| 1 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 2 | !!Series whole |
| 3 | [[folder:Nigel Marven]] |
| 4 | [[quoteright:339:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_nigel_marven.jpg]] |
| 5 | The show's host, a [[AsHimself real British zoologist]] who [[SureLetsGoWithThat travels in time]] to visit the 7 most dangerous seas of Earth's history. For tropes related to "Series/ChasedByDinosaurs", see [[Characters/ChasedByDinosaurs here]]. |
| 6 | ---- |
| 7 | * TheAce: He continues to do everything himself here, despite having an on-camera supporting crew. And he seems to be even more or an expert at everything. |
| 8 | * ActionizedSequel: Continuing the trend established by "Chased by Dinosaurs". He interacts with, and get chased by a lot of creatures, and even gets injured onscreen by some of them. |
| 9 | * AttentionDeficitOhShiny: He is adamant that the Cretaceous sea is too dangerous to dive in, then disregards it for a chance to swim with a giant sea turtle. [[spoiler: TheStinger implies he got everyone killed by doing this. But don't worry, he shows up alive [[UnexplainedRecovery with no explanation]] in ''Series/PrehistoricPark''.]] |
| 10 | * CasualTimeTravel: Now extended to a whole ship and its crew. |
| 11 | * CoolBoat: One with a cool name, the ''Ancient Mariner''. It also travels back and forth in time. [[TheUnreveal Somehow]]. |
| 12 | * CrazyPrepared: Every segment has Nigel pull out a new gadget to interact with the creature of choice. |
| 13 | * {{Cliffhanger}}: His life is at stake at the end of every episode. |
| 14 | * DistressedDude: He gets in danger all the time, although he usually gets out of it himself. In the most dangerous sea, however, he has to be saved by the crew. |
| 15 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Though he has no problem getting into water with some of the most dangerous marine predators ever known, he refuses to dive into the Cretaceous Sea due to the sheer quantity of large predators that patrol its waters… Until he gets the chance to ride a giant sea turtle, that’s it. |
| 16 | * FromBadToWorse: Invoked both by the prologue and the show's premise. In the former, Nigel is chased subsequently by a ''Velociraptor'' pack, a ([[AnimalsNotToScale small]]) ''Giganotosaurus'' and a (large) ''Tarbosaurus''. The {{narrator}} says that he is about to learn that he should never jump in the water while time travelling. He does, and is immediately surrounded by a giant Cretaceous piranha, ''Xiphactinus''. In the latter case, Nigel visits seven seas, one of which is more dangerous than the former (and labeled as such). |
| 17 | * {{Manchild}}: He gets so childishly excited at the prospect of riding an ''Archelon'' that he ignores the dangers of Hell’s Aquarium and ventures into the sea to inspect the turtle up close. |
| 18 | * 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, [[MomentOfWeakness so he was obviously rattled]]. |
| 19 | * SequelEscalation: More people, more locations, more time periods, more animals, more gadgets than in "Chased by Dinosaurs". Pity it is [[BritishBrevity only one episode more]]. |
| 20 | * TookALevelInBadass: He now goes face to face with [[PrehistoricMonster prehistoric]] [[SeaMonster sea monsters]]. |
| 21 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He disregards all safety rules to swim with an ''[[TurtleIsland Archelon]]''. A ''[[ToServeMan Xiphactinus]]'' shows up and he has to get rescued by a lifeboat. A pack of ''[[AlwaysABiggerFish Tylosaurus]]'' is then attracted by the general scene and they destroy the lifeboat, but all three occupants can swim to safety on the ship. [[spoiler: Which is later attacked en masse by ''Tylosaurus'', presumably alerted or attracted by the earlier attack.]] |
| 22 | [[/folder]] |
| 23 | |
| 24 | !!The Ordovician |
| 25 | [[folder:Giant Orthocone]] |
| 26 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_orthocone.jpg]] |
| 27 | The first large marine predator on Earth, from a whopping 450 million years ago. |
| 28 | ---- |
| 29 | * AllThereInTheManual: The actual genus is ''Cameroceras''. Only called orthocone or giant orthocone in the show. |
| 30 | * ArcVillain: The main predator of the Ordovician sea. |
| 31 | * CameraAbuse: Hits the camera with a tentacle during the encounter with Nigel. |
| 32 | * CombatTentacles: Its weapon of choice. |
| 33 | * KrakenAndLeviathan: The Kraken type, due to being a cephalopod. |
| 34 | * LightningBruiser: Its jet propulsion system gives it much better mobility than the sea scorpions. |
| 35 | * StarterVillain: It is the first large predator Nigel tackles in his prehistoric adventure through the seven deadliest seas of all times. While it proves to be formidable and effective as a hunter, it is also the animal who threatens Nigel the least and never attempts to harm him, just curiously investigating the unfamiliar being in front of it. The following main predators Nigel deals with prove to be more dangerous and aggressive. |
| 36 | * WeaksauceWeakness: It doesn't like flashing lights, and if you grab the tip of its shell it is incapable of reaching you. |
| 37 | * TheWorfEffect: Shown casually feeding on a sea scorpion after they have been established several times as a threat. |
| 38 | [[/folder]] |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [[folder:Sea Scorpion]] |
| 41 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_scorpion.jpg]] |
| 42 | A grotesque sea invertebrate. |
| 43 | ---- |
| 44 | * AllThereInTheManual: This genus is called ''Megalograptus''. |
| 45 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: VERY creepy crawlies. Looks more like a Lovecraftian horror than a scorpion. |
| 46 | * BloodIsSquickerInWater: When one scratches Nigel's leg. |
| 47 | * EatsBabies: Of their own kind. |
| 48 | * GracefulInTheirElement: They can walk on land, but they have no reason to run. In water, they can both swim quickly or walk over the sea floor. |
| 49 | * LightningBruiser: Fairly swift and vicious, with massive claws. |
| 50 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Would you dip your toes in a sea with "sea scorpions" in it? |
| 51 | %%* PowerPincers: |
| 52 | * {{Precursors}}: Believe it or not, these critters are the first sea animals to venture on land. |
| 53 | * ScaryScorpions: Although they don't sting with their tail. |
| 54 | * WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Can you imagine Nigel rushing another animal's mating grounds, picking one of them and casually throwing it away? |
| 55 | * TheWorfEffect: One injures Nigel, setting the "danger" premise of the series straight. |
| 56 | * ZergRush: They rush and deflate Nigel's inflatable boat when he runs over their breeding grounds. |
| 57 | [[/folder]] |
| 58 | |
| 59 | [[folder:''Isotelus'']] |
| 60 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_isotelus.jpg]] |
| 61 | A large trilobite used by Nigel to bait the orthocone. |
| 62 | ---- |
| 63 | * AllThereInTheManual: Not named onscreen. |
| 64 | %%* TheBait: |
| 65 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: Another massive arthropod. |
| 66 | * BiggerIsBetter: Justified, because Nigel wants to bait a large animal. |
| 67 | * GentleGiant: Despite its size, it is a bottom feeder and would never endanger Nigel when it was alive. |
| 68 | * LivingProp: Though it mostly appears as ''dead'' prop, a living one can be seen briefly on the sea floor when Nigel is heading to meet the orthocone. |
| 69 | * MonsterMunch: Enforced. Its only role is to be eaten by the orthocone. So much that Nigel gets annoyed when a sea scorpion tries to eat it first. |
| 70 | * PosthumousCharacter: The one used by Nigel is already dead when he picks it. |
| 71 | [[/folder]] |
| 72 | |
| 73 | [[folder:''Astraspis'']] |
| 74 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wwm_astraspis.jpg]] |
| 75 | A primitive jawless fish used by Nigel to bait sea scorpions. |
| 76 | ---- |
| 77 | * AllThereInTheManual: It is not even acknowledged by name in the show. |
| 78 | %%* TheBait: |
| 79 | * TheCameo: Though it can barely be counted as one as it is never shown up close. |
| 80 | * PosthumousCharacter: Nigel finds it on the beach already dead. |
| 81 | [[/folder]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | !!The Triassic |
| 84 | [[folder:''Cymbospondylus'']] |
| 85 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_cymbospondylus.jpg]] |
| 86 | A large primitive ichthyosaur and the largest reptile of its time, 230 million years ago. |
| 87 | ---- |
| 88 | * AlwaysABiggerFish: It surprises Nigel by eating the severed tail of the ''Tanystropheus''. |
| 89 | * AnachronismStew: ''Cymbospondylus'' is only known from the Anisian (247-242 mya), not the Mid Carnian (230 mya). |
| 90 | * ArcVillain: The main predator of the Triassic sea. |
| 91 | * CompositeCharacter: The Triassic segment is set in Switzerland and based on the Besano Formation, but the only ''Cymbospondylus'' species found there (and in Europe as a whole) is C. ''buchseri'', which is only 5-6 meters long, while the huge size of over 10 meters is based on C. ''petrinus'' from the Favret Formation of Nevada. |
| 92 | * JumpScare: It appears out of nowhere grabbing the tail of the ''Tanystropheus'' and startling Nigel. |
| 93 | * MixAndMatchCritters: It looks like a cross between later ichthyosaurs (like ''Ophthalmosaurus'' in ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'') and the even later mosasaurs, who are unrelated. |
| 94 | * PerpetualSmiler: It's model makes it looks like it's constantly smiling, [[SlasherSmile though not the kind of smile that would make you feel safe]]. |
| 95 | [[/folder]] |
| 96 | |
| 97 | [[folder:''Nothosaurus'']] |
| 98 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_nothosaurus.png]] |
| 99 | [[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_nothosaur_head.jpg]] |
| 100 | An inquisitive, human-sized sea reptile. |
| 101 | ---- |
| 102 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: Same stock from which plesiosaurs and pliosaurs will evolve from. |
| 103 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Half crocodile, half monitor lizard, with anglerfish teeth. And the book has them reproducing like sea turtles. |
| 104 | * NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: They cheerfully swim up to Nigel out of curiosity. Nigel keeps a cattle prod handy in case they get ''too'' close. |
| 105 | * RidiculouslyCuteCritter: [[DownplayedTrope Well]], cute by [[UglyCute prehistoric sea reptile standards]]. |
| 106 | * ScaryTeeth: Long like needles and sharp like knives, used to catch slippery fish. |
| 107 | * WeaksauceWeakness: Like crocodiles, they have strong muscles to close their mouth but the muscles opening it are weak. So he can disarm one just by grabbing its head from behind. |
| 108 | [[/folder]] |
| 109 | |
| 110 | [[folder:''Tanystropheus'']] |
| 111 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_tanystropheus.jpg]] |
| 112 | A long-necked sea reptile. |
| 113 | ---- |
| 114 | * AnachronismStew: ''Tanystropheus'' is only known from the Anisian to early Carnian (247-235 mya), not the Mid Carnian (230 mya). |
| 115 | * 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 inspired by 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. |
| 116 | * GentleGiant: Nigel identifies it as not dangerous right away. It only eats small fish. |
| 117 | * LifeOrLimbDecision: The speculative tail shedding. |
| 118 | * LongNeck: So long, in fact, that it barely has a body! |
| 119 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Half snake, half iguana. |
| 120 | * NoodlePeople: A noodle reptile. |
| 121 | [[/folder]] |
| 122 | |
| 123 | [[folder:''Peteinosaurus'']] |
| 124 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_peteinosaurus.png]] |
| 125 | A small, primitive pterosaur. |
| 126 | ---- |
| 127 | * 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 time and money[[/note]]. |
| 128 | * TheCameo: It is the same species seen in the first episode of ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'', and it only appears at the beginning of the segment. |
| 129 | * MisplacedWildlife: Inverted. It was misplaced in "New Blood", which was set in Arizona, but it is at home here, surrounded by European animals. |
| 130 | * NoNameGiven: Only called "pterosaur". |
| 131 | [[/folder]] |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[folder:Unnamed theropod dinosaur]] |
| 134 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_coelurosaur.jpg]] |
| 135 | A small, primitive dinosaur seen briefly at the beach. |
| 136 | ---- |
| 137 | * AnachronismStew: Obviously, there is always room for new discoveries, but there are no known theropods from this time in Europe ([[HandWave not identified as the location]], but home to ''Peteinosaurus'', ''Cymbospondylus'', ''Nothosaurus'' and ''Tanystropheus''). The closest thing is the small dinosauriform ''Saltopus''. |
| 138 | * TheCameo: Only shown at the beginning of the segment. |
| 139 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: Shown here to say that dinosaurs have just appeared in this time. According to Nigel, they are all still small and non threatening like this one. |
| 140 | * HistoricalVillainDowngrade: Ironically, the first known theropod from Europe is ''Liliensternus'' a couple of million years later, which despite being a relative of ''Coelophysis'' was a respectable 5-meters-long beast; the smaller coelophysoids like ''Procompsognathus'' and ''Coelophysis'' itself only arrived some dozen million years later. Maybe Nigel should have worried about walking on land. |
| 141 | * InformedSpecies: 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). |
| 142 | * NoNameGiven: Only identified as "coelurosaur" in accompanying material, probably following the old tendency to call ''all'' small theropods coelurosaurs regardless of actual philogeny. As per current definition, coelurosaurs don't appear until the Middle Jurassic. |
| 143 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To "New Blood"'s ''Coelophysis''. They look close enough to have been modified from the same model, but they are still different and the coat is also different. This is most likely to avoid MisplacedWildlife as ''Coelophysis'' is a North American genus. |
| 144 | [[/folder]] |
| 145 | |
| 146 | !!The Devonian |
| 147 | [[folder:''Dunkleosteus'']] |
| 148 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_dunkleosteus.jpg]] |
| 149 | A huge, armoured predatory fish relative from 360 million years ago. |
| 150 | ---- |
| 151 | * ArcVillain: The main predator of the Devonian sea. |
| 152 | * BiggerIsBetter: Nigel won't set up for ''Stethacanthus''. He wants to meet a ''Dunkleosteus'', and a big ''Dunkleosteus'' at that. |
| 153 | * {{Cliffhanger}}: The first episode ends with Nigel in a shark cage, as a ''Dunkleosteus'' charges onto it. |
| 154 | * TheDreaded: The ''Ancient Mariner'''s crew is both fearful and looking forward to meet it. |
| 155 | * EatsBabies: The larger adult eats a smaller one attracted by the remains of its last meal, zero fucks given. |
| 156 | * {{Irony}}: It has no teeth. Those scary teeth-like things are bony plates that are actually part of its head's skeleton. |
| 157 | * ScaryTeeth: Though they're not actually teeth. |
| 158 | * VomitIndiscretionShot: It vomits its prey's bony plates and the shark mail Nigel put on them almost as soon as it eats. |
| 159 | [[/folder]] |
| 160 | |
| 161 | [[folder:''Bothriolepis'']] |
| 162 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_bothriolepis.jpg]] |
| 163 | A small armoured fish. Although distantly related to ''Dunkleosteus'', it is completely inoffensive. |
| 164 | ---- |
| 165 | * AllThereInTheManual: It's not named onscreen. |
| 166 | * ArtisticLicensePaleontology: ''Bothriolepis'' was a bottom feeder that lived mostly in freshwater (although it could venture into the sea close to the shore) and ate rotten vegetarian matter. Those muscled pectoral fins were to push itself along the ground, and it could only see upwards. Here, it is shown swimming near the sea surface and catching Nigel's bait. |
| 167 | * TheBait: Takes the bait and is used in turn to bait the ''Dunkleosteus''. |
| 168 | * BlackBeadEyes: It has two small, button-like black eyes on the top of its head. |
| 169 | * MonsterMunch: Appears only so it can be eaten by the ''Dunkleosteus''. |
| 170 | * PosthumousCharacter: It is killed right in its introduction and its role mostly happens when it is dead. |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:''Stethacanthus'']] |
| 174 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_stethacanthus.jpg]] |
| 175 | A bizarre-looking early shark. |
| 176 | ---- |
| 177 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Nigel takes notice of it because of how weird it is, but he can't wait for it to go and a ''Dunkleosteus'' to arrive. Ironically, he's in a shark cage and ''Stethacanthus'' is closer to what he would be using the cage for in real life. |
| 178 | * AnimalsNotToScale: It appears to be average for a shark, when in reality was rather small (c. 70 cm long) |
| 179 | * ArtisticLicensePaleontology: It was also a bottom feeder, and thus unlikely to be attracted to Nigel's cage. |
| 180 | * BlackBeadEyes: Well, it is a shark. |
| 181 | * CowTools: Besides its long fin whips and claspers, it has a bizarre, anvil-like structure where its dorsal fin should be, and there are ''[[BodyHorror teeth]]'' growing out of it. Nigel speculates that it could have a role in display for mating or territoriality. |
| 182 | * PrehistoricMonster: Take a shark, and make it as bizarre as you can. ''Stethacanthus'' is weirder. |
| 183 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Yet another shark that comes first and is irrelevant next to the prehistoric SeaMonster of choice. |
| 184 | * ThreateningShark: Subverted. The cage protects Nigel, and the ''Dunkleosteus'' he is hoping for is far worse. |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | !!The Eocene |
| 188 | [[folder:''Arsinoitherium'']] |
| 189 | [[quoteright:276:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_arsinoitherium.jpg]] |
| 190 | A large Egyptian horned pachyderm from 36 million years ago. |
| 191 | ---- |
| 192 | * AccidentalPun: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Nigel, who says that it has a "funny name".[[note]]'''''Arse'''-inoitherium''[[/note]] |
| 193 | * AllAnimalsAreDomesticated: Averted. It turns down Nigel's offer of food and charges at him. |
| 194 | * AwesomeButImpractical: Its giant horns are useful for fighting, but because of the way they're positioned, they obscure its vision. |
| 195 | * GracefulInTheirElement: Averted. It is equally awkward on land and in water. |
| 196 | * MixAndMatchCritters: One third elephant, one third rhinoceros, one third hippopotamus. |
| 197 | * PrehistoricMonster: One of the best TruthInTelevision examples. This is a rhinoceros-like animal with the horn numbers doubled, even though it's maladaptative and limits its senses. |
| 198 | * RhinoRampage: Although it's more closely related to elephants. |
| 199 | * RuleOfCool[=/=]SequelEscalation: Sure, they could have just reused ''Moeritherium'', but who would have wanted that? ''Moeritherium'' would never go on RhinoRampage against Nigel. |
| 200 | [[/folder]] |
| 201 | |
| 202 | [[folder:''Dorudon'']] |
| 203 | A small primitive whale. For tropes, see entry in ''Characters/WalkingWithBeasts''. |
| 204 | [[/folder]] |
| 205 | |
| 206 | [[folder:''Basilosaurus'']] |
| 207 | The first filter whale-sized cetacean, but it is an active hunter instead of a filter feeder. For other tropes, see ''Characters/WalkingWithBeasts''. |
| 208 | ---- |
| 209 | * ArcVillain: The main predator of the Eocene sea. |
| 210 | [[/folder]] |
| 211 | |
| 212 | !!The Pliocene |
| 213 | [[folder:Megalodon]] |
| 214 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_megalodon.jpg]] |
| 215 | |
| 216 | The largest shark to ever live, and 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. |
| 217 | ---- |
| 218 | * AllThereInTheManual: The ''megalodon'' name comes from the species name, ''C. megalodon''. The genus is either ''Carcharodon'' or ''Carcharocles''. |
| 219 | * ArcVillain: The main predator of the Pliocene sea. |
| 220 | * ApocalypseHow: It will be killed by the Ice Age and thus miss modern humans by a geological hair breadth. |
| 221 | * BiggerIsBetter: Nigel finds a juvenile in the coast relatively early, but he is not content until they find an adult out at sea. |
| 222 | %%* BlackBeadEyes: Like any other shark. |
| 223 | * CliffHanger: The second episode ends with the ''megalodon'' seemingly eating Nigel alive. [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt This isn't the case, of course.]] |
| 224 | * TheDreaded: The plan to deal with an adult ''megalodon'' causes an argument among the ''Ancient Mariner'''s crew. |
| 225 | * {{Expy}}: Since only the teeth are known, its aspect and behavior is taken from the modern great white shark (which actually coexisted with it and is not its descendant). |
| 226 | * OneHitKill: Specialized in rushing from the deep and killing whales with one bite to the belly. |
| 227 | * SharkFinOfDoom: Shown thrice. One when the segment begins; another when the ''Ancient Mariner'' attracts an adult Megalodon for the first time; and the third one when it sails next to the boat and Nigel manages to stick the "shark cam" on the fin dorsal itself. |
| 228 | * PrehistoricMonster: What happens when you apply AnimalsNotToScale to a great white shark. Sure, the show's called ''Sea Monsters'', but Nigel does call this one a "monster" to its face. |
| 229 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To ''Dunkleosteus''. Both are giant fish top predators, both make fearsome sharks look pathetic in comparison, both try to get Nigel through the shark cage, and both are used for the episode's CliffHanger. |
| 230 | * ThreateningShark: It makes the shark from ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' look like a minnow. [[ZigzaggedTrope Granted, the narration turns somber]] when it is described that once changing climates causing the whales that it preyed on to head north, the megalodon went extinct from starvation. |
| 231 | [[/folder]] |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[folder:''Odobenocetops'']] |
| 234 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_odobenocetops.png]] |
| 235 | A small whale with long tusks. |
| 236 | ---- |
| 237 | * AnachronismStew: Actually from the Late Miocene rather than the Pliocene. |
| 238 | %%* BlackBeadEyes: Unusually for a mammal. |
| 239 | * MeaningfulName: ''Odobenocetops'' means "Whale-faced Walrus". |
| 240 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Looks like a mix between a narwhal, a walrus and a manatee. |
| 241 | * MonsterMunch: Only featured as a potential prey source for Megalodon, although it does escape the segment unharmed. The team invokes this when they disguise a camera as an ''Odobenocetops''. |
| 242 | * RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Seriously, why aren't there stuffed toys of this thing? |
| 243 | * WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Probably why it is allowed to live. |
| 244 | [[/folder]] |
| 245 | |
| 246 | [[folder:Unnamed whale]] |
| 247 | A medium-sized filter-feeding whale hunted by the adult Megalodon. |
| 248 | ---- |
| 249 | * ImpendingDoomPOV: Seen from the "shark cam" attached to the adult Megalodon. |
| 250 | * MonsterMunch: Appears only as, and when the Megalodon makes it its prey. |
| 251 | * NoNameGiven: In fairness, it's most likely not meant to be a particular whale. |
| 252 | [[/folder]] |
| 253 | |
| 254 | !!The Jurassic |
| 255 | [[folder:''Leedsichthys'']] |
| 256 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smbook_leedsichthys.jpg]] |
| 257 | The largest bony fish ever, a whale-like filter feeder from 155 million years ago. |
| 258 | ---- |
| 259 | * AnimalsNotToScale: Like ''Liopleurodon'', it is much larger than the real animal actually was (about 16 meters long). |
| 260 | * AwesomeButImpractical: For all the awe of its size, there doesn't seem to be a real advantage to it. |
| 261 | * BloodIsSquickerInWater: Happens everytime a critter gets a bite out of the sick one. |
| 262 | * EatenAlive: Hungry carnivores ([[ThreateningShark sharks]], [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles]], and eventually [[SeaMonster pliosaurs]]) hang onto a sick one and begin to eat as it continues swimming. The fish could take losing a lot of pounds, but the problem is that predators just keep coming one after another. |
| 263 | * GentleGiant: Extremely large, but totally harmless. |
| 264 | * GiantEqualsInvincible: Subverted. Predators don't bother usually with hunting it due to its size, but it has no way to outrun them or fight back. Once they start eating it alive, there is no stop. Its only defense is to travel in groups and hope someone else gets eaten, much like any given fish in the Ocean. |
| 265 | * MightyGlacier: They are as ridiculously slow as ridiculously gigantic. |
| 266 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Your average fish + a filter feeding whale. |
| 267 | [[/folder]] |
| 268 | |
| 269 | [[folder:''Metriorhynchus'']] |
| 270 | [[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smbook_metriorhynchus.jpg]] |
| 271 | A speedy marine crocodile. |
| 272 | ---- |
| 273 | * FragileSpeedster: Very fast, but lacks the armor plating of other crocodiles. As Nigel puts it, it has "sacrificed defense for speed". |
| 274 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Clearly a crocodile, but with the soft skin and fins of a shark. |
| 275 | * NeverSmileAtACrocodile: It eats chunks out of a wounded ''Leedsichthys'', and it must be dissuaded from biting Nigel, unlike the ''Hybodus''. |
| 276 | * ShedArmorGainSpeed: Described Nigel as having done this, albeit on an evolutionary scale. |
| 277 | [[/folder]] |
| 278 | |
| 279 | [[folder:''Hybodus'']] |
| 280 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wwd_hybodus.jpg]] |
| 281 | Your average Jurassic shark, returned. For more tropes, visit ''Characters/WalkingWithDinosaurs''. |
| 282 | ---- |
| 283 | * CowTools: The head horns. Sure, they had them in ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' already, but this time their bizarre nature is explicitly addressed. |
| 284 | * InformedAttribute: Nigel calls them the weirdest sharks because of the horns. This is harsh, considering he met the anvil-finned ''Stethacanthus'' not long ago. |
| 285 | [[/folder]] |
| 286 | |
| 287 | [[folder:''Liopleurodon'']] |
| 288 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_liopleurodon.jpg]] |
| 289 | The reputed largest carnivorous reptile of all time. See ''Characters/WalkingWithDinosaurs'' for other tropes. |
| 290 | ---- |
| 291 | * AdaptationalWimp: It is still touted as the largest predator of all time and the crew is afraid of it, plus it gets the second place to the Jurassic all by itself. However, its omnicidal power is far removed from what it was in ''Walking with Dinosaurs''. It only appears scavenging in this segment, first of squids used to bait juveniles and then feeding on the dead ''Leedsichthys''. |
| 292 | * ArcVillain: The main predator of the Jurassic sea. |
| 293 | * TheNoseKnows: They can feed both at night and day, because they live in "a world of smell" and are not reliant on sight according to Nigel. |
| 294 | * ScaryTeeth: Also noted. They cut through the ''Leedsichthys'' hide like butter, while in WWD they mostly ate prey whole. |
| 295 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: The teeth and the long face makes it instantly recognizable as a relative of ''Nothosaurus'' and ''Elasmosaurus'', despite each being almost 100 million years apart in opposite directions. |
| 296 | * WeaksauceWeakness: They can be turned away by a stench that is bad enough. |
| 297 | [[/folder]] |
| 298 | |
| 299 | !!The Cretaceous |
| 300 | [[folder:''Hesperornis'']] |
| 301 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_hesperornis.jpg]] |
| 302 | A human-sized, flightless seabird from 75 million years ago. |
| 303 | ---- |
| 304 | * ActionSurvivor: How does a bird even dare live in this sea? Nevermind a ''flightless'' bird that must actually look for its food underwater. And the land is inhabited by tyrannosaurs so they should also look the other way when on the shore. |
| 305 | * FeatheredFiend: Subverted. They're ugly and aggressive, but also harmless. |
| 306 | * GracefulInTheirElement: They can't fly or even walk on land, but are graceful swimmers. |
| 307 | * HistoricalUglinessUpdate: It's depicted as a gnarly, vulture-like creature with a [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver bald, red head and a dark body]], seemingly just to make it look more "prehistoric". However, there is little reason to think ''Hesperornis'' looked like this, as its closest extant analogs such as loons, grebes, penguins, and other aquatic birds look nothing like this, and most restorations of ''Hesperornis'' model it after the latter, with fully feathered heads and counter-shaded colorations. |
| 308 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Like a cross between a penguin and a sea lion, but somehow bigger and uglier. |
| 309 | * NoisyNature: On land, at their nesting grounds. |
| 310 | * MonsterMunch: They exist to show how badass all the other animals are by getting eaten. |
| 311 | * PrehistoricMonster: Proof that nature can do this to anything. It is a seabird, but with teeth, flightless, and the size of a human. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that, despite their intimidating size and appearance, they're fairly placid towards Nigel to the point that he can walk right through the middle of their colony without triggering much of a response. |
| 312 | * ToothyBird: It retains the teeth of primitive birds, and puts them to good use when catching fish (modern seabirds would probably be toothed today if all Mesozoic seabirds had not died out in the K/Pg mass extinction). |
| 313 | [[/folder]] |
| 314 | |
| 315 | [[folder:''Squalicorax'']] |
| 316 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_squalicorax.jpg]] |
| 317 | [[EverythingTryingToKillYou One of many large sharks]] in [[DeathWorld the American interior seaway]]. |
| 318 | ---- |
| 319 | * AllThereInTheManual: Not identified onscreen. |
| 320 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Given how much else lives in this sea, it only merits a cameo, but would be a fearsome top predator almost anywhere else. In fact, the show recycles the Megalodon model for it. |
| 321 | * BloodIsSquickerInWater: Shown inspecting a pool of blood, although it isn't the cause of it. |
| 322 | * TheCameo: Only appears in this brief shot. However, it is duly noted. |
| 323 | * ThreateningShark: Downplayed considering this sea is filled with even more dangerous beasts. |
| 324 | [[/folder]] |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[folder:''Xiphactinus'']] |
| 327 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_xiphactinus.jpg]] |
| 328 | A large predatory bony fish with a flattened face. |
| 329 | ---- |
| 330 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Like ''Squalicorax'', it probably would have been a top predator if it lived in a different sea. |
| 331 | * AnimalsNotToScale: The one attacking a ''Pteranodon'' is oversized to the point of easy confusion with ''Squalicorax'' or even ''Tylosaurus''. |
| 332 | * BigEater: Eating a two meter long bird in one gulp. |
| 333 | * BloodIsSquickerInWater: The actual perpetrator, as a result of hunting a ''Hesperornis''. |
| 334 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Shown in the prologue of the series as the reason why taking a dip in Prehistory would be a bad idea. Ironically, it turns out to be one of the less threatening predators in its environment. |
| 335 | * {{Irony}}: A fish that eats fish-eating birds and almost eats a fish-eating pterosaur at one point. |
| 336 | * NightmareFace: A perpetual one, due to its compresion. |
| 337 | * RedBaron: Called "the bulldog fish" due to its short face and protruding teeth. |
| 338 | * TheWorfEffect: Eating a man-sized ''Hesperornis'' in one gulp. |
| 339 | [[/folder]] |
| 340 | |
| 341 | [[folder:''Halisaurus'']] |
| 342 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_halisaurus.jpg]] |
| 343 | A small coastal mosasaur. |
| 344 | ---- |
| 345 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Would qualify as a top predator if it didn't have a giant cousin. |
| 346 | * LesserOfTwoEvils: A smaller relative of the giant ''Tylosaurus''. |
| 347 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Although related to snakes, they look more like monitor lizards, crocodiles or other sea reptiles. The snake connection is implied more in this case by having it swimming in a reef near the shore, much like a modern sea serpent. |
| 348 | * TheWorfEffect: It lives among the shore rocks, in part, because it is scared of the large oceanic going ''Tylosaurus''. That's what the ''Mariner'' is actually after. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:''Tyrannosaurus rex'']] |
| 352 | !!''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' |
| 353 | A large theropod dinosaur. For other tropes, see ''Characters/WalkingWithDinosaurs''. |
| 354 | ---- |
| 355 | * AnachronismStew: Despite ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' accurately stating that T. rex only lived during the last 2 million years of the Cretaceous (same for the making-of special), here, it's showing living 75 million years ago, about 7 million years before its time. ''Appalachiosaurus'' would have been a better fit both time-wise and geography-wise (see MisplacedWildlife) but it wasn't yet described in the early 2000s. |
| 356 | * MisplacedWildlife: It shows up in what's said to be Kansas. The thing is, during the time of the Western Interior Seaway, most of Kansas was submerged (hence why we find so many marine reptiles and sea pterosaurs there) with only its eastern half being dry land, which would have made Kansas part of Appalachia, while T. rex is only known from the adjacent continent of Laramidia, the same being true for any time-appropriate tyrannosaurid like ''Daspletosaurus'' or ''Gorgosaurus''. ''Appalachiosaurus'' would be a more appropriate substitute. |
| 357 | * NoisyNature: It roars at the beach for no seeming reason. Is it trying to scare the ''Ancient Mariner''? |
| 358 | * RuleOfCool: Why is it on a rock right on the sea surface? How did it even get there? Why is it roaring? Why is it there 7 million years before its time, and in Appalachia instead of Laramidia? RuleOfCool, that's why. |
| 359 | [[/folder]] |
| 360 | |
| 361 | [[folder:''Pteranodon'']] |
| 362 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_pteranodon.jpg]] |
| 363 | The famous flying reptile. For other tropes, see ''Characters/ChasedByDinosaurs''. |
| 364 | ---- |
| 365 | * AllAnimalsAreDomesticated: Despite never seeing a human before, one becomes a pet to Nigel in exchange for fish. Which in turns makes this an example of DomesticatedDinosaurs. |
| 366 | * 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]] |
| 367 | * AnimalReactionShot: The one tamed by Nigel screeches in panic when Nigel's boat is capsized. |
| 368 | * GiantFlyer: Not ''giant'' giant, but still big enough to qualify. |
| 369 | * {{Irony}}: Eats fish, almost gets eaten by a fish (''Xiphactinus''). |
| 370 | * TeamPet: One becomes this for Nigel's boat crew. Nigel feeds it fish and it sits on the boat with them. It seems to take a liking to the crew, seeing as it appears to be genuinely frightened when a mosasaur capsizes Nigel's boat. |
| 371 | [[/folder]] |
| 372 | |
| 373 | [[folder:''Archelon'']] |
| 374 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_archelon.jpg]] |
| 375 | The largest sea turtle ever. |
| 376 | ---- |
| 377 | * GentleGiant: So harmless, Nigel ignores all precautions to swim on the back of one. |
| 378 | * HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: The first one encountered by the crew has been severed in half by a mosasaur attack. |
| 379 | * TurtleIsland: Downplayed. The half turtle is found floating on the sea surface, and it is still large enough to make the boat stop. A living one can easily transport a person (or a few) on its shell. But neither would ever be mistaken for an actual island. |
| 380 | * TheWorfEffect: Just imagine what mosasaurs can do, if they can chow through the half of this and be so confident in themselves to leave the other half. |
| 381 | [[/folder]] |
| 382 | |
| 383 | [[folder:''Elasmosaurus'']] |
| 384 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_elasmosaurus.jpg]] |
| 385 | The largest plesiosaur ever. |
| 386 | ---- |
| 387 | * CameraAbuse: One hits the underwater camera with the snout while inspecting it. |
| 388 | * GentleGiant: It feeds on small fish so it is harmless to humans. They ignore the ''Mariner'' when they pass it during their migration. |
| 389 | * LongNeck: Its most evident feature. |
| 390 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Sometimes compared to a snake rammed through a sea turtle. |
| 391 | * StockNessMonster: Pretty much how Nessie is imagined to look. |
| 392 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: Easy to recognize as a relative of ''Nothosaurus'' and ''Liopleurodon'' due to its triangular head and fish-trap type teeth, despite being separated from either by [[LivingRelic hundreds of millions of years]]. |
| 393 | [[/folder]] |
| 394 | |
| 395 | [[folder:''Tylosaurus'']] |
| 396 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sm_tylosaurus.png]] |
| 397 | The [[RuleOfThree largest mosasaur ever]] and actual top predator of the episode. |
| 398 | ---- |
| 399 | * AlwaysABiggerFish: The ''Tylosaurus'' pack attacks the lifeboat sent to rescue Nigel from an earlier ''Xiphactinus'' attack. And they are natural predators to ''everything else'' seen in this episode. |
| 400 | * AnimalsNotToScale: They are depicted as being 60 feet long, but the highest estimates for ''Tylosaurus'' only placed it at 50 feet (43 feet is more likely). It still was the most massive marine reptile in the Western Interior Seaway during its time and one of the largest known mosasaurs. |
| 401 | * ArcVillain: The main predator of the Cretaceous sea. |
| 402 | * 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 the larger ''Liopleurodon''. [[note]] Ironically, in real-life, ''Tylosaurus'' was easily twice the size of ''Liopleurodon''. [[/note]] |
| 403 | * CameraAbuse: During the final credits, one bites at the camera. |
| 404 | * {{Cliffhanger}}: Zigzagged. They attack the rescue lifeboat near the episode's end, but the occupants make it to the larger ship (this would probably be left for the next episode in an actual cliffhanger). Then, TheStinger [[spoiler: has them attack the ship in even greater numbers, while the crew is sleeping, and ''this'' would be the actual cliffhanger of the episode if it wasn't the end of the series already.]] |
| 405 | * CoversAlwaysLie: No, they never get near the shark cage. |
| 406 | * TheDreaded: This thing manages to scare Nigel's ''Pteranodon''. |
| 407 | * {{Expy}}: Attacking the lifeboat after confusing it with a turtle seems taken from great white sharks, and the family bounds and concerted attacks, from killer whales. |
| 408 | * TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: To quote the narrator: "The only thing worse than swimming with a 60-foot-long killer marine reptile... is swimming with its ''[[OhCrap family]].''" |
| 409 | * FinalBoss: As the final apex predator of Nigel's adventure, it poses the biggest threat of the sea monsters. |
| 410 | * HeroKiller: Like the ''Megalodon'', it comes close. [[spoiler:But TheStinger implies that it ''succeeds'']]. |
| 411 | * IAmAHumanitarian: They eat everything, including other mosasaurs. The narrator doesn't clarify if the same species of mosasaur. |
| 412 | * LightningBruiser: And they were [[ScienceMarchesOn even faster]] in RealLife. |
| 413 | * MonsterIsAMommy: They travel in family groups and take care of their young. One of them can be seen swimming next to its mother when the lifeboat is attacked. |
| 414 | * NoNameGiven: Strangely, it's never called ''Tylosaurus'' (which it clearly is), only a "giant mosasaur". |
| 415 | * RuleOfCool: If modern snakes and lizards are any indication, it's unlikely that mosasaurs were social animals or took care of their offspring, but it ''is'' cooler to see them do so. |
| 416 | * SeaMonster: The straightest example of them all. Why is the Cretaceous the deadliest sea of all? Because it is filled to the brim with giant predators. What are '''all''' those predators afraid of? ''[[TheWorfEffect This guy]].'' |
| 417 | * ZergRush: It travels in groups, and they attack all at once. [[spoiler:And then they surround the boat...]] |
| 418 | [[/folder]] |
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