World’s Biggest Beasts

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Before man ruled the world, Earth was a land of giants and for 200 million years mega monsters ruled the ecological roost. This eye-opening special is a countdown of the biggest beasts ever to roam our planet, uncovering the secret lives of these supersized species. From giant killer insects to birds bigger than modern day aeroplanes, this film uses stunning CGI effects and dramatic demonstrations to bring these Megabeasts back to life, revealing these monsters' true scale and awesome super-powers - Jaw dropping on a grand scale!!

At number 10 we start with the Griffinfly – the largest flying insect ever… a killer bug that lived 275 million years ago. Fossil evidence of the largest insect wing ever discovered reveals this monster had a wingspan approaching 1m – the size of a modern hawk. A terror of the skies, it was Planet Earth’s first flying predator. But it was almost identical to modern dragonflies. So how did it get so big? We follow a prehistoric bug expert as he seeks to try and breed monster bugs in his lab.

At number 9 we hit Pelagornis Sandersi – the largest bird ever to soar Earth’s skies with a mega wingspan of 8 metres – the same as a fighter jet. This giant of the skies was first identified in 2014 from a box of forgotten bones. It was so big experts couldn’t believe that a bird of this size could fly at all. We follow scientists as they get to grips with the size of its wings and reveal how this mega monster harnessed the wind to travel up to half way round the globe in a single journey.

At number 8 we meet the largest land mammal of all time… an extraordinary beast called Paraceratherium. At twice the size of an African Elephant this monster was as long as a battle tank! We explore the gigantic skull of this beast, reveal the secrets behind its mammoth size and join scientists as they try to work out how something this massive could even walk without breaking its legs.

At number 7 are the Giant Pterosaurs – the closest thing to a real-life dragon. With wingspans reaching 12 metres, these monsters were so big they could look a giraffe in the eye while they were standing up. We join paleontologists at a remote site in Transylvania where new evidence is coming to light and meet a scientist who uses a modern hunting crossbow to uncover the secret behind how this goliath even got off the ground.

At number 6 is the largest snake ever…Titanoboa. The weight of a car and the length of a school bus, this giant would struggle to fit through your front door. It makes the biggest snakes alive today look like worms. Visiting the bones of this monster we discover a creature with a jaw so big it could fit a man in whole. But to really get an idea of how this monster killed its prey we join a snake expert as he attempts to use Titanoboa strength to burst open an oil barrel.

At number 5 we meet the largest predatory marine reptile – the Pliosaur. New discoveries, made by a dog walker, on the UK’s Jurassic Coast have recently revealed the most complete skull of these terrifying killers and show that this beast had a bite that was twice as powerful as T-Rex. But at 50 tons it seemed too big to be able to chase down fast ocean prey. We follow new research into how this mega Pliosaur ambushed other predators and used 4 giant flippers to accelerate at deadly speed.

Coming in at number 4 though is an even bigger predator… the biggest predatory dinosaur and possibly the most bizarre dinosaur that ever lived: Spinosaurus. 10ft longer than T-Rex and with giant teeth and claws this monster was a mystery. We follow paleontologists as they investigate a new Spinosaurus skeleton to try and make sense of its mega size. And we join a scientist as she tries to uncover the super sense that Spino shared with modern day crocs.

At number 3 is the biggest predator of all time, the Ocean killer Megalodon. We follow experts as they reveal the first ever discovered breeding ground for these giants in Panama, hunt for Megalodon bite marks among the bones of prehistoric dolphins and whales, investigate a full size recreation of one of the deadly 2.5 metre jaws and head out with the Tampa Fire Brigade to show what one bite from this mega monster could do…to a car.

All the giants so far have been prehistoric beasts that died out millions of years ago. But at number 2 is a behemoth that is still alive today…the Blue Whale. We join up with whale experts who are trying to uncover the secrets of this giant, but mysterious animal. Vast whale skeletons give us an indication of the sheer size of these monsters, with hearts the size of cars, tongues the size of elephants and a body the length of a 737. But most surprising of all is the mega mouth that can hold it’s own body mass in water. Heading out into the waters off California we see experts tagging Blue Whales and follow them as they reveal the extraordinary way they hunt at depth.

Top spot takes us back on land… to the largest known creature ever to walk the earth… the Titanosaur. Recent discoveries in Argentina are revealing the mind-blowing size of these long-necked, long-tailed plant eating giants. We travel with Paleontologists to where a Titanosaur was recently discovered in the badlands of Patagonia, follow the scientists working on the skeleton in the USA, and see the bones return back home to Argentina for the first time. At every step we reveal the stunning size of our number one mega monster. The length of the Space Shuttle Orbiter the biggest known Titanosaurs could look in the windows on the top floor of the White House!