1. Premise

2. Production

3. Episodes
     Series overview    Pilot (2009)    Season 1 (2011)    Season 2 (2012)    Special (2012)  

4. References

5. External links

• Henry Stozier
• Paul Willis (Australia)

• Australia
• United States

• 44 minutes
• 48 minutes (Australia)

Monster Bug Wars is a nature documentary program, created and distributed by Beyond Television Productions,^[1] and televised on the Science Channel in the United States, and SBS in Australia. The monster movie format features two kinds of insects, arachnids, myriapods, and other invertebrates in gladiator style combat in a simulated natural environment. In intermittent breaks, entomologists educate the viewer about the strengths and weaknesses of the dueling arthropods.

The opening narration is "In nature's fight pit, a host of ruthless bugs as bizarre as they are lethal slug it out in real-life battles to the death. Witness epic encounters between swarms of marauding assassins, and vicious one-on-one clashes where only one bug survives. The world of monster bugs is a jungle, where there's just one law: eat or be eaten."

The website address has expired.

Premise

The program highlights The Law of the Jungle involving two arthropods of different species, both usually being carnivorous. They are shown fighting to the death with the victor devouring the victim in graphic detail. The program is noted for its use of dramatic theme music and unusual sound editing—during combat, the sounds of growling, screaming, war cries, and shrieks of agony, to name but a few, are heard. In addition, other military and ringside sound effects such as bells, bugles, whistles and alarms are occasionally added. Of course, none of these sounds are natural and are only added to enhance the dramatic effect. However, some viewers have stated these sound effects are silly and do nothing but make a good documentary program into something rather comical.^[2] It has been noted that season two has much less sound effects than season one. Despite the odd sound effects, the invertebrate specialists managing the animals for the series took great care to ensure all the interactions were those between species that naturally interact and prey upon one another in the wild. This was the result of hundreds of hours of field observation and years of experience with the various species. Like the vast majority of macro productions, this was filmed in a studio situation to allow for controlled lighting and camera operation. It utilized large natural sets which enabled the animals to behave as they would in nature.

Between shots of the fight, the two entomologist hosts of the program narrate the action. Dr. Linda Rayor of Cornell University and Associate Professor Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry of University of Queensland describe each arthropod's abilities that give it an advantage over the other. The entomologists often try to predict the winner of the two.^[3]

^[4] The program is narrated by Henry Strozier.

In Australia, the program began airing on SBS on November 14, 2012. It features re-voiced narration by Dr. Paul Willis of RIAUS, as well as a longer running time due to additional narrated footage.^[5]

Eden began airing the series on February 29, 2016 in the United Kingdom.

Production

The series premiered in 2009. The first season started in 2011 and had a run of six episodes. The series was renewed for 2012 with another six episodes produced.

Episodes

Series overview

In the following episode listings, winners are in bold.

Pilot (2009)

1. – Raspy cricket vs. Centipede
2. – Argiope species vs. Portia species
3. – Desert scorpion vs. Wolf spider
4. – Redback Spider vs. Huntsman spider
5. – Tiger beetle vs. Raspy cricket
6. – Giant rainforest mantis vs. Spiky katydid
7. – Bull ant vs. Meat ant

Season 1 (2011)

1. – Giant rainforest mantis vs. Spiny leaf insect
2. – Bull ant vs. Redback spider
3. – Water spider vs. Water strider
4. – White-tailed spider vs. Black house spider
5. – Sydney funnel-web spider vs. Garden wolf spider

1. – Tree scorpion vs. Green ant
2. – Cellar spider vs. White-tailed spider
3. – Trap-jaw ant vs. Antlion
4. – Brown house spider vs. Redback spider
5. – Desert centipede vs. Desert trapdoor spider

1. – Ogre-faced spider vs. Assassin bug
2. – Bulldog raspy cricket vs. Whistling tarantula
3. – House centipede vs. Swift tree mantis
4. – Marbled scorpion vs. Trap-jaw ant
5. – Metallic green jumping spider vs. Spitting spider

1. – Lichen huntsman spider vs. Grey tree runner mantis
2. – Tent spider vs. Destructive katydid
3. – Rhinoceros beetle vs. Meat ant
4. – Green jumping spider vs. Long-jawed jumping spider
5. – Giant banded huntsman spider vs. Jungle huntsman spider

1. – Green ant vs. Paper wasp
2. – Portia spider vs. Long-jawed orb weaver
3. – Balloon-winged katydid vs. Tree centipede
4. – Badge huntsman spider vs. Spider hunting scorpion
5. – Tiger leech vs. Freshwater crab

1. – Jumping jack ant vs. Green-bellied huntsman spider
2. – Green praying mantis vs. Predatory katydid
3. – Spiny tree cricket vs. Golden orb-weaver
4. – Desert centipede vs. Desert scorpion
5. – Bee assassin vs. Earwig

Season 2 (2012)

1. – Jungle tiger beetle vs. Moss mantis
2. – Horned katydid vs. Owl butterfly (caterpillar)
3. – Ogre-faced spider vs. Army ant (Soldier)
4. – Red-thighed wandering spider vs. Black-tailed Scorpion
5. – Longicorn beetle vs. Flame bellied orb-weaver

1. – Hooded mantis vs. Brazilian wandering spider
2. – Rainforest land crab vs. Army ant
3. – Harvestman vs. Velvetworm
4. – Black jungle stalker vs. Black faced katydid
5. – Amblypygid vs. Red forest scorpion

1. – Giant cockroach vs. Mexican red-rump tarantula
2. – Stripe-tailed centipede vs. Vinegaroon
3. – Banana spider vs. Orange horned katydid
4. – Golden carpenter ant vs. Flag-tailed assassin bug
5. – Slender necked mantis vs. Bronzed huntsman spider

1. – Black-tailed scorpion (baby) vs. Pirate spider
2. – Lichen bark mantis vs. Rock spider
3. – Bug-eyed katydid vs. Candy-cane katydid
4. – Rufus comb-footed spider vs. Spitting spider
5. – Tiger assassin bug vs. Silverback cross spider

1. – Speckled house spider vs. Leafcutter ant (soldier)
2. – Tiger jumping spider vs. Yellow jumping spider
3. – Geophilid centipede vs. Costa Rican cellar spider
4. – Orange-mouthed tarantula vs. Red Mouth Conehead katydid
5. – Dinosaur ant vs. Trap-jaw ant

1. – Leaf-tailed mantis vs. Sunburst raspy cricket
2. – Spiny orb-weaver vs. Crab spider
3. – Water bug vs. Mudeye
4. – Domino beetle vs. Crimson-legged assassin bug
5. – Mangrove tree crab vs. Leopard spider

Special (2012)

10. – Slender necked mantis vs. Bronzed huntsman spider

9. – Tiger beetle vs. Raspy cricket

8. – Green ant vs. Paper wasp

7. – Tiger leeches vs.Freshwater crab

6. – Trap-jaw ant vs. Antlion

5. – Assassin bug vs. Ogre-faced spider

4. – Desert centipede vs. Desert trapdoor spider

3. – Giant rainforest mantis vs. Spiny leaf insect

2. – Green jumping spider vs. Long-jawed jumping spider

1. – Tree scorpion vs. Green ant

References

External links

• {{Official website|http://science.discovery.com/tv/monster-bug-wars}}
• {{YouTube|channel=UCaL6Fn_Exyfe2tzBMI4cHVw}}
• {{cite web|author=Krishna Ramanujan|url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March11/MonsterBugWars.html|title=Linda Rayor hosts 'Monster Bug Wars' TV series, starting March 29 on the Science Channel|publisher=News.cornell.edu|date=March 28, 2011|accessdate=February 26, 2016}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/01/13/monster-bug-wars-how-its-made-a-z-stephen-hawkings-sci-fi-masters-on-tap-this-quarter-on-science-730212/20120113science02|title=Breaking News - "Monster Bug Wars," "How It's Made A-Z," "Stephen Hawking's Sci Fi Masters" on Tap This Quarter on Science|publisher=TheFutonCritic.com|accessdate=February 26, 2016}}

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