WALKING WITH BEASTS RUNDOWN

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

As part of the extended BBC family, I now have further insider-info on 
what will be featured in Walking With Beasts. Of course, if you've 
already perused the books or patched together what you've seen in the 
adverts (now screening here in the UK) you'll have a good idea of 
what'll be happening. Having gone through a lot of the merchandize 
with Steve White in London the other week, it looks like we'll be in for 
quite a treat and, overall, it's looking like WWB will be quite an 
improvement (aesthetically at least) over WWD.

The following is a list of the episodes with (nearly all of) the included 
taxa. Take it with a dose of salt, though it seems largely correct.

Episode 1: New Dawn

Eocene Messel and others bits of the Eocene world, featuring 
_Gastornis_, _Leptictidium_ (shown hopping - correctly - and not 
striding I believe), the primitive primate _Godinotia_, 
_Propalaeotherium_ and giant Messel ants. _Ambulocetus_ also in 
this episode.

Episode 2: Whale Killer

Focuses I think on Late Eocene Asia with _Andrewsarchus_ as main 
character. _Basilosaurus_ and _Dorudon_ in this episode (_Dorudon_ 
is N. American but _Basilosaurus_ is known from Pakistan), ditto 
_Moeritherium_ and _Embolotherium_ (one of the last brontotheres). 
Also _Apidium_ the primitive anthropoid.

Episode 3: Land of Giants

_Paraceratherium_ together with the large entelodont (which I though 
was _Daeodon_, but apparently isn't), _Hyaenodon_, 
_Chalicotherium_ and others.

Episode 4: Next of Kin

Plio-Pleistocene Africa with australopithecines, deinotheres, sabre-
tooth cats (possibly _Megantereon_) and others.

Episode 5: Sabre Tooth

Pleistocene South America, featuring _Smilodon_, _Macrauchenia_, a 
glyptodont (_?Glyptodon_), phorusrhacoid and a giant sloth (probably 
_Megatherium_).

Episode 6: Mammoth Journey

Pleistocene Europe: _Mammuthus_, _Megaloceros_, _Coelodonta_, 
neanderthals and others.

RE: _Paraceratherium_, Lucas and Schoch showed that this name has 
priority over _Indricotherium_ etc. However, McKenna and Bell 
(1997) recognise _Baluchitherium_ as a separate genus from 
_Paraceratherium_. There are several other synonyms of both taxa. 
Ken, I'm surprised you don't have McKenna and Bell as they list all of 
your -iformes group names as synonyms.

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
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