Monster Bug Wars

Premise

The program centers on the Law of the Jungle, pitting two carnivorous arthropods of different species against each other in fights to the death, with the victor devouring the loser in graphic detail. Dramatic theme music and unusual sound editing are employed: during combat, sounds such as growling, screaming, war cries, and shrieks of agony are heard, along with occasional military and ringside effects like bells, bugles, whistles, and alarms. None of these sounds occur naturally; they are added solely for dramatic effect.

Some viewers have found these sound effects silly, turning a good documentary into something comical, and season two notably uses far fewer such effects than season one. Despite the audio embellishments, the invertebrate specialists managing the animals ensured all interactions were between species that naturally encounter and prey on each other in the wild, based on hundreds of hours of field observation and years of experience. Like most macro productions, the show was filmed in a studio for controlled lighting and camera work, using large natural sets that allowed the animals to behave as they would in nature.

Between fight shots, the two entomologist hosts—Dr. Linda Rayor of Cornell University and Associate Professor Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry of the University of Queensland—narrate the action, describing each arthropod's abilities and often predicting the winner.