Prehistoric Terror is the third episode in the seventh season of River Monsters. There was a two-hour special released a month after this called Jurassic-Sized Prehistoric Terror.
Episode Description[]
Jeremy Wade is on the trail of horrifying killers from the depths of time. Prehistoric beasts are brought back to life using cutting edge technology & unearthed fossils in a quest to find the greatest river monster of all time.
Episode Summary[]
Wade calls on the same instincts he uses to catch living monsters to uncover the most deadly underwater giants of all time. He must read the water (and in some cases the land) for clues to bring long-forgotten beasts to light. Using Wade's keen understanding of modern-day monsters, top scientific discoveries and state-of-the-art CGI, the apex killers of the prehistoric era such as the 25-foot, buzz saw-toothed Helicoprion and the bone-crushing Dunkleosteus, come to life as ancient monsters are featured on River Monsters for the first time.
His goal is to determine the greatest river monster of all time. Jeremy begins by investigating the Xenacanthus, and catches the modern day fish, the alligator gar, as a reminder of the hardware on this ancient freshwater shark. Next, Jeremy investigates the Xiphactinus, and catches a sailfish in the Indian Ocean as a reminder of the speed of this massive meat-eating fish.
Then, Jeremy looks into the Leedsichthys, the largest fish of all time. Swimming with whale sharks, he gets a sense of the immense size of this ancient beast. However, he must rule it off his list, because this massive fish was a filter feeder, not a predator.
Later, Wade investigates the "Mega-piranha", but rules it off of his list, because of lack of evidence for its ferocity. Next, he investigates the Helicoprion, or "buzz sawed killer", but he rules it off his list, because its teeth do not have the ability to break through bone.
Then, he turns his attention to the Dunkleosteus, which did have the size and dental hardware necessary to crunch through bone. Jeremy catches a white sturgeon in Canada to observe its bone plated body, reminiscent of the "Bone Crusher".
However, Wade thinks he has found the greatest river monster of all time when he hears of the Rhizodont, an ancient freshwater predator the size of a killer whale. To attain a sense of the monstrosity of the Rhizodont, Jeremy visits a massive saltwater crocodile in captivity. After observing the size and strength of this predator and recognising that the Rhizodont must have been even larger than the crocodile, Jeremy comes to the conclusion that the Rhizodont must be the greatest river monster that has ever existed on planet Earth.
Animals Featured[]
- Dunkleosteus
- Helicoprion
- Leedsichthys
- Rhizodus
- Sailfish
- Saltwater Crocodile
- Whale Shark
- White Sturgeon
- Xenacanthus
- Xiphactinus
Locations Featured[]
- TBA
Extended Cut[]
Main Page: Jurassic-Sized Prehistoric Terror
There was a special called Jurassic-Sized Prehistoric Terror released about a month after this episode aired. Most components of the episode are similar, but it includes Jeremy finding a few more current fish resembling extinct monsters. The episode was two hours long.
Gallery[]
Animals[]
Fossils[]
Extended Cut Photos[]
CGI Photos[]
