsc/programs/mega-beasts/
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Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com . For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com .