Animal Face-Off

Animal Face-Off
Directed by	Malcolm Hall
Narrated by	Gabe Doran
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producers	Andrew Waterworth Michael Stedman
Producer	Nick Bleszynski
Running time	60 minutes (episodes 1-11) 120 minutes (episode 12)
Original release
Network	Discovery Channel Animal Planet
Release	March 21 (2004-03-21) – September 12, 2004 (2004-09-12)

Animal Face-Off is an American television program that aired on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet in 2004. ^{[1] [2]}

Synopsis

This program, produced by NHNZ, centers on hypothetical battles between two animals that could meet in the wild, or, in some cases, have been compared to each other by scientists. CGI replicas and models were used to collect data (such as strength, bite force, etc.) about the animals. Then, in a virtual arena, a brief computer-animated fight scene reveals the results. Some people have declared this show similar to the hit Spike TV show Deadliest Warrior . Since the fights are created artificially, results in real life may vary. Each episode of Animal Face-Off is one hour long, with the exception of the 12th episode, which is two hours long.

Episodes

No. in series	Title	Location	Winner
1	"Saltwater Crocodile vs. Great White Shark"	Australia	Great white shark
Off the coast of Australia, a female Great white shark is roaming close to shore, looking for food; a male Saltwater crocodile swims nearby, looking for a new territory. The Great white shark hits the Saltwater crocodile with the bump-and-bite technique. Accustomed to defending himself against rivals, the Saltwater crocodile bites the Great white shark's tail, but cannot get a good grip. The Great white shark swims off and makes a wide turn for a full-on assault; all of a sudden, the Saltwater crocodile gets the first bite on her right pectoral fin. The bite tears off the Great white shark′s fin, helped by the classic death roll. Despite her injury, the Great white shark is still strong. Then, the Great white shark and the Saltwater crocodile collide head on; the Saltwater crocodile grabs hold of the Great white shark′s snout with his crushing bite. This time, the Great white shark cannot fight back; the Saltwater crocodile attempts another death roll. After that, they both sink. Running out of air, the Saltwater crocodile breaks the death roll and heads straight to the surface. The Great white shark takes advantage of it; with the Saltwater crocodile's soft underbelly exposed, she comes back with a textbook attack, killing the Saltwater crocodile with a powerful bite.
2	"African Bush Elephant vs. Southern White Rhinoceros"	Serengeti National Park	African bush elephant
In the plains of African Serengeti, a male Southern white rhinoceros has left his mud hole and is looking for somewhere to feed; nearby, a bull African bush elephant is roaming around, also seeking good grazing. The Southern white rhinoceros begin grazing but suddenly feels the ground shaking, and turns to see the African bush elephant. Due to his poor eyesight, the ill-tempered Southern white rhinoceros sees him as a potential threat and prepares to charge. The African bush elephant responds to the challenge with a loud trumpet, and the (relatively) smaller animal is not hesitant to charge, making his move, but the much smarter African bush elephant anticipates the attack by charging too and dodging. The Southern white rhinoceros returns and tries to stab the African bush elephant's throat, but he is too tall, even with his four-foot horn. The Southern white rhinoceros then tries an agile headbutt, but the African bush elephant proves better with his seven-foot tusks. Sure enough, the African bush elephant turns his rival around and stabs him twice with his tusks (breaking one in the process that gets stuck in the Southern white rhinoceros). The African bush elephant then headbutts the Southern white rhinoceros and crushes him under his weight before stepping off and trumpeting in victory.
3	"Asiatic Lion vs. Bengal Tiger"	India	Asiatic lion
A male Asiatic lion is wandering in an abandoned Indian temple when he suddenly spots a male Bengal tiger feeding close by. The Asiatic lion roars at his larger, striped relative to back off, but the Bengal tiger ignores the warning. The Asiatic lion then charges at the Bengal tiger, but trips on him upon impact, catching the Bengal tiger off-guard. Quickly seizing the opportunity to win, the agile Bengal tiger quickly recovers and repeatedly attempts to bite the Asiatic lion's throat, but the Asiatic lion shakes off the attack and the combatants are back to square one. Both Cats roar, claw, and wrestle with one another, but neither lands a fatal blow. The Bengal tiger tries to end the fight with a fatal neck bite, but the Asiatic lion's mane deflects his aim. The Bengal tiger then charges at the Asiatic lion, but the Asiatic lion deflects the attack, catches the Bengal tiger off guard again and delivers the killing blow to the Bengal tiger's neck. The Asiatic lion walks off, roaring victoriously [1] [a]
4	"Hippopotamus vs. Bull Shark"	Zambezi	Hippopotamus
An injured male Hippopotamus is seen resting in his stretch of the Zambezi River, relaxing by the water′s edge, unaware that a male Bull shark is roaming around, looking for food. The Bull shark catches the smell of meat, but does not know where it is coming from. The Bull shark starts the encounter with an exploratory bump. After confirming the Hippopotamus is indeed food, the Bull shark bites the side, but the massive girth combined with the enormous weight of the Hippopotamus is too much of a mouthful for the smaller Bull shark. Even the thin skin in the back leg proves too tough. Despite this, the Bull shark does manage to rip off the Hippopotamus's tail. All while, the Hippopotamus has been roaring in pain, not knowing what hit him, but his bad temper lights a fire in his belly. Soon, the Hippopotamus submerges and spots the deadly Bull shark. The enraged Hippopotamus comes towards the Bull shark, and the Bull shark comes towards the Hippopotamus, who then opens his mouth, revealing his huge sharp foot-long canine teeth, but the Bull shark keeps coming and is finally crushed and killed when the larger Hippopotamus closes his mouth on him, ending the fight.
5	"Gray Wolf vs. Cougar"	Rocky Mountains	Cougar
In the rocky mountains of North America, an alpha male Gray wolf is eating the carcass of a large deer; from a great distance, a male Cougar catches the smell of meat, and comes to investigate. The Cougar comes across the Gray wolf eating. Lying down, he thinks about how to steal the meal without having the Gray wolf call for reinforcements. Soon after, the Gray wolf notices the Cougar and growls. The Cougar growls in response. The Gray wolf soon responds by charging forward and ferociously biting the Cougar's hind leg, but backs off when the Cougar pounces on him with his front legs and lethal claws. The Gray wolf howls to his pack for backup. Realizing he is in grave danger, the Cougar tries to retreat, but the Gray wolf bites his paw. Furious, the Cougar rolls onto his back, rakes the Gray wolf with his claws and throws him off to the ground, killing the Gray wolf at once. The Cougar prepares to eat, but he then hears the Gray wolf pack approaching. Left with no choice, he leaves the kill and flees straight to the forest.
6	"Walrus vs. Polar Bear"	Arctic Circle	Walrus
A male Walrus is relaxing by the water's edge. Suddenly, a hungry male Polar bear comes by to attack the Walrus. Startled and nervous, the Walrus heads straight for the sea. The Polar bear attempts to bite and scratch the Walrus, but the Pinniped's thick skin is too much, even for a large Polar bear like itself. Although he briefly manages to latch on with his sharp teeth, the Polar bear cannot do much serious damage. The Walrus then tries to stab the Polar bear with his four-foot tusks, but the agile predator anticipates this. The Polar bear then tries several paw swipes to the head, but the Walrus's skull is too thick to land a killing blow. As the Walrus flees, the Polar bear holds on and gets dragged into the ocean, afterwards, the Walrus turns around, goring the Polar bear with his tusks. The Polar bear, wounded and running out of air, heads straight back to the surface. But the Walrus returns with a vengeance – he soon stabs the Carnivore's back, killing him. The dead Polar bear sinks into the ocean.
7	"Ussuri Brown Bear vs. Siberian Tiger"	Siberia	Ussuri brown bear
In the Siberian woodlands in wintertime, a male Siberian tiger is feasting on his kill, and a large male Ussuri brown bear is roaming around, looking for one more meal before going into hibernation. The Siberian tiger then suddenly spots the Ussuri brown bear. Not in the mood to share, the Siberian tiger roars at the Ussuri brown bear to back off, but the Ussuri brown bear ignores the warning and continues to advance. The Siberian tiger tries a body blow, but the Ussuri brown bear absorbs the impact without losing balance. The Siberian tiger then tries to land a killing blow on the Ussuri brown bear's neck, but the Ussuri brown bear pushes him down. The Ussuri brown bear then approaches the kill, but the Siberian tiger recovers and pounces on the Ussuri brown bear from behind, cutting him with his claws, but fails to disable him. The much stronger Ussuri brown bear turns around and, using his superior strength against the Siberian tiger's speed and agility, overpowers the Siberian tiger by pawing his face. The Ussuri brown bear then breaks the Siberian tiger's spine and finishes him off with a neck bite.
8	"African Lion vs. Nile Crocodile"	Maasai Mara	Nile crocodile
A male African lion is eating by the river's edge when a male Nile crocodile emerges from the water, intent on stealing the meal. Upon seeing this, the African lion roars at the Nile crocodile to back off, but he does little than get a loud hiss from the Nile crocodile. The African lion attacks, but cannot land a deadly blow because of the Nile crocodile's thick body armor. The African lion tries to flip the Nile crocodile to reach his unarmored belly, but a roll and tail swipe stops him from doing so. Determined to get rid of the African lion, the Nile crocodile heads back to the water, and gets out of sight. Determined to protect his kill, the African lion stays close to the water's edge, looking for an opportunity to kill the Nile crocodile. All of a sudden, it is too late. The Nile crocodile launches a surprise attack on the African lion, grabbing his neck and dragging him to the water. The Nile crocodile soon performs a death roll, which kills the African lion at once, ending the fight.
9	"Jaguar vs. Green Anaconda"	Amazon rainforest	Green anaconda
A male Green anaconda is out stalking for prey in the Amazon River. However, a male Jaguar is stalking nearby. The Big cat then enters the water, right in front of the Giant snake. The Jaguar then stops briefly, apparently sensing the Reptile before being distracted by a bird calling in the distance. This lapse in attention allows the Green anaconda to get the perfect opportunity to strike, during which the Snake begins to coil around his victim. The force of the Green anaconda's strike is enough to knock the Big cat off his feet and into the water. The Big cat furiously claws at the Green anaconda and bites his tail. Injured, the Snake attempts to retreat, but begins to get dragged ashore by the Jaguar. However, most of the Giant snake's tail is free and coils around the Jaguar, and the Green anaconda is able to turn back around and strike back at the Jaguar. This time, the Green anaconda completely restrains the Jaguar, who is too tired and wounded to struggle any further, ending the fight.
10	"Mountain Gorilla vs. African Leopard"	Central Africa	Mountain gorilla
A silverback Mountain gorilla has left his family in the trees, looking for a place to spend the night. Around the same time, a female African leopard leaves her cubs to go hunting. The African leopard then sees the Mountain gorilla walking by and interprets him as a threat. The Mountain gorilla, upon seeing the African leopard, sees it too as a threat to his troop. He tries to avoid the fight, beating his chest, growling and howling in the process, but the African leopard does not flinch. The Mountain gorilla approaches, swinging at the African leopard, who soon leaps onto a cliff side. Afterwards, the African leopard jumps onto the Mountain gorilla's back, biting his shoulder. However, the Mountain gorilla throws the African leopard off. She leaps onto his back again, but cannot get a grip. The Mountain gorilla throws the African leopard off again; the African leopard runs for her life, but the Mountain gorilla knocks her off balance before she gets free, but not before the Mountain gorilla chomps down on the African leopard's shoulder, though she gets free immediately after. Both opponents stare and snarl at each other. Desperate, the African leopard makes a final lunge towards the Mountain gorilla, but he throws his powerful arm onto her spine, breaking it and killing the African leopard, orphaning her cubs, ending the fight.
11	"American Alligator vs. American Black Bear"	Everglades	American black bear
On a hot day in the Everglades, a male American black bear has gone into a lake to drink, not knowing that a male American alligator is resting underneath. The American alligator wakes up and sees the American black bear, but the American black bear has also spotted the American alligator and tries to retreat. The American alligator then ambushes the American black bear and grabs his leg and does the classic death roll, but all he grabs is a mouthful of fur, fat and muscle. Hurt, but not fatally and still strong, the American black bear fights back by slashing the American alligator's mouth. The American alligator then attempts a tail swipe, but the much smarter American black bear anticipates this; knowing he is vulnerable on land, the American alligator tries to retreat, but the enraged American black bear lunges at him. The American alligator tries to roll free of the American black bear's grab, but this gives the American black bear the advantage to flip him over, which exposes the American alligator's soft underbelly which the American black bear slashes fatally into and kills the American alligator; the American black bear leaves as the American alligator's dead body rots in the riverbank.
12	"Sperm Whale vs. Colossal Squid"	Southern Ocean	Sperm whale
A bull Sperm whale is diving into the deep abyss, while a male Colossal squid rockets through the depths. Both combatants sense each other – the Colossal squid sees the Sperm whale, while the Sperm whale's echolocation reveals the Colossal squid's location. Upon seeing the Sperm whale as a potential predator, the Colossal squid releases a burst of ink as a warning, but he is ignored by the Sperm whale, which launches a slow attack on the huge Colossal squid. Just before he reaches the mouth, the Colossal squid latches onto the Sperm whale and rakes him with his suckers, wounding him in the process. By rising close to the surface, the Colossal squid is shaken off, but not before he scratches the Sperm whale further. Although wounded, the Sperm whale amplifies his sonar and stuns the Colossal squid. The paralyzed Cephalopod is helpless – and thus eaten alive.

Experts

A list of the experts (zoologists, scientists, veterinarians, etc.) who participate in the show, betting on the featured animals:

• Dave Salmoni
• Sam Stephens
• Dr. Ellen Rogers
• Dr. Tara Stoinski
• Jeff Watson
• Dave Tessler
• Dr. Adam Britton
• Peggy Callahan
• Dan Huber
• Dr. Steve O'Shea
• Prof. Scott Baker
• Prof. Frank Mendel

Reruns

The show was rerun on the Discovery Channel in the mid-2000s under the "Wild Discovery" branding.

The show currently airs in reruns on Quest.

Notes

1. For actual records of Asiatic lions and Bengal tigers fighting in the wilderness of India, see Coexistence of the lion and tiger in the Eurasian wilderness.

References

1. John F. Bonfatti (March 27, 2004), "Survival of the Fittest", The Buffalo News , archived from the original on 23 October 2012
2. Wallenstein, Andrew (2004-03-19). "TV Review: Discovery Channel's 'Animal Face-Off'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-06-03.