History YMMV / WalkingWithBeasts

** The confrontation of the Hyaenodon vs the entelodont trio in "Land of Giants", as it's basically the fight of the two main carnivores of the episode accompanied with the signature theme of the entelodont. It was memorable enough to be displayed as the main key visual of the DVD cover of the documentary ([[CoversAlwaysLie albeit portraying as a one vs one fight rather than three vs one]]).

** The confrontation of the Hyaenodon vs the entelodont trio in "Land of Giants", as it's basically the fight of the two main carnivores of the episode accompanied with the signature theme of the entelodont. It was memorable enough to be displayed as the main key visual of the DVD cover of the documentary.

%%* SignatureScene: The ''Australopithecus'' banding together to save Blue from the ''Dinofelis''.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** Regardless of its diet, ''Gastornis'' had feet similar to the modern running birds, and some of the latter can disembowel a dog with one kick. But we never get to see their kicks in action.
** Though unmentioned, dogs were (possibly) starting to be domesticated around the time of "Mammoth Journey". Maybe the lone wolf stalking the unfortunate mammoth in the beginning, alongside the humans, was a reference to this.
** A seventh episode was planned originally, about fauna of Ice Age Australia, but it never materialized.

** The ''Deinotherium'' for some, for being an [[EvilIsCool imposing leviathan]] that perfectly embodies just how [[CruelElephant terrifying and unstoppable elephants can be when they aren’t peacefully munching on greenery]].

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Not quite as noticeable as with its [[Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs predecessor]], but numerous things, such as carnivorous ''Gastornis'', ''Basilosaurus'' being an orca-like LightningBruiser, ''Andrewsarchus'' being a giant mesonychid, ''Australopithecus'' being framed as the first bipedal ape, terror birds being [[AdaptationalWimp lanky]], [[AnachronismStew time-displaced]] [[StrawLoser Straw Losers]] to saber-toothed cats, ''Dinofelis'' being an ape-killer, and light-skinned Cro-Magnons make it abundantly clear that this series is a product of [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]] paleontology.

* {{Woolseyism}}:
** The Spaniard dub renamed "Land of Giants" as "Little Giant". This is both a clever [[OxymoronicBeing oxymoron]] and a good description of the main character (a baby indricothere), and also a way to avoid confusion with the ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'' special about ''Argentinosaurus'', which was also named "Land of Giants".
** Sadly, the same cleverness was not done for the Italian dub, at least for the main title: "Walking with Beasts" was changed for unexplicable reasons into "The Predators of Prehistory"...making one thinking the show is about extinct predators of every geological era (Mesozoic theropods or even [[AnachronismStew Paleozoic sea-scorpions...]]) instead of Cenozoic critters and human ancestors, either herbivorous or predatory. However, the translation of the episode "Next of Kin" is more enjoyable: "The prey Man rebels himself" --referring, obviously, to the final scene in which all australopithecuses chase their predatory feline away with stones to save Blue from death.
** As an extra-note: Italian programers even changed the order of episodes when the show was first released, putting "Sabre-tooth" as the 1st of them all. Then came 2nd "Whale Killer", 3rd "Land of Giants", and 4th the ur-episode "New Dawn" (?!?). Finally, 5th "Next of Kin" (which should be the 4th), and 6th "Mammoth Journey".

* EvilIsCool:
** The ''[[UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursSaurischianDinosaurs Gastornis]]'' from "New Dawn", [[ScienceMarchesOn though the real thing has turned out to not be a predator.]]
** The ''[[UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursNonDinosaurs Hyaenodon]]'' from "Land of Giants" is one of the biggest land carnivores of its time and certainly one of the fiercest. Also the [[UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursNonDinosaurs entelodonts]], who deserve their title "hogs from Hell" for some, even though they were animals and not monsters.
** The ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeMammals Dinofelis]]'' from "Next of Kin" is basically a supersized leopard, with saber teeth, and more muscular body. Our ancestors learn who is the top predator of the savannah in a hard way.

* SignatureScene: The ''Australopithecus'' banding together to save Blue from the ''Dinofelis''.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Not quite as noticeable as with its [[Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs predecessor]], but numerous things, such as carnivorous ''Gastornis'', ''Basilosaurus'' being an orca-like LightningBruiser, ''Andrewsarchus'' being a giant mesonychid, ''Australopithecus'' being framed as the first bipedal ape, terror birds being [[AdaptationalWimp lanky]], [[AnachronismStew time-displaced]] [[StrawLoser Straw Losers]] to saber-toothed cats and light-skinned Cro-Magnons make it abundantly clear that this series is a product of [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]] paleontology.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The ''Godinotia'' are almost indistinguishable from the following episode's ''Apidium'', despite using a completely different model. Had they been lemur-like, the show would have shown the diversity and evolution of primates better. The following episode may have thus accompanied the introduction of more conventionally monkey-like ''Apidium'' with a reference to the evolution of sociality and facial gestures in primates, rather than relegating it to the making-of special.

** [[ScienceMarchesOn Inaccuracies aside]], it’s safe to say that this show boosted the popularity of ''Andrewsarchus'' by a wide margin, in large part due to giving it the prestigious title of “the largest mammalian carnivore to walk on land” and its cool design, which made it an awesome fusion between BigBadassWolf and PantheraAwesome. Quite the accomplishment, given that its actual role in “Whale Killer” essentially amounts to ScavengersAreScum.
** Same for the ''Gastornis''. While it too hasn’t aged well (namely its diet), its portrayal in “New Dawn” left quite the impression on viewers, proving just how [[FeatheredFiend scary birds can really be]] (they are surviving dinosaurs after all, which the narrator emphasizes). The real animal might have been a vegetarian, but it still would have been a force to be reckoned with (given its size and bulk). It’s even more notable given how the other big bird in the series is seen as TheScrappy.

* {{Woolseyism}}: The Spaniard dub renamed "Land of Giants" as "Little Giant". This is both a clever [[OxymoronicBeing oxymoron]] and a good description of the main character (a baby indricothere), and also a way to avoid confusion with the ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'' special about ''Argentinosaurus'', which was also named "Land of Giants".

** The ''Leptictidium''. Long nose, strange teeth, [[UncannyValley human-like hands]], but pretty colors and the perfect size for a petting zoo.

* WhatAnIdiot: The ''Hyaenodon'' tries to defend its prey from the entelodonts in a rather desperate act (pooping on it) in order to hide its smell. Doesn't work at all, because the body is on plain view of them. As weird as this sounds, this is based on actual fossil evidence, and backed by observations of modern animals that also defecate on their prey when they are full but there is still meat and they want to hide it from other carnivores (either to feed on it again later, or to avoid facing competitors or predators attracted by the smell in their territory). It becomes dumb only because the ''Hyaenodon'' is surprised before it can eat.

* RealismInducedHorror: The ''Deinotherium'' attack on the ''Australopithecus'' clan has been cited by some as the scariest scene in the series because elephant attacks on humans, often committed by bulls in musth (many of them fatal), are a major problem across Africa and South Asia. The most common victims are locals, but naïve tourists who mistakenly believe that elephants are [[GentleGiant Gentle Giants]] also fall prey to them, and as human hunting has left more and more elephants traumatized and prone to irrational violence, serial man killers are on the rise. Many wildlife experts are also of the opinion that no land animal is scarier or deadlier than a bull elephant in musth. Now imagine if such an individual was twice the size of the largest living elephant?

* NewerThanTheyThink: Almost all species featured in "Sabre Tooth" existed after the claimed setting of 1 million years ago and even survived longer than most appearing in the following episode, "Mammoth Journey". The notable opposite example are the terror birds, which are too old to appear in there.

** The terror bird from "Sabre Tooth" is very unpopular, especially among phorusrhacid enthusiasts. Even looking past the fact that it’s a hodgepodge of every single outdated theory regarding terror birds, many did not appreciate the fact that it was given the AdaptationalWimp treatment and relegated to being nothing more than a StrawLoser to ''Smilodon''. This sentiment increased considerably once future paleo-media such as ''Prehistoric Predators'' and ''Series/MonstersResurrected'' introduced more accurate depictions of phorusrhacids to general audiences, leading to greater awareness about what formidable apex predators they were.