History Main / PrimateVersusReptile

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': While the obvious traits are downplayed, Goku and Vegeta's enmity with Frieza qualifies. Goku and Vegeta are Saiyans, a race of humanoid aliens who can transform into giant gorillas and have monkey-like tails from birth, while Frieza is of a humanoid reptilian race.
** Prior to that, there's Goku's rivalry with Piccolo (before his HeelFaceTurn) and his much more evil predecessor King Piccolo, members of the reptilian-like Namekian race in the latter two arcs of ''Anime/{{Dragonball}}''. Additionally, a few of Goku's opponents, either in the World Martial Arts Tournaments or elsewhere, are based on dinosaurs, for instance, Giran.

** Prior to that, there's Goku's rivalry with Piccolo (before his HeelFaceTurn) and his much more evil predecessor King Piccolo, members of the reptilian-like Namekian race in the latter two arcs of ''Anime/{{Dragonball}}''.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': While the obvious traits are downplayed, Goku's battle with Frieza is this, as Goku is a Sayian, a race of humanoid monkey-like aliens, while Frieza is of a humanoid reptilian race.

A clear {{subtrope}} of BehemothBattle. The giant ape is generally a KingKongCopy; however, that's not always true. Similarly, the giant reptile is often a {{Notzilla}} or a TRexpy, if it's not based on a real dinosaur. Compare SpinosaurusVersusTRex, a trope inspired by [[Film/JurassicPark3 another famous movie fight involving a T. rex]] and TigerVersusDragon, an Eastern mammal vs. reptile motif.

A clear {{subtrope}} of BehemothBattle. The giant ape is generally a KingKongCopy; however, that's not always true. Similarly, the giant reptile is often a {{Notzilla}} or a TRexpy, if it's not based on a real dinosaur. Compare SpinosaurusVersusTRex, a trope inspired by [[Film/JurassicPark3 another famous movie fight involving a T. rex]].

* ''Unknown Island'', a 1948 dinosaur adventure film, has an unusual example, with a huge, hairy bipedal Megatherium fighting a Ceratosaurus in the finale. The Megatherium wins. Both animals are prehistoric survivors living on a remote island in French Polynesia.

When the opponent is a dinosaur, it works as a ClashOfEvolutionaryLevels -- the more "modern" primate fighting and more often than not defeating the more "primitive" dinosaur calls back to the mammals' supplanting of reptiles as the dominant animal class on Earth following the K-T extinction, to which humanity owes its existence. The inverse to this point-of-view is that the dinosaurs are an "elder race" that is stronger, wiser, more advanced, firmly established, and much more accomplished than the primates who are a "younger race" and thus largely unequal and inferior to the dinosaurs as a civilization and species.

*** ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'': Kong clashes not only with the Big G himself ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as implied by the title]]), but also with several flying snake-monsters, which are called "[[NonIndicativeName Warbats]]" according to supplementary material. Unusual for this trope, Kong and Godzilla are both heroes in this continuity and only clash due to a LetsYouAndHimFight situation brought about by [[spoiler: Mecha-Godzilla]].

* ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'': During an amp-versus-amp Battle of the Bands, Scott's band Sex Bob-Omb summon an AnimalBattleAura of a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti yeti]], and their rivals, the Katayanagi Twins, summon a pair of serpentine dragons to fight it.

** ''Film/TheSonOfKong'': Kong's son, Kiko/Little Kong, battles what appears to be a nothosaur (called a dragon by supplementary material), and early relative of the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' has long featured two particular monsters regarded as possessing the strength of an Elder Dragon while not actually being one: the primate Rajang and the dinosaur-like Deviljho. Comparisons and contrasts between the two were inevitable, and they do share a Turf War together in ''World'', where they battle to a draw.

*** ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'': Kong clashes not only with the Big G himself ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as implied by the title]]), but also with several flying snake-monsters, which are called "[[NonIndicativeName Warbats]]" according to supplementary material.

* ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'' has, at one point, a colosseum where monstrous animals fight for the entertainment of rich and powerful elites. The first battle shown on page is a duel between the gorilla-like Troll Kong and the massive, eight-legged Gararadile. Despite being smaller and being manhandled by the latter, the Troll Kong manages to win by cracking the skull of his opponent with an extremely precise attack.

* ''Franchise/JurassicPark'': One of the ExpandedUniverse comics by Topps/IDW features a trained gorilla taking on two ''Velociraptor''. [[spoiler:The gorilla loses.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Cavewoman}}'' creatures [[KingKongCopy Klyde, a giant gorilla]] who fight against dinosaurs.

* ''Atomic Rex: Wrath of the Polar Yeti'': The titular match up, very much a tribute to ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla'', is between a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''-like NotZilla and a yeti grown to kaiju size. Both monsters arrive in South America from opposite ends and converge together, taking out any other monsters they encounter on their way. In a bit of a subversion, whilst Atomic Rex is a TrueNeutral and the Polar Yeti has some sympathetic traits, the best outcome for humanity is for Atomic Rex to win as the Yeti might doggedly pursue them otherwise.

* Zigzagged in ''Manga/KaijuGirlCaramelise''. Two of the main characters are [[TheFashionista Raimu "Rairi" Koumo]], who [[KingKongCopy has an apelike face]] that she conceals with heavy makeup, and [[CreepyLonerGirl Kuroe Akaishi]], who involuntarily and secretly transforms into a [[{{Notzilla}} massive dinosaur-like monster called Harugon]] when experiencing strong emotion. They become fast friends almost as soon as the two first meet due to their similar insecurities over body image. However, Rairi has no idea Kuroe is Harugon, and at one point the former, without her makeup and with her ape face unconcealed, roars at the transformed latter to defend their classmates. Kuroe/Harugon quickly backs off into the lake, partly because she's startled at Rairi's actions and partly because she still respects her ignorant friend.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', while the obvious traits are downplayed, Goku's battle with Frieza is this, as Goku is a Sayian, a race of humanoid monkey-like aliens, while Frieza is of a humanoid reptilian race.

* ''ComicBook/Cavewoman'' freatures [[KingKongCopy Klyde, a giant gorilla]] who fight against dinosaurs.
* The defunct ''Magazine/DisneyAdventures'' had a comic called ''ComicBook/GorillaGorilla'', about two roommates, Gorilla Gorilla and Lizard Lizard, who habitually transformed into colossal versions of themselves and did battle. However, neither of them knew the other was actually his arch-nemesis.
* In an early story of ''ComicBook/TheGoon'', the mutated lizard El Hombre Lagarto grew to colossal size, and the Goon himself had to be temporarily transformed into a giant gorilla [[BehemothBattle so they could fight.]]
* One of the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' ExpandedUniverse comics by Topps/IDW features a trained gorilla taking on two ''Velociraptors''. [[spoiler: The gorilla loses]].

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Sets up but subverts it as far as the two Godzillas of the [=1990s=] and the ''Film/MonsterVerse'' King Kong. Godzilla Junior ends up on Skull Island for a year and meets Kong early on, but his docile nature and attempt to protect several Iwi from a skullcrawler means Kong doesn't register him as a threat. Junior actually takes a shine to Kong and begins copying him from a distance, and overtime Kong warms up to him as a sort of pupil.

* Invoked and averted in a fanmade ''WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror'' segment where Bart, having gained {{Reality Warp|er}}ing powers, conjured up [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E5TreehouseOfHorrorIII King Homer]] and [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS27E5TreehouseOfHorrorXXVI Homerzilla]] for them to fight. Rather than brawl for his amusement, however, the two monsters teamed up and rampaged through Springfield.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStoryThatTimeForgot'' where an anthropomorphic dinosaur action figure fights a sock monkey in a gladiatorial arena.

* Every incarnation of Franchise/KingKong has had one of these fights.
** The TropeCodifier is ''Film/{{King Kong|1933}}'', in which the titular ape fights a ''[[KingOfTheDinosaurs Tyrannosaurus rex]]'' (called "the Meat-Eater" in the script), a serpent-like plesiosaur and a [[PteroSoarer giant pterosaur]].
** In the largely-forgotten sequel, ''Film/TheSonOfKong'', his son, Kiko/Little Kong, battles what appears to be a nothosaurus (called a Dragon by supplementary material), and early relative of the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs.

** ''Film/{{King Kong|1976}}'' (1976): Although there are no dinosaurs in this film, Kong gets to fight a giant anaconda.

** ''Film/{{King Kong|2005}}'' (2005): The film ups the stakes by Kong fighting not one, not two, but ''three'' Tyrannosaurs (named Vastatosaurus in this film, [[TRexpy a fictional genus that is supposed to be the descendant of Tyrannosaurus]]).

*** In ''Film/KongSkullIsland'', Kong is presented as a benevolent protector of the island, fighting off the reptilian monsters called Skullcrawlers who prey on smaller creatures, including humans.
*** In ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'', Kong clashes not only with the Big G himself ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as implied by the title]]), but also with several flying snake-monsters, which are called "[[NonIndicativeName Warbats]]" according to supplementary material.
* From the {{mockbuster}} master, Creator/TheAsylum, is the self-explanatory ''Ape vs. Monster'', a blatant, low-budget knockoff of ''Godzilla vs. Kong'' (and with numerous plot elements also taken from ''Rampage'') featuring a giant chimpanzee and mutated Gila monster, both turned into {{kaiju}} by an alien slime. [[spoiler:Their "fight" only lasts about thirty seconds.]]
* In ''Film/The7thVoyageOfSinbad'', the dragon that serves as EvilSorcerer Sokurah's RightHandAttackDog fights a Cyclops; given that neither party is meant to be particularly heroic (although the dragon is a TragicMonster), the dragon wins.
* In ''Film/FrankensteinConquersTheWorld'', the antagonist is Baragon, an enormous, tunnelling, predatory reptillian monster, as opposed to the GentleGiant mutated human Frankenstein.
* In ''Film/{{Rampage|2018}}'', the climactic battle of the film is between the gigantic gorilla George and the even more gigantic crocodile Lizzie, after Lizzie quickly kills George's previous opponent, Ralph the giant wolf.
* ''The Adventures of Hercules II'' has a scene where King Minos uses the powers he got from the Gods to turn into a giant T. rex, then a giant snake. Hercules, in response, turns into a giant ape. The fight is hand-drawn animation traced from the monster fights in ''Film/KingKong1933''.
* In ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', during an amp-versus-amp Battle of the Bands, Scott's band Sex Bob-Omb summon an AnimalBattleAura of a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti yeti]], and their rivals, the Katayanagi Twins, summon a pair of serpentine dragons to fight it.

* In ''Literature/{{Bloodbones}}'', at one point you can run into a gigantic ape battling a "terrible lizard". You may end up fighting the winner of the clash.

* The cover of ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes: Colony'' features a spear-wielding ape facing off against a scaled dinosaur.

* ''Literature/TheAtomicTimeOfMonsters'' inverts the usual dynamic by having the fire-breathing [[PrehistoricMonster retrosaur]], Tyrantis, be the protagonist, with the [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinetic]] [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti sasquatch]] Promythigor as a TragicVillain. Furthering the {{Irony}} is that between the two, the simian Promythigor is the Godzilla equivalent in that he was scarred by unethical military technology and is associated with violent explosions, while Tyrantis, despite being based on a vintage ''[[KingOfTheDinosaurs T. rex]]'', is more like Kong, being a sweet-natured prehistoric beast characterized by his friendship with Dr. Lerna, the human heroine. The author later [[https://tyrantisterror.tumblr.com/post/652163147071930368/tyrantis-roams-the-earth-cope-william-david clarified]] that this contrast was intentional: because the "less" human Tyrantis has basic needs that make him easier to handle, he is more benign than the "more" human Promythigor, whose greater intelligence results in a self-centered, destructive attitude that makes him the greater threat.

* Inverted in ''Series/{{Primeval}}''. At the end of the first season, a Gorgonopsid and the female Future Predator fight against each other after the latter was transported to the Permian period and menaces the cast. While the Future Predator can inflict some bad blows on the Gorgonopsid, the Gorgonopsid is far superior to her in terms of strength and is able to kill her after landing a solid hit. The Future Predator is a further developed bat from the future, which actually has a physique similar to a primate. Technically, the Gorgonopsid is not really reptile, but a synapsid that's closely related to the ancestor of mammals whilst still having reptilian traits, but still qualifies for this trope.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' has an event match wherein [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] and Franchise/DonkeyKong (both appearing ''much'' larger than normal) fight on Fourside, an ''{{VideoGame/EarthBound}}''-themed skyscraper stage--an obvious homage to ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla''.
* Being a homage to the Kaiju and Tokusatsu series, the ''VideoGame/KingOfTheMonsters'' series has expies of King Kong ([[KingKongCopy Woo]]/[[HumongousMecha Cyber Woo]]) and Godzilla ([[NotZilla Geon/Super Geon]]), being a giant ape and a reptile, respectively, fighting against other giant monsters as well against each other.
* The 16-bit game ''VideoGame/PrimalRage'' was about prehistoric beasts fighting... with the villains led by the tyrannosaurus Diablo vs. the Virtuous Beasts led by heroic ape Blizzard.
* VideoGame/{{Donkey Kong|Country}}'s most recurring nemesis is the [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodile]] King K. Rool.

* The two principal gods in ''VideoGame/DragonMarkedForDeath'' are the draconic Atruum and the simian Primatus.
* While ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' features dragons against monkeys, the "good primate" and "bad reptile" roles are inverted, as the titular hero is a dragon and the Apes are a villainous race of barbaric savages.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/YetAnotherFantasyGamerComic'': The whole "Krom" arc is a Franchise/KingKong parody, including a direct shout-out to the [[Film/KingKong2005 2005 movie]] with Krom fighting a pair of ''[[TRexpy Giganotosaurus]]'' and [[https://www.yafgc.net/comic/1820-ott-o-saurus/ ending up tangled in vines.]]

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' has Billy and Irwin watching a cheesy Japanese movie where a Kong {{expy}} fights a robotic pterosaur.

** In the [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E5TreehouseOfHorrorIII third Halloween special]], Abe tells a story about "King Homer" (a parody of the 1933 ''King Kong'' film). Homer was seen fighting a ''T. rex'' before being summoned by the natives.
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS20E15WeddingForDisaster Wedding for Disaster]]", Homer worries that Marge is turning into a {{Bridezilla}}, promoting her to call him "King Wrong". This causes Maggie, who is watching their spat, to imagine them fighting to the death as Kong and Godzilla, respectively.
* In ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}: WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', [[TheHero Optimus Primal]] transforms into a gorilla and [[BigBad Megatron]] transforms into a [[KingOfTheDinosaurs Tyrannosaurus rex]]. The opening theme song even ends with a scene of Megatron attempting to bite Primal's head, while Primal holds the jaws open with his bare hands.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': A variant in the episode, "[[Recap/RugratsS2E1ToyPalaceSandHo Toy Palace]]". When Tommy and Chuckie get locked inside the titular toy store, Tommy at one point accidentally turns on a life-sized doll of Thorg the ape, which chases him and Chuckie throughout the store. Tommy later manages to turn on a life-sized doll of Reptar the dinosaur, which pushes the Thorg doll into a Time Machine, which takes it to the time period where Washington crossed the Delaware River.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Primal|2019}}'' episode "Rage of the Ape-Men" has a fight between the [[FrazettaMan ape-man]] warrior Krog [[spoiler:who is under the effect of a strength-inducing serum that turns him into a KingKongCopy]] and the tyrannosaurus Fang. The roles are very much inverted, as Fang is sympathetic and one of the protagonists, whereas Krog is the cruel champion of the evil ape-men.
* An episode of Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTarzan'' has Moyo, a gorilla who has just wrested leadership of the apes from Tarzan, attempting to defend the colony from a giant python named Histah and being unable to do so without Tarzan's assistance.
* ''WesternAnimation/KongTheAnimatedSeries'': Par for the course, given that not only is Kong Island populated with dinosaurs--most of whom were actually docile toward Kong and his human allies but, you know, ''[[KingOfTheDinosaurs Tyrannosaurus rex]]'' and [[RaptorAttack raptors]]--but the BigBad and his flunkies had the ability to merge with animals of their choice, many of these being reptiles, naturally.

** Then there's his most hated enemy: the subterranean Vagnosaurus. Their two species went into a mutual destructive war that would leave Kong and a single Vagnosaurus clan as the LastOfTheirKind. Kong eventually kills the clan's matriarch and leaves them to dwindle to extinction. This last one is a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] however as [[https://www.deviantart.com/transapient/art/Kaiju-Revolution-VAGNOSAURUS-803781344 despite their name and apperance]], the Vagnosaurus aren't reptiles at all but actually primates which have evolved into vicious, [[HorrorHunger hypervorous]] predators in Skull Island's underground caverns. In fact, they are actually descended from the same basal primates that Kong's species descended from.

* ''Literature/TheAtomicTimeOfMonsters'' inverts the usual dynamic by having the be the fire-breathing [[PrehistoricMonster retrosaur]], Tyrantis, be the protagonist, with the [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinetic]] [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti sasquatch]] Promythigor as a TragicVillain. Furthering the {{Irony}} is that between the two, Promythigor is the Godzilla equivalent in that he was scarred by unethical military technology and is associated with violent explosions, while Tyrantis is more like Kong, being a sweet-natured prehistoric beast characterized by his friendship with Dr. Lerna, the human heroine. The author later [[https://tyrantisterror.tumblr.com/post/652163147071930368/tyrantis-roams-the-earth-cope-william-david clarified]] that this contrast was intentional: because the "less" human Tyrantis has basic needs that make him easier to handle, he is more benign than the "more" human Promythigor, whose greater intelligence results in a self-centered, destructive attitude that makes him the greater threat.

* ComicBook/Cavewoman freatures [[KingKongCopy Klyde, a giant gorilla]] who fight against dinosaurs.

* ''ComicBook/Cavewoman'' freatures [[KingKongCopy Klyde, a giant gorilla]] who fight against dinosaurs.

* ''CComicBook/Cavewoman'' freatures [[KingKongCopy Klyde, a giant gorilla]] who fight against dinosaurs.

* Inverted in ''Series/{{Primeval}}''. At the end of the first season, a Gorgonopsid and a Future Predator fight against each other. While the Future Predator can inflict some bad blows on the Gorgonopsid, the Gorgonopsid is far superior to him and can eventually kill him. The Future Predator is a further developed bat from the future, which actually has a physique similar to a primate. Technically, the Gorgonopsid is not a real reptile, but a synapsid, but still qualifies for this trope.