| Monsters We Met | |
|---|---|
| Narrated by | Ian Holm (UK Version) William Hootkins (US Version)[1] |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–50 minutes 89 minutes (US Version) |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Four Animal Planet |
| Release | 8 April – 22 April 2003 |
Monsters We Met is a documentary produced by the BBC that later aired as a special on Animal Planet in 2004 (under the title, Land of Lost Monsters) which also included footage from Walking with Beasts and Walking with Cavemen (both also made by the BBC). The show used computer-generated imagery to recreate the life of the giant animals that lived during the last ice age and explains how early humans encountered them. It also features humans as the main reason for the extinction of all great animals.
Original air date: April 8, 2003[2]
The episode starts with mammoths living during the Ice Age. It also shows how early indigenous Americans became top predators and started hunting them. Early Americans also had to compete with other predators like the Short-faced Bear and the Saber-toothed Cat. They destroyed them by depleting their food supply and making them starve to death. The episode ends with how there were no more extinctions following the Ice Age and that it remained that way until the European colonization.
Note: This episode used most of the extinct mammal models from Wild New World, as well as some archive footage. The episode also shows an archive footage from Walking with Beasts.
Original air date: April 15, 2003[3]
It starts by showing how early Aboriginal Australians migrated to Australia. They also hunted the native wildlife, encountering large birds and the giant monitor lizard, megalania. The reptiles kill two humans and they plan on burning the fields to kill the giant lizard. The episode then ends with how the burning of the forests changed the landscape of Australia.
Original air date: April 22, 2003[4]
It starts with the Māori populating New Zealand during the Middle Ages. They encounter the giant moa and start to see that it was harmless. They then discover Haast's eagle, which hunts moas and starts to target them. They then start to steal the moa's giant eggs and go after the adults for food. The program then goes into human evolution and goes over how humans have led to the extinctions of the megafauna and how they are still affecting modern animals. The program ends with a scene of space and starts to ask the question about the environmental impact of humanity stating "that if we can't live with these monsters, are we monsters ourselves?".
Note: This episode used footage from the previous two episodes, Walking with Cavemen, Walking with Beasts and Wild New World. The episode also showed a footage from one episode of Walking with Dinosaurs.
