History Characters / SeaMonsters

* AnachronismStew: The ''Pteranodon'' genus is known to have lasted from the Coniacian to the early Campanian (88-80 mya) but not the late Campanian (75 mya), though similar pteranodontids likely lived on the Western Interior Seaway at the time, and evidence suggests that they survived until the K-Pg extinction. [[note]] Some workers class the oldest and youngest ''Pteranodon'' material as ''Geosternbergia'', which would leave the Santonian ''Pteranodon longiceps'' (the most fossil-rich species) as the only valid species of the genus, but this is quite controversial. [=note]]

* AnachronismStew: The ''Pteranodon'' genus is known to have lasted from the Coniacian to the early Campanian (88-80 mya) but not the late Campanian (75 mya), though similar pteranodontids likely lived on the Western Interior Seaway at the time, and evidence suggests that they survived until the K-Pg extinction. [[note]] Some workers class the oldest and youngest ''Pteranodon'' material as ''Geosternbergia'', which would leave the Santonian ''Pteranodon longiceps'' (the most fossil-rich species) as the only valid species of the genus, but this is quite controversial. [=note]]

* AnachronisticAnimal: While [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] compared to its appearance in ''Chased by Dinosaurs'' (which had it inhabiting Cenomanian Argentina for whatever reason), it's still guilty of this. ''Pteranodon'' actually lived during the late Santonian from around 86-84 mya, rather than 9 million years later in the Campanian as shown here. At least it's shown in roughly the correct geographic location this time (midwestern North America, around the fringes of the Western Interior Seaway).

* AnachronisticAnimal: Despite being confirmed to be T. rex by Nigel, it didn't evolve until 68 million years ago. ''Appalachiosaurus'' would have been a better fit both time-wise and geography-wise (see MisplacedWildlife). Though ''Appalachiosaurus'' wasn't described yet in the early 2000s.
* TheCameo: It only appears once in the segment.

* AnachronisticAnimal: Despite being confirmed to be T. rex by Nigel, it didn't evolve until 68 million years ago. ''Appalachiosaurus'' would have been a better fit both time-wise and geography-wise (see MisplacedWildlife).

* AnachronisticAnimal: Despite being confirmed by WordOfGod, it didn't evolve until 68 million years ago. The fans have [[{{fanon}} basically agreed]] that the tyrannosaur seen in this episode is actually the time period accurate ''Daspletosaurus''.

* RuleOfCool: Why is it on a rock right on the sea surface? How did it even got there? Why is it roaring? Why is it there 7 million years before its time? RuleOfCool, that's why.

A long necked sea reptile.

* Informed Species: The book identifies it as a "coelurosaur", but the latter term now only applies to the more derived, feathered tetanuran theropods (including tyrannosaurs), which didn't show up until the Mid Jurassic. This animal would more accurately be described as a coelophysid (as it's just a recolored ''Coelophysis'' model).

* TookALevelInBadass: He now goes face to face with [[PrehistoricMonster prehistoric]] [[SeaMonsters sea monsters]].

* TookALevelInBadass: He now goes face to face with [[PrehistoricMonster prehistoric monsters]].

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: He calls a crewman an "idiot" and blames him for a failed attempt to put the "shark cam" on a ''megalodon''. He apologizes immediately, but it is still an unwelcome, weirdly out of place surprise. In all fairness, the crewman’s mistake did result in him being knocked into the water by the megalodon in question, so he was obviously rattled.

* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: They are depicted as pod animals, while all the other marine reptiles are shown as solitary. Given that giant mosasaurs were massive apex predators most closely related to varanids and snakes (animals who usually aren't very social) and many ''Tylosaurus'' skulls display bite marks made in intraspecific combat (implying they were very aggressive towards each other), showing them as killer whale-like pack hunters is dubious at best, and mainly serves the purpose of making them seem more dangerous than larger ''Liopleurodon''. [[note]] Ironically, in real-life, ''Tylosaurus'' was easily twice the size of ''Liopleurodon''. [[/note]]

* ShedArmorGain Speed: Described Nigel as having done this, albeit on an evolutionary scale.

* AnachronismStew: Shown around 10 million years too early. The longer-snouted ''Preondactylus'' was a closer match[[note]]It's admittedly possible that it's meant to be a stand-in for this genus and that the animators simply recycled the ''Peteinosaurus'' model to save money[[/note]].

* AnachronismStew: Shown around 10 million years too early. The longer-snouted ''Preondactylus'' was a closer match.

* AnachronismStew: Despite being confirmed by WordOfGod, it didn't evolve until 68 million years ago. The fans have [[{{fanon}} basically agreed]] that the tyrannosaur seen in this episode is actually the time period accurate ''Daspletosaurus''.

* AnachronismStew: While [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] compared to its appearance in ''Chased by Dinosaurs'' (which had it inhabiting Cenomanian Argentina for whatever reason), it's still guilty of this. ''Pteranodon'' actually lived during the late Santonian from around 86-84 mya, rather than 9 million years later in the Campanian as shown here. At least it's shown in roughly the correct geographic location this time (midwestern North America, around the fringes of the Western Interior Seaway).

* AnachronismStew[=/=]MisplacedWildlife: Inverted. [[AuthorsSavingThrow Shown correctly]] in the North American interior seaway after "Chased by Dinosaurs" misplaced it millions of years earlier and in South America.

* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: Has more than a few problems. The speculative shedding tail (which is based on an obscure hypothesis by paleontologist Rupert Wild) was considered unlikely by paleobiologists even in 2003 when the special first aired. In addition to being based on Wild's fringe taxonomy placing ''Tanystropheus'' closer to lepidosaurs than archosaurs, such a defense mechanism would be of ''very'' questionable practicality for an aquatic reptile that likely required use of its tail for swimming. The show's depiction also has a noticeably shrink-wrapped skull, even compared to other ''Walking with...'' restorations.

* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: Has more than a few problems. The speculative shedding tail (which is based on an obscure hypothesis by paleontologist Rupert Wild) was considered unlikely by paleobiologists even in 2003 when the special first aired. In addition to being based on Wild's fringe taxonomy placing ''Tanystropheus'' closer to lepidosaurs than archosaurs, such a defense mechanism would be of ''very'' questionable practicality for an aquatic reptile that likely required use of its tail for swimming. The show's restoration also has a noticeably shrink-wrapped skull, even compared to other ''Walking with...'' restorations.

* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: Possibly the restoration in the ''Walking with...'' series that is most hated by paleontologists, down to TheScrappy levels. The shedding tail is a pure invention of the show, both gratuite and nonsensical (How would an aquatic reptile propel itself in the water without a tail? Why have a tail at all if it was so unnecessary that the animal could shed it entirely and suffer no ill effects? How long would it take for an animal that size to grow it back?); and worse, it was an assumption based itself on a fringe theory about ''Tanystropheus'' being related to lizards (who ''don't'' all shed their tail), that almost no taxonomists defended even back then. To add insult to injury, the show restored ''Tanystropheus'''s face much thinner than its skull, making it look goofy.

* PrehistoricMonster: Proof that nature can do this to anything. It is a seabird, but with teeth, flightless, and the size of a human.

* BigBad: Poses the biggest threat of the sea monsters.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: He calls a crewman an "idiot" and blames him for a failed attempt to put the "shark cam" on a {{megalodon}}. He apologizes immediately, but it is still an unwelcome, weirdly out of place surprise. In all fairness, the crewman’s mistake did result in him being knocked into the water by the megalodon in question, so he was obviously rattled.

!!{{Megalodon}}

The largest shark ever, an active hunter instead of a filter-feeder like the whale shark. It swam the world's oceans as recently as 4 million years ago.

* AllThereInTheManual: The Megalodon name comes from the species name, ''C. megalodon''. The genus is either ''Carcharodon'' or ''Carcharocles''.
* ApocalypseHow: Will be killed by the Ice Age and thus miss modern humans by a geological hair breath.

* CliffHanger: The second episode ends with the Megalodon seemingly eating Nigel alive. [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt This isn't the case, of course.]]
* TheDreaded: The plan to deal with an adult Megalodon causes an argument among the ''Ancient Mariner'''s crew.

* PteroSoarer: Though to BBC's credit, this is the ''most'' accurate (for its time) pterosaur depicted in the series.