Prehistoric Park (TV series)

Prehistoric Park is a six-episode docufiction television series that first aired on the channel ITV. The program follows zoologist and adventurer Nigel Marven as he attempts to rescue extinct animals from the past and house them in a wildlife sanctuary, also named Prehistoric Park. The show was produced by Impossible Pictures, the same company that created the breakthrough miniseries Walking with Dinosaurs. It first aired in the UK on ITV on 22 July 2006, and in the USA on Animal Planet on 29 October 2006. Along with its initial success, the show has gained many fans which continue to speculate about the possibility of an eventual second season. Neither ITV nor Impossible Pictures have officially announced a cancellation.

Concept
The show follows naturalist Nigel Marven as he travels back to ancient time periods through use of a time portal device. His mission is to rescue prehistoric animals from the brink of extinction and give them a second chance in a unique wildlife preserve known as Prehistoric Park. Once they are settled into their new home, the creatures are cared for by Head Keeper Bob and Head Vet Suzanne, among others. Through the course of the series, Nigel and the staff balance the task of bringing the animals back to the park to that of dealing with problems in the park.

Characters
Prehistoric Park features several characters, both recurring ones and ones who are seen less often.

Major Characters

 * Nigel Marven - the main character of the show, who brings back extinct animals to the park.
 * Bob (Rod Arthur) - the ever-suffering head keeper, who is left to deal with the everyday chores around the park.
 * Suzanne McNabb - the park's head veterinarian, who treats sick animals and also oversees breeding of the animals.

Minor Characters

 * Saba Douglas-Hamilton - a scientist specializing in big cats who accompanies Nigel on his mission to rescue Smilodon in Episode 4.
 * Ben (Morgan Williams) - one of Nigel's crew that also goes back in time. He is attacked by a pack of Mei long in Episode 3, but survives without sustaining major injury.
 * Bill - another of Nigel's crew. In Episode 5, a giant scorpion crawled on him while he was asleep in a hammock.
 * Jim - another of Nigel's crew. He appears most prominently in the final and two episodes.
 * Suzanne's blonde veterinary assistant appears in almost all of the episodes, but is never named. In fanfiction, she is often referred to as Sarah.

Episodes

 * T-rex Returns
 * A Mammoth Undertaking
 * Dinobirds
 * Saving the Sabretooth
 * The Bug House
 * Supercroc
 * Special: Prehistoric Park: Building the Impossible

Main Creature goals

 * Episode 1: Tyrannosaurus rex
 * Episode 2: Woolly Mammoth
 * Episode 3: Microraptor
 * Episode 4: Smilodon and Terror Bird
 * Episode 5: Meganeura, Pulmonoscorpius, and Arthropleura
 * Episode 6: Deinosuchus

While they were also rescued and brought to the present, Triceratops, Ornithomimus, Elasmotherium, the titanosaurs, and Troodon were all unexpected arrivals, especially the latter, since the Troodon was an unintentional arrival, having snuck into the back of Nigel's jeep without him knowing.

From the Past
+ Indicates that a species from the past is still alive today.

Returning
The following all return from the Walking with... trilogy:
 * Tyrannosaurus rex
 * Cave lion (Panthera spelaea) (cut from program)
 * Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)
 * Cro-Magnon + (Cro-Magnon are technically anatomically modern humans)
 * Fish +
 * Beetle grub +
 * Saber-toothed cat (Smilodon populator)
 * Terror bird (Phorusrhacos longissimus)
 * Giant dragonfly (Meganeura monyi)
 * Arthropleura armata
 * Deinosuchus rugosus

New
The following make their debut via Prehistoric Park:
 * Ornithomimus velox
 * Triceratops horridus (although a carcass of a young individual is seen in the Walking with Dinosaurs episode Death of a Dynasty, Prehistoric Park introduces live Triceratops)
 * Nyctosaurus gracilis
 * Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus)
 * Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) +
 * Cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea)
 * Wolf (Canis lupus) +
 * Elasmotherium sibericum
 * Unidentified piscivorous pterosaur (possibly Eosipterus yangi)
 * Incisivosaurus gauthieri
 * Mei long
 * Microraptor gui
 * Titanosaur (either Borealosaurus wimani or Dongbeititan dongi)
 * Earthworm +
 * Cricket +
 * Toxodon platensis
 * Fly +
 * Six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) +
 * Red brocket (Mazama americana) +
 * Giant scorpion (Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis)
 * Crassigyrinus scoticus
 * Parasaurolophus walkeri
 * Albertosaurus sarcophagus
 * Troodon formosus

From the Present
(Main article: Modern Prehistoric Park Residents)
 * Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor)
 * Red-tailed boa (Boa constrictor constrictor)
 * African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)
 * Jackson's chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii)
 * Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
 * Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)
 * Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna)
 * Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
 * Southern masked weaver (Ploceus velatus)
 * African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
 * Red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata)
 * Western hog-nosed snake (Heterodon nasicus)
 * Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni)
 * Great blue heron (Ardea herodias)

As Fossils and Exhibits

 * Iguanodon bernissartensis
 * Ornithocheirus simus
 * Edmontosaurus annectens
 * Crocodile
 * Ichthyosaur

As Images

 * Giant cheetah (Acinonyx pardinensis)
 * Thylacoleo carnifex
 * Indricotherium bugtiense (citation needed)
 * Titanis walleri

Mentioned

 * Ostrich
 * Duck
 * Goose
 * Emu
 * Flamingo
 * Cow
 * Rhinoceros
 * Lion
 * Dugong
 * Manatee
 * Hippopotamus
 * Fox
 * Spider