The Science behind Filming Dinosaurs: A Q&A with Experts
Summary
Apple’s new docu-series, Prehistoric Planet, showcases dinosaurs in ways we have never seen before. With the advancements in scientific research and discoveries about dinosaurs in the past decade, filmmakers needed to reconcile popular depictions with the facts now available. The show features 12 rarely seen species, including Nanooksaurus, Olerotitan, and Magikasauru. In this Q&A with Tim Walker and Dr. Dharren Eage, we explore how scientists and filmmakers work together to bring prehistoric species to life on screen.
Table of Contents
- Reimagining Popular Depictions of Dinosaurs
- Rarely Seen Species: Nanooksaurus, Olerotitan, and Magikasauru
- Plesiosaurs and Mosasaurs: Giving Birth and Parental Care
- The Frog with the Bite Force of a Lion: Beelzebufo
- Forest-Dwelling Dinosaurs: Chinasauro and Corythorapto
- Showy and Amazing Dinosaurs
Introduction
In Prehistoric Planet, filmmakers showcase dinosaurs in ways we have never seen before, with new scientific research and discoveries factored in. In this Q&A with Tim Walker and Dr. Dharren Eage, we explore how scientists and filmmakers work together to bring prehistoric species to life on screen.
Reimagining Popular Depictions of Dinosaurs
Q: How have scientific advancements affected the way filmmakers show dinosaurs on screen?
A: Scientific advancements in the past decade have led to a new understanding of what dinosaurs actually looked like when they were alive, and we try to show the unexpected behaviors of these creatures. For example, the T-Rex, traditionally shown as a land predator, was likely a swimmer with air-filled bones and lip-like structures. Rather than super-bodybuilder depictions, our T-Rex is quite chunky, closer to how animals with healthy lifestyles actually look.
Q: What about a dinosaur like Velociraptor, which is often depicted as a sleek and agile predator?
A: Our Velociraptor is round about the size of a big turkey and covered in feathers. It still had a big claw, so it’d be a pretty vicious turkey.
Rarely Seen Species: Nanooksaurus, Olerotitan, and Magikasauru
Q: Can you tell us more about some of the rarely seen species featured on the show?
A: Nanooksaurus, a type of Tyrannosaur, is a perfectly adapted dinosaur to its environment with a cunning look. Olerotitan is a hadrosaur with a beautiful appearance, and we show it using geothermal energy to incubate eggs. Magikasauru is a dinosaur with babies and a giant toad, indicating that dinosaurs lived in forest habitats.
Q: What about Nanooksaurus and its appearance on the show?
A: Nanooksaurus is a beautifully created dinosaur, and we show it in ways that reflect its adaptability and cunning nature.
Plesiosaurs and Mosasaurs: Giving Birth and Parental Care
Q: Can you tell us more about the Plesiosaur and its appearance on the show?
A: Plesiosaurs are specialized marine reptiles that give birth to live babies in the water, and we were able to show this in our coast episode by featuring a pregnant Plesiosaur, as seen in a fossil discovered at the Los Angeles County Museum. We believe that Plesiosaurs lived in complex family groups and looked after their young.
Q: How about the Mosasaur?
A: People used to show Mosasaurs as kind of like crocodile-like animals, but new research has shown that they were more like kind of a whale-lizard with a vertical tail fin, like a shark.
The Frog with the Bite Force of a Lion: Beelzebufo
Q: Can you tell us about Beelzebufo and why it is remarkable?
A: Beelzebufo was a predatory, broad-bodied frog that lived in the late Cretaceous period specifically in Madagascar. Based on the bite strength of living frogs, we know that Beelzebufo would have bitten at a strength of round about 2,000 newton – about the same as the bite force of a lion or a tiger.
Forest-Dwelling Dinosaurs: Chinasauro and Corythorapto
Q: Dinosaurs are often depicted as living in swamps or deserts. Can you tell us more about forest-dwelling dinosaurs?
A: The conventional view of dinosaurs in popular culture is that they were boring and brown, roaring at each other and attacking each other. But on Prehistoric Planet, we showcase flamboyant, often attractive dinosaurs that would have been sending signals to each other all the time. Chinasauro, a type of Tyrannosaur, is featured with Corythorapto, a beautiful dinosaur with a striking appearance.
Showy and Amazing Dinosaurs
Q: What can viewers expect when watching Prehistoric Planet?
A: Viewers can expect to explore the latest scientific research, which leads to new understandings of how dinosaurs actually looked and lived. Prehistoric Planet showcases showy and amazing dinosaurs that reflect the latest research and discoveries about prehistoric animal life.
