[cabbage]

He's produced a series called Terra Nova. All about going back in time to restart humanity and stop it being wasterful. The people go back 85 million years to the time of the dinosaurs.

I actually just mentioned that series in another thread. Now that is some seriously impressive CGI (though even there its far from perfect) makes the BBC's efforts look a bit second rate. Of course i think its got something like a $100 million budget for the series!

I couldn't help chuckling while watching this weeks episode of Planet Dinosaur given what we've been discussing on here. It really has been made with families in mind. The way the big carnivore ate the dead dino was quite funny. It didn't seem to grip it at all. Head down, open mouth, place over carcass, lift head with food in mouth. Now that's a way to eat.

You mean they weren't using knives and forks and a giant napkin? I'm writing to points of view.

[Hawk_Eye]

You mean they weren't using knives and forks and a giant napkin? I'm writing to points of view

Now that would be a sight to see. Just remembered it's on tonight isn't it. Despite the CGI I have found it to be quite interesting. The number of recent discoveries is extraordinary.

[cabbage]

You mean they weren't using knives and forks and a giant napkin? I'm writing to points of view

Now that would be a sight to see. Just remembered it's on tonight isn't it. Despite the CGI I have found it to be quite interesting. The number of recent discoveries is extraordinary.

I haven't watched it again, though I set the whole series to record so its still on my box. Will probably get round to watching it sooner or later, I've got an exam on Monday so my TV viewing is curtailed for the moment! I think I'll turn off my critical eye and just try and enjoy it for the science

[cabbage]

Watched last nights and actually quite enjoyed it. The underwater CGI stuff is much better than the land bits so the fact that it was Predator X (great name!) heavy helped. The Allosaurus was also very well done and looked believable.

The science bits are the most interesting, I have to admit I find it really hard to get my head around the idea that creatures like the Allosaurus were ambush predators. How bad must their prey's senses have been? Last nights episode showed one ambushing a pair of herbivores in fairly open terrain (the concession to cover was that it was in some sort of large boulder field) - surely in that situation you would have felt the animal coming! How lightly can a 30ft long biped tread and what can it hide behind!?

I could see it as a pack hunter or even attacking by charging into large groups making slashing bites and hoping to wound something so badly that it bleeds out later - a bit like Komodo's? Obviously I'm not disputing the science, I just find it hard to imagine!

From watching them last night it appeared that a very succesful escape strategy for prey would just be the ability to make tight high speed turns. I don't think an antelope would be in any danger, it looked to have the turning circle of an ocean liner.

[Hawk_Eye]

I see what you mean about the behaviour. I think a lot of the behaviour is extrapolated based on what they've seen from the fossils and how the fossils were found. Plus they use what we know about animals today.

[cabbage]

I see what you mean about the behaviour. I think a lot of the behaviour is extrapolated based on what they've seen from the fossils and how the fossils were found. Plus they use what we know about animals today.

Yeah I guess thats how they must do it but I just don't understand how its supposed to work. How do you compare an animal like a big cat which uses stealth and natural cover like long grasses and folds in the terrain to get very close to its prey with a 30ft, 6 tonne bipedal dinosaur - exactly how tall was the grass back then!

Incidentally I saw the Planet Dinosaur book in my local Tesco a couple of days ago and I'm going to have to take back a lot of my criticisms of the show. Based on a quick skim through the book its very clearly and firmly aimed at children, full of bright bold snazzy graphics. As an adult viewer its a bit unfair of me to be judging a kids - or probably more accurately, a family - show by adult standards.

Having said that, I loved Ballamory. It would have been even better with dinosaurs.

[Hawk_Eye]

I think they extrapolate the behaviour, say they find some bones from the same species but of several carnivorous dinosaurs around the bones of a dead herbivore. I guess you could say one of two things either a) the carnivores were like hyenas or b) they were pack hunters. I think it's something along those lines at least I believe I heard something similar on a documentary once.

[Hawk_Eye]

I wonder whether the stories of dragons werebased on people finding dinosau fossils and not knowing what they were?