Trivia / Eyewitness

• Science Marches On: The series ran from 1994-1997, and its science facts can be a bit outdated.
  • Planets describes Pluto as a planet, when we know now it's a dwarf planet. it's also depicted as a uniformly grey, pockmarked planet, but after the New Horizons probe visited Pluto in 2015, we now know it's actually more white and brownish, with highly distinctive light and dark patches.
    • The episode also states that Jupiter has 16 moons, but that number has since increased, quite dramatically, to 92 known moons as of 2023, and that Saturn has 18 moons, but this has also greatly increased to 83 identified moons.
  • The Elephant episode says that there are only two species of living elephants. The African elephant was later divided into two different species, the African bush elephant and the African forest elephant, making it three species now.
  • Nearly all the facts stated in the Dinosaur episode are now known to be outdated, including most of the arguments for dinosaurs being cold-blooded and that they were only covered in scales. The episode itself lampshades this by stating paleontology is a science wrought with mistakes, and it is sure to continue happening.
  • The Dog episode states that wolves first met and were domesticated by Ice Age humans around 18,000 years ago. Current research suggests this event probably occurred around 23,000 years ago, possibly up to 30,000 years ago. It also implies dogs descended from modern-type wolves, but the wolves which dogs descended from were probably more dingo or coyote-like in appearance.
  • The Prehistoric Life episode uses an old depiction of Hallucigenia without its true head and feeler-like arms. It also states Gigantoscorpio was ten times the size of modern scorpions, but a later study found it was much smaller than initially reported (26 cm rather than 40 cm).
  • The Reptile episode divides reptiles into four "families". Modern cladistic classification (which includes all descendants of a common ancestor in groupings) include birds as a type of highly derived reptile, because crocodilians are more closely related to birds than they are to the other reptile groups, not to mention birds being a surviving group of dinosaurs. It's also stated that reptiles have poor color vision, worse than mammals, but the opposite is true; most mammals have poor color vision for vertebrates and reptiles can usually see more colors than humans can.
    • Both the Reptiles and Dinosaur episode state how Komodo dragons hunt by using their virulently infectious saliva to incapacitate prey in a single bite, waiting until it dies of illness. A 2013 study found that no special microbes in dragons' saliva or any irregularly high amount of bacteria versus other carnivorous animals, and observations of Komodos hunting in the wild found they usually dispatched their prey very quickly and efficiently simply with lacerating bites. In fact, other studies suggest Komodo dragons might actually be genuinely venomous, although it's questionable if this venom is actually used for hunting.
  • The Bird episode states that pterosaurs had fragile membranous wings that made them evolutionarily flawed. Exceptionally preserved fossils have since found pterosaur wings were strong, complex, and much thicker than those of bats, with layers of stiffening fibers, loops of blood vessels, muscle tissue, and air sacs. The episode does not even mention the fact birds descended from dinosaurs when explaining their evolution, which was still rather controversial at the time.
  • Tasmanian devils are stated in the Island episode to only be native to Tasmania. This already incorrectly implies they evolved on Tasmania, as extensive fossils shows they were once widespread on mainland Australia until about three-thousand years ago, and a population of devils was reintroduced on the continent in 2020. The same episode also shows Komodo dragons as an example of island gigantism, but subsequent fossils have shown they originated in Australia and their large size was normal for monitors in prehistoric times.
    • This episode also repeats the oft-repeated myth that the Great Wall of China is the only manmade structure visible from space. Not only is it not true (the Great Wall of China might be incredibly long, but it's also only a few meters wide; trying to spot it from space would be like standing on top of a skyscraper trying to spot a human hair on the sidewalk, technically possible but incredibly difficult), plenty of other human structures are visible from space.
  • The Ape episode states the indri's name came from Malagasy natives pointing out the animal to European explorers while shouting "indry!", which meant "there it is". This story is now believed to be a myth; the indri's English name probably derives from its Malagasy name, "endrina".
  • The Butterfly & Moth episode uses the classic example of viceroys mimicking monarch butterflies to show how some non-poisonous butterflies resemble poisonous ones. However, it has since been found viceroys are also poisonous, making them an example of Müllerian mimicry rather than Batesian mimicry.
  • The Ocean episode retells the oft-stated factoid that the rotation of the Earth determines the direction in which water spirals down a drain, clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the south. This "fact" is utter nonsense, the direction water spirals is determined by the shape of the drain opening or just by chance, not the rotation of the Earth.
  • The Fish episode states that sailfish are the fastest animal in the ocean, capable of swimming at speeds of over 70 mph, making it faster than a cheetah. It's now thought that they reach maybe up to 35 mph, and speeds of significantly greater than that might be physically impossible for a swimming animal to achieve due to the formation of cavitation bubbles, which collapse to create shockwaves that can injure the animals. It still probably is the fastest sea animal regardless, however.
  • Human Machine describes people as having four basic taste sensations (salty, bitter, sweet, sour). It leaves out the, at the time, lesser known fifth basic taste, umami (or savory).
    • The episode also states humans have the largest brain-to-body size ratio of any animal. A 2009 study found that the animal with the largest brain relative to its body size is actually a type of ant known as Brachymyrmex, which has a brain that makes up 12% of its body weight.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: While most of the episodes have been uploaded online, quite a few of the original British English versions haven't.
• Technology Marches On: Many of the series' special effects haven't aged particularly well. Smedley is an excellent example. While the animators managed to show how the bones move in relation to each other and he has a good walk cycle, he doesn't blend in especially well to the backgrounds and his running animation looks more like he's ice skating along a rail.