Line #1 Series/TheTruthAboutKillerDinosaurs


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3	''The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs'' (2005, also known as ''Dinosaur Face-Off'' in the US) is a two-part TVDocumentary from Creator/TheBBC. Presenter [[Series/TheGoodies Bill Oddie]] and a bunch of scientists and mechanics use science to deduce who would win in a fight between the two main animal characters of each episode:
4	* The [[AnimalJingoism classic face-off]] between ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' and ''Triceratops''.
5	* A pack of ''Velociraptor'' and an unspecified genus of ankylosaur (probably ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinacosaurus Pinacosaurus]]'').
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7	The program was, in concept and execution, similar to Creator/DiscoveryChannel's ''Series/AnimalFaceOff'' [[note]]it was even named Dinosaur Face-Off when it premiered in the US[[/note]] and Creator/TheHistoryChannel's later ''Series/JurassicFightClub'', but with more dinosaurs than the former and more humor.
8	----
9	!!The program contains examples of:
10	* AnachronismStew: Like ''Series/ChasedByDinosaurs'', ''Tarbosaurus'' is erroneously shown coexisting with ''Velociraptor'' and ''Protoceratops'', even though it showed up several million years later. There are indeterminate tyrannosaurid fossils known from the Djadochta Formation (where ''Velociraptor'' comes from) but they are very fragmentary.
11	* AnimalJingoism: Episode 1 is all about the famous rivalry between ''T. rex'' and ''Triceratops''. The animosity between ''Velociraptor'' and ''Protoceratops'' is also addressed in Episode 2.
12	* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Bill Oddie states that they needed to test a wild alligator's bite to figure out the T.Rex's bite force, as he claims alligators in captivity don't have as much bite force. [[https://youtu.be/QkS0rj34GsU However, an earlier BBC documentary]], ''Horizon'' had done the same test on a younger captive alligator, which had a similarly strong bite force.
13	* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: This series is actually really accurate for the most part but there are still some examples of artistic license.
14	** The ''T. rex'' head model that Kent Stevens studies has its ear in the wrong spot: the temporal opening.
15	** The "''Triceratops'' crash test". The scientists drive a replica of a ''Triceratops'' skull into a porous aluminum wall (representing ''T. rex''), and when the skull breaks to pieces, they conclude that the animal was just as vulnerable. Two things wrong with the experiment: both of the participants. A real-life ''Triceratops'' head would naturally have all sorts of strengthening tissue supporting the skull, and ''T. rex''... clearly wasn't a large, square-shaped metal surface.
16	** It is claimed that ''Tyrannosaurus'' was a dumb brute when it is known for being one of the smartest dinosaurs out there. They also compare its brain to that of an alligator, which are ''not'' dumb.
17	** The ''Tarbosaurus'' is just a PaletteSwap of the T. rex, even though its skull was quite different, [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Tarbosaurus_and_Tyrannosaurus.jpg being much narrower and lacking the same binocular vision as its American cousin]].
18	** ''Protoceratops'' tail is shown to be small and completely flat when it should have a long, tall tail.
19	%%* AttackItsWeakPoint
20	* BewareMyStingerTail: The ankylosaur.
21	* BreakableWeapons: The horns of ''Triceratops'' and ''Velociraptor'''s famed sickle-claw, against hard materials.
22	* CarriedByTheHost: Bill Oddie is incredibly amusing.
23	* CurbStompBattle: What would happen if a ''Velociraptor'' actually tried to "fight" an adult ankylosaurid. They end up having two ''Velociraptor'' take on a juvenile ankylosaurid.
24	* CurbStompCushion: The fight between the T-Rex and the ''Triceratops''. The T-Rex breaks off a horn but aside from that can't get around the ''Triceratop's'' frill to do any real damage. Realizing the fight isn't going well it tries to retreat, which leaves itself open
25	* DeathOfAChild: The juvenile ankylosaurid died.
26	* FeatheredFiend: ''Velociraptor''. (And it ''[[ShownTheirWork actually]]'' [[ShownTheirWork has feathers]]!) They proudly boast that this is the first feathered raptor on British television!
27	* HerbivoresAreFriendly: Averted, the ''Triceratops'' is presented as [[TemperCeratops as highly aggressive]] and even when it has put up enough of a fight for the T. rex to retreat, it retaliates by goring its attacker when an opening presents itself, killing the T-Rex.
28	* HollywoodScience: Mechanical dino experiments and crash-tests, just because.
29	* MillionToOneChance: As Bill explains, the people that uncovered the famed [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Fightingdinosamnh2.jpg "Fighting Dinosaurs" fossil]] had to be ''extremely'' lucky. Or as he put it, it's comparable to winning the lottery... every time for the rest of one's life.
30	* NoNameGiven: For whatever reason, the Asian ankylosaur is never referred to by a specific genus, and there are many Late Cretaceous ankylosaurids (the tail-clubbed variety) known from Central Asia. It coexisting with ''Velociraptor'' and ''Protoceratops'' suggests that it's ''Pinacosaurus'', but its large size is more comparable to ''Tarchia'', which coexisted with ''Tarbosaurus'' (whom the ankylosaur fights in this episode). The AnachronismStew in the episode makes it more confusing.
31	* RaptorAttack: Subverted with the ''Velociraptor''.
32	* RogerRabbitEffect: All the instances of {{CGI}} dinosaurs interacting with the host.
33	* RuleOfFunny: An animatronic ''Tyrannosaurus'' skull tearing a Mini apart. No reason for it, it's just fun to watch.
34	* ShownTheirWork:
35	** The documentary portrays hunting behavior quite realistically. A vast majority of predators ''must'' attack prey in an ambush against a vulnerable target to stand a chance at bringing down their prey. Even a fully grown ''Tyrannosaurus'' is no match for a healthy, alert ''Triceratops'' in a head on fight.
36	** This documentary was one of the first to state that Dromaeosaurs couldn't use their toe claws for slashing.
37	* StockFootage: The "raptors in the kitchen" scene from ''Film/JurassicPark'', used to simulate the drastic difference between how the movie portrayed raptors and how they looked in RealLife.
38	* StockSoundEffects: Dinosaurs sounds. Some have been taken from BBC's previous dino-production, ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs''.
39	* TemperCeratops: The ''Triceratops'' in the first episode is most definitely '''not''' [[HerbivoresAreFriendly a peaceful herbivore]] and kills the T. rex when its retreating.
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Context Series / TheTruthAboutKillerDinosaurs