The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs

LatestS1 • E2 - Episode 2

Velociraptor could be described as the scariest dinosaur in the world, ever. Armed with huge disembowelling claws, as sharp as steak knives, it guts its prey with a single sweep of its powerful legs. Or so it would seem in Steven Spielberg's movies - but what are the facts? Continuing his quest to find out the truth, Bill Oddie tracks down the real raptor to find it had feathers. Not only did the two-legged flesh-eater look more like a bird than a lizard, but the velociraptor nailed its victims with a far deadlier strike than a slash to the stomach. But was it invincible?Bill introduces a battle tank-like Ankylosaur, the ultimate defended dinosaur. With its armour-plated skin and vicious bone-crushing club, the stupidest dinosaur of all time might have been more than a match for a fleet-footed Mongolian Marauder. Or was it?Comparisons with living animals such as alligators and hawks provide Bill with clues as to how these two dinosaurs used their weaponry. Using this information, he constructs accurate working models of a Velociraptor leg, complete with its killer claw, as well as an Ankylosaur's fearsome tail club. And then he puts them to the test.

59m · 4 Sept 2005