Animal Face-Off

Animal Face-Off
Title card
Directed by	Malcolm Hall
Narrated by	Scott Dreier
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.

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. 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, "Sperm Whale vs. Colossal Squid", 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 roams close to shore, looking for food; a male saltwater crocodile swims nearby, looking for new territory. The shark hits the crocodile with the bump-and-bite technique, prompting the crocodile to bite the shark's tail, but he cannot get a good grip. The shark then turns to charge at its rival, but the crocodile bites the shark's pectoral fin and tears it off with a death roll. Despite her injury, the shark is still strong. Then they collide head-on; the crocodile grabs the shark's snout with his crushing bite. This time, the shark cannot fight back; the crocodile attempts another death roll. After that, they both sink. Running out of air, the crocodile breaks the death roll and heads straight to the surface. The shark takes advantage; with the crocodile's soft underbelly exposed, she comes back with a textbook attack, killing the crocodile with a powerful bite.
2	"African Bush Elephant vs. White Rhinoceros"	Botswana	African bush elephant
On the plains of Botswana, a male rhinoceros leaves his mud hole and looks for somewhere to feed; nearby, a bull elephant in musth roams, also seeking good grazing. The rhino begins grazing, but suddenly feels the ground shaking and turns to see the elephant. Due to his poor eyesight, the ill-tempered rhinoceros sees only a threat and prepares to charge. The elephant responds with a loud trumpet, but the smaller animal does not hesitate, making his move, but the much smarter elephant anticipates the attack, charging too and dodging. The rhinoceros returns and tries to stab the elephant's throat, but he is too tall, even with his four-foot horn. The rhinoceros then tries an agile headbutt, but the elephant proves better with his seven-foot tusks. Soon enough, the elephant turns his rival around and stabs him twice with his tusks, though one gets stuck in the rhinoceros and breaks off. The elephant then charges, headbutts the rhinoceros, and crushes him under his weight before trumpeting in victory.
3	"Asiatic Lion vs. Bengal Tiger"	India	Asiatic Lion
A male lion wanders through an abandoned Indian temple when he suddenly spots a male tiger feeding nearby. The lion roars at his larger, striped relative, but the tiger ignores the warning. The lion then charges at the tiger but trips over him on impact, catching the tiger off guard. Quickly seizing the opportunity, the agile tiger recovers and repeatedly tries to bite the lion's throat, but the lion shakes off the attack, and the combatants are back to square one. Both cats roar, claw, and wrestle, but neither lands a fatal blow. The tiger tries to end the fight with a fatal neck bite, but the lion's mane deflects his aim. The tiger then charges at the lion, but the lion rears up, pushes the tiger down, and dispatches him with a neck bite before roaring in victory.
4	"Hippopotamus vs. Bull Shark"	Zambezi	Hippopotamus
An injured male hippopotamus rests in his stretch of the Zambezi River, relaxing by the water's edge, unaware that a female bull shark is roaming around, looking for food. The shark catches the smell of meat, but does not know where it is coming from. The shark starts the encounter with an exploratory bump. After confirming the hippo is food, the shark bites the side, but the hippo's massive girth and weight are too much for the smaller shark. The shark manages to rip off the hippo's tail, but even the thin skin on the back leg proves too tough. The hippo does not know what hit him, but his bad temper lights a fire in his belly. Soon, the hippopotamus submerges and spots the deadly shark. They charge at each other; the hippo opens his mouth, revealing huge, sharp, foot-long canine teeth, but the bull shark keeps coming and is finally crushed and killed when the larger hippo clamps down on her.
5	"Cougar vs. Wolf"	Rocky Mountains	Cougar
In the Rocky Mountains, an alpha male 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 wolf eating. They engage in a standoff, but when the cougar leaves, the pack leader bites the cougar's leg to provoke a fight, but backs off when the cougar pounces on him with his front legs and lethal claws. The wolf howls to his pack for backup, and when the cougar tries to retreat, the wolf bites his paw, knocking him down. Furious, the cougar rakes the wolf with his claws and throws him off to the ground, knocking the wolf unconscious. The cougar prepares to finish him off with a neck bite, but he then hears the wolf pack approaching. With no choice, he flees straight into the forest.
6	"Walrus vs. Polar Bear"	Arctic Circle	Walrus
A male walrus relaxes 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 bear attempts to bite and scratch the walrus, but the pinniped's thick skin is too much. Although he briefly manages to latch on with his sharp teeth, the bear cannot do much serious damage. The walrus counterattacks, but the predator evades him and strikes his head, failing to inflict further damage. As the walrus flees, the bear holds on and gets dragged into the ocean. Afterwards, the walrus turns around and gores the bear with his tusks. Wounded and running out of air, the bear heads straight back to the surface. But the walrus returns with a vengeance – he soon stabs the carnivore's back, killing him. The dead 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 feasts on his kill, and a large male brown bear roams around, looking for one more meal before going into hibernation. The tiger then suddenly spots the bear. Not in the mood to share, the tiger roars, but the bear ignores the warning and keeps advancing. The tiger tries a body blow, but the bear absorbs the impact without losing balance. The tiger then tries to land a killing blow on the bear's neck, but the bear pushes him down. The bear then approaches the kill, but the tiger recovers and pounces from behind, cutting with his claws but failing to disable him. The much stronger bear turns around and overpowers the faster tiger by pawing his face. The bear then breaks the tiger's spine and finishes him off with a neck bite.
8	"Lion vs. Nile Crocodile"	Maasai Mara	Nile crocodile
A male lion is eating by the river's edge when a male crocodile emerges from the water, intent on stealing the meal. Seeing this, the lion roars at the crocodile to back off, but he gets little more than a loud hiss in return. The lion attacks, but cannot land a deadly blow because of the crocodile's thick body armor. The lion tries to flip the crocodile to reach its unarmored belly, but a roll and tail swipe stop him. Determined to get rid of the lion, the crocodile heads back to the water and disappears from view. Determined to protect his kill, the lion stays close to the water's edge, looking for an opportunity to kill the crocodile. Suddenly, it is too late. The crocodile launches a surprise attack on the lion, grabbing his neck and dragging him into the water. The crocodile soon performs a death roll, which kills the lion at once.
9	"Jaguar vs. Green Anaconda"	Amazon rainforest	Green anaconda
A female anaconda hunts 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 stops briefly, apparently sensing the reptile, but is distracted by a bird calling in the distance. This lapse in attention gives the anaconda the perfect opportunity to strike, and the snake begins to coil around her victim. The force of the anaconda's strike knocks the big cat off his feet and into the water. The big cat furiously claws at the anaconda and bites her tail. Injured, the snake tries to retreat but begins to be dragged ashore by the jaguar. However, most of the giant snake's tail is free and coils around the jaguar, and the anaconda can turn back and strike the jaguar. This time, the anaconda completely restrains the jaguar, who is too tired and wounded to struggle any further.
10	"African Leopard vs. Mountain Gorilla"	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 leopard leaves her cubs to go hunting. The leopard then sees the gorilla walking by and interprets him as a threat. The gorilla, seeing the leopard, also sees it as a threat to his troop. He tries to avoid a fight, beating his chest, growling, and howling, but the leopard does not flinch. Using her night vision and stealth, the leopard jumps onto the gorilla's back, but fails to suffocate him. The gorilla throws the leopard off, but she leaps onto his back again. Enraged, the gorilla throws the leopard off again and chomps down on her shoulder before she gets free. Both opponents stare and roar at each other. Desperate, the leopard makes a final lunge towards the gorilla, but he throws his powerful arm onto her spine, breaking it and killing the leopard, and also orphaning her cubs.
11	"American Black Bear vs. American Alligator"	Everglades	American black bear
On a hot day in the Everglades, a male black bear goes into a lake to drink, not knowing a male alligator is resting underneath. The alligator wakes up and sees the bear, but the bear has also spotted the alligator and tries to retreat. The alligator ambushes the bear, grabs his leg, and does the classic death roll, but all he gets is a mouthful of fur, fat, and muscle. Hurt, but not fatally wounded, the bear fights back. The alligator then attempts a tail smack, but the smarter bear anticipates it; knowing he is vulnerable on land, the alligator tries to retreat, but the enraged bear lunges. The alligator tries to roll free of the bear's grab, but this gives the bear the advantage to flip him over, exposing the alligator's soft underbelly, which the bear slashes, killing the alligator; the bear leaves as the alligator's dead body rots on the riverbank.
12	"Sperm Whale vs. Colossal Squid"	Antarctic Ocean	Sperm Whale
A huge sperm whale is diving into the deep abyss, while a colossal squid rockets through the depths. Both combatants sense each other – the squid sees the whale, while the whale's echolocation reveals the squid's location. Seeing the whale as a potential predator, the squid releases a burst of ink as a warning, but the whale ignores it and slowly attacks the huge squid. Just before it reaches the mouth, the squid latches onto the whale. By rising close to the surface, the whale shakes the squid off, though it gets scratched by the squid’s hooked suction cups in the process. The whale amplifies its sonar and stuns the squid. The paralyzed cephalopod is helpless – and thus eaten alive.

See also

• Deadliest Warrior
• Death Battle