Watch Walking with Prehistoric Beasts

Not Rated
2001
1 Season
8.3 (3,317)

Walking with Prehistoric Beasts is a fascinating and engrossing documentary series that takes viewers on a journey back in time to explore the world of prehistoric creatures. Narrated by the renowned actor Kenneth Branagh, the series uses cutting-edge technology to bring these amazing creatures to life and give us an understanding of their behavior, habitat, and place in the ecosystem.

The first episode is set 49 million years ago, just after the extinction of the dinosaurs. We follow the story of a small, tree-dwelling mammal called a lemur-like adapid, which is trying to survive in the aftermath of the great extinction. We see how adapids evolved to become primates, which eventually led to the human species. It's a fascinating and illuminating look at the origins of our own species and how we came to be.

Other episodes explore different species such as the Moeritherium, a hippo-like creature that was one of the first mammals to return to the water; the Ambulocetus, a prehistoric whale that could walk on land as well as swim in the water; and the Chalicotherium, a strange, horse-like creature with claws instead of hooves.

The series also explores the ecosystem of prehistoric times, looking at how different creatures interacted with each other and how they were affected by environmental changes. For example, we see the impact of climate change on creatures such as the Woolly Mammoth, which was forced to migrate to new areas in search of food and water.

One of the most impressive aspects of the series is its use of CGI technology. The creatures are incredibly realistic and believable, and it's easy to forget that what you're watching is not actual footage of real animals. The attention to detail is astonishing, from the way the creatures move to the texture of their skin and fur.

The series also features the cameo voice of Stockard Channing, who plays several different characters throughout the show. Channing brings a sense of humor and playfulness to the series, which helps to lighten the tone and make it more accessible to a wider audience.

Overall, Walking with Prehistoric Beasts is a fantastic documentary series that is both entertaining and educational. It's a must-see for anyone interested in prehistoric creatures, evolution, or the history of the earth.

Walking with Prehistoric Beasts is a series that ran for 1 seasons (6 episodes) between November 15, 2001 and on BBC One

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Seasons

6. Mammoth Journey

December 20, 2001

By 240 million years ago (the Late Permian period), the Earth had turned into a desert planet, precipitating the largest mass extinction event of all time. Conditions were merciless and eventually less than 5% of life on Earth would survive. The landscape was dominated by herds of herbivorous Lystrosaurus, whose numbers represented 80% of all life on Earth. With so much meat available, predators were never far away in particular, the fearsome sabre-toothed gorgonopsids, who were just looking for the chance to strike. Bizarrely, all these creatures were more closely related to mammals than to dinosaurs. Instead, the dinosaurs? forebears clung on during this grim period, desperately trying to escape the gorgonopsid's jaws. At the end of the Permian, the gorgonopsid morphs into a small, furry, ferret-like animal (the first mammal), which in turn becomes bigger and stronger.

5. Saber Tooth

December 13, 2001

By 280 million years ago (the early Permian period), an Ice Age had wiped out the dense coal-forests and with them most of the giant insects and amphibians. A new group of animals and plants took over. Foremost among these were the reptiles, whose bodies could cope with the new dry, cold conditions. They became the giants of the early Permian. Heat was at a premium and the mornings saw a race between predator and prey to see who could warm up faster. Giant sail-finned reptiles, such as Dimetrodon, wandered this desolate landscape, snapping at anything that came within range, including each other. As we watch, Dimetrodon twists and shrinks, becoming more sleek and wolf-like until it eventually turns into gorgonopsid, a predatory mammal-like reptile.

4. Next of Kin

December 6, 2001

By 300 million years ago (the Carboniferous period), the plants had finally got a grip on the Earth's soil. This was the age of the coal-forests, a bizarre world of dense, impenetrable swamps filled with club-mosses and tree-ferns. Although amphibians were making inroads along the rivers, the main forests were ruled by the insects and they grew enormous with their success. Three-foot-long dragonflies battled with two-foot-wide spiders, but the most deadly of all was Arthropleura, an animal that looked like a ten-foot-long woodlouse but which hunted like a deadly anaconda. In this terrifying world, the first reptiles, such as Petrolacosaurus, fought to save their eggs. At the end of our visit to the coal forests, we watch as Petrolacosaurus transforms into the gigantic and terrifying carnivorous reptile Dimetrodon.

3. Land of Giants

November 29, 2001

By 360 million years ago (the Devonian period), the scorpions had had their day. Next it was turn of the fish to grow large and take over the role of top predator. Some armoured fish, such as Dunkleosteus, grew to ten meters or more and even hunted the recently evolved sharks. Meanwhile, other types of fish were tempted onto land, lumbering aquatic beasts slipping and sliding after the creepy-crawly colonialists that had tried to escape the water. One or two found this new environment, with its dense moss forests, so attractive that their fins became firmer and five digits grew at the end. This was Acanthostega, the ancestor of all mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs. But land was no sanctuary. Lying in wait for Acanthostegsa was the deadly 'sliding fish' that could grow to 30 feet long and two tons in weight.

2. Whale Killer

November 22, 2001

Around 410 million years ago (the Silurian period), the first sea creatures were beginning make forays onto the land. The first group to successfully do so were the scorpions. For some time, they had been successful predators in the sea, with only the squid's ancestors threatening them. But then, some swarmed onto land, while others grew so large (3 meters or more in length) in the sea that they had no natural enemies. This was Scorpion World, where huge shoals of trilobites were food and fish had to be heavily armoured to escape giant claws. We follow the perilous journey of a shoal of Alaspis, our distant fishy ancestors, as they attempt to migrate from the sea to a lake to spawn. At the end, we see an Alaspis morph and transform, growing in size and stature until it becomes Acanthostega, a Devonian amphibian.

1. New Dawn

November 15, 2001

Around 550 million years ago (the Cambrian period), a revolution happened. Our distant, soft-bodied ancestors evolved teeth, claws, graspers, hooks, spines and all manner of other weapons. This was evolution of the predators. As a consequence, life went through an explosion of variety. In the Cambrian sea, every creature stalked, shuffled and swam through the sunlit waters. No sooner did thick armour evolve for defence, but creatures like the mighty Anomalocaris evolved a round, crushing mouth to destroy it. In this sea, the segmented Tuzoia gave rise to all crabs and insects, the round Arkarua became ancestor of starfish and sea urchins, and the small harmless Pikaia became ancestor to everything with a backbone, from the Great White shark to the dinosaurs.

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Where to Watch Walking with Prehistoric Beasts

Walking with Prehistoric Beasts is available for streaming on the BBC One website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Walking with Prehistoric Beasts on demand at Amazon.