Last of the Giants (2022-…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Mission Critical - full transcript
An exhausting battle with a colossal white sturgeon pushes Cyril to the limit, but before the team can tag the eight-foot giant, it gives them a giant-sized shock. A freak wind storm then forces the team to put their white sturgeon quest on hold and head far north into the mountains to help protect the sturgeon's main food source: the pacific salmon. In order to find these migrating warrior fish, that can weigh up to 100 pounds, the guys will have to leave civilization behind and survive in one of the most hostile, rugged mountain environments in the world. Out here, hostile terrain, black bears and grizzly bears lurk around every corner.
CYRIL: That's a big fish,
this is a big fish.
Oh, look at the tail.
That's what Lorenzo needs.
All right, Geoff, let's do this.
We've got to sample this fish.
I see some big rapids there.
CYRIL: Start the motor, please!
Quickly, please!
EDER: It's not starting.
CYRIL: Take the
fin clip right here.
GEOFF: Can you get
him to stay still?
CYRIL: Not really.
And the fish is going to
get beat up in the rapids.
I got to let go of this fish.
GEOFF: Aw, man.
CYRIL: We're going to
flip the boat and we're
going to kill this fish.
GEOFF: Uh, just give
me one last shot, okay?
EDER: Hurry!
We're getting into big rapids!
CYRIL: Quick, quick, quick!
GEOFF: Ah!
NARRATOR: Cyril Chauquet
spends his life
traveling the world...
CYRIL: Easy, big guy.
NARRATOR: In search
of massive fish...
CYRIL: Ah, look at
the size of that thing!
NARRATOR: No matter the danger.
CYRIL: Look at the amount
of venom on that barb.
Careful.
NARRATOR: He'll do
whatever it takes to
see these giants up close.
CYRIL (over radio): He
could almost swallow me whole.
NARRATOR: But many of these
animals are also in danger.
CYRIL: They're facing a lot
of challenges, these fish.
NARRATOR: From
habitat destruction, pollution,
and commercial overfishing.
Now, Cyril and his team of
adventure filmmakers are on
a grueling mission
across the globe...
CYRIL: Look out!
GEOFF: Unbelievable.
CYRIL: Whoa! Oh, yeah!
NARRATOR: To help scientists
study these fantastic creatures
and protect them.
CYRIL: We have the choice,
whether we preserve those
fish or we let them go extinct.
NARRATOR: Together,
they'll fight to save
the last of the giants.
NARRATOR: Previously,
Cyril and his team traveled to
the Amazon rainforest in Brazil,
where illegal poaching
has become big business.
Their mission to help save
two of South America's biggest
freshwater fish took them
deep into the Amazon jungle...
CYRIL: Here we go.
NARRATOR: Where
there is no shortage...
FISHERMEN: Watch out! Watch out!
NARRATOR: Of apex predators.
CYRIL: Biggest snake
in the world right here.
NARRATOR: They caught and
sampled a decent sized pirarucu.
They still needed
samples from a truly giant fish,
so the team headed
north to find another lake.
CYRIL: Flood, flood, guys.
NARRATOR: But on the way
they got hit by a flash flood.
CYRIL: (bleep), ah!
(rushing water)
GEOFF: Go, go, go. (bleep)!
Guys, I'm stuck.
CYRIL: You all right, Geoff?
GEOFF: I can't move.
My leg's stuck.
CYRIL: There could be
way more water coming.
We have to get to higher ground.
Let's get to...
GEOFF: Man, the samples!
JESSE: There's the samples.
GEOFF: Get them!
Get them, get them.
JESSE: Got it, here!
GEOFF: Thanks, man.
This is crazy.
CYRIL: Let's keep
walking this way,
we don't want to go
upstream since we don't know
what's coming next.
GEOFF: This
entire area is flooded.
CYRIL: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Caught
in a flash flood,
the TV crew is slowed
down by all their gear.
JESSE: I don't want to
wreck any of the equipment.
CYRIL: Don't worry about it.
We just got to get out of here.
NARRATOR: Cyril tries to
direct the team to safety.
CYRIL: Ah, to the side,
it could be more water
coming, we don't know!
NARRATOR: The water
is unrelenting, and
the crew has to be careful
not to twist an ankle or
break a leg on
hidden logs and deep holes.
CYRIL: Just keep
walking downstream here.
JESSE: I'm trying!
(grunt).
CYRIL: Are you okay, Jesse?
JESSE: Yeah.
CYRIL: Come on, guys,
keep pushing.
I see hard ground up ahead.
We just got to get there.
Geoff, pass me the samples.
GEOFF: Here you go.
CYRIL: Right, keep going.
We're almost out.
Well, high ground here.
Higher ground.
I think we're good here.
Are you okay, Chris?
CHRIS: Yeah man, I'm all right.
MANU: Yeah, we're
good here, guys.
CYRIL: Must have rained a
crazy amount in the jungle and
all of a sudden with the rain,
big influx of water
came down, a torrent of water.
But we're good now.
(sighs)
Intense.
All right, let's keep going,
let's find another lake.
NARRATOR: The Amazon jungle
is constantly being flooded.
Many of the
lakes here are created
when the rivers overflow.
CYRIL: I like the
fact that it's going
downhill from here, so...
CHRIS: Mm-hmm.
CYRIL: Should be
some water, hopefully.
NARRATOR: And these
intricate water systems are
perfect habitats for pirarucu.
CYRIL: Nice.
This looks really good here.
There, there!
There, I'm telling you,
that's a giant.
NARRATOR: The team is trying
to find a giant pirarucu for
local scientist Lorenzo Barroco.
LORENZO: It's very important
that you catch big specimens.
The larger the specimen,
the more data we can gather.
NARRATOR: The DNA
of a pirarucu that
has reached full size
in this hostile environment...
CYRIL: There's one.
NARRATOR: Holds precious
genetic information that
scientists can use in the
future to propagate the species.
CYRIL: There are a couple
of really big fish here.
I've seen two, I think.
NARRATOR: Cyril
must move quietly
not to scare away any pirarucu.
(splash)
But the crew
definitely gets the attention
of one of the
lake's other residents.
CYRIL: Yeah, there
are caiman here.
(thunder)
NARRATOR: And if
Caimans weren't enough...
JESSE: Looks like
the rain's coming back.
CYRIL: Oh, it's coming up.
Oh, there we go.
Here we go.
Fish, fish, fish, fish.
NARRATOR: Just as
it starts to rain...
CYRIL: Yeah, we're on.
NARRATOR: Cyril gets a bite.
Sudden downpours are
common in the Amazon,
and they can end as
quickly as they start.
CYRIL: This is a heavy fish.
Oh, yeah.
Yes, that's a big fish.
There's a lot of
weeds there, that's not good.
Keeping my rod tip as
low as possible to try to
keep the fish underneath the,
this mat of weeds there.
So it doesn't get
tangled up, but it's too late.
(Cyril groans).
A lot of, of weeds that are
caught in the line right now.
No.
I have to get in there
and untangle the line.
Hopefully, there's
not a caiman right here.
Jess, I'm gonna need you to
hold on to the rod please, here.
Yeah, I'm gonna try to get...
Make sure you don't wrap
your fingers around the line.
The braided line will cut right
through your, your fingers.
NARRATOR: The team's
second cameraman, Jesse,
takes the rod so that
Cyril can find the fish
beneath the grass.
But he has to be careful.
A direct blow from its bony
head would easily knock him out.
CYRIL: I don't even know
where the fish is right now.
It's not far.
I'm afraid it's going to jump
in my face at the last minute.
Yes, ah, oh yeah, right here.
That's what I mean.
Watch out.
Geoff, I think
we're going to be able to
take a sample on this fish.
NARRATOR: It's
not a giant fish,
but Lorenzo
still needs a DNA sample...
CYRIL: Okay, we've got to
move fast with this fish...
GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: In order to
identify its population.
CYRIL: Damn it, I lost it.
It's getting away.
Ah, it's back in the weeds now.
(grunts).
Oh, oh, man!
Oh, no!
Just got off the
hook right here.
Oh, it broke me off.
It broke me off.
Look at that.
This is 150 pounds leader
material, and he broke it.
(sighs).
NARRATOR: Once again,
the grass beds in these lakes
are making things difficult.
This time, the extra
pressure on the line
helped the fish break off.
CYRIL (off-screen): Way
too many weeds here, guys.
Let's move.
NARRATOR: The crew
sets out to look for a
better spot to land a fish.
CYRIL: We're
parallel to the lake here,
so hopefully we'll
find a, a better access point.
Oh, guys, stop.
MANU: What, what is it?
CYRIL: You guys, there.
MANU: What the...
CYRIL: Oh.
MANU: They're coming
this way, coming to us.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: They're hunters.
CYRIL: Do you speak Portuguese?
Portuguese, no?
HUNTER: No, no.
CYRIL: No?
HUNTER: No.
CYRIL: Cyril.
GEOFF: Yeah, I guess if, uh,
they weren't friendly,
we would have
found out by now, right?
JESSE: For sure.
They knew we were in
the jungle way before, uh,
we spotted them.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: I think it, I
think that means, uh, hi.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Hey, uh...
CYRIL: Fish hook...
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Yes.
HUNTER: Uh-huh.
CYRIL: Pirarucu?
CYRIL: Big fish...
Yes.
Over there?
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Cool.
That's where we came from.
Man, it's awesome.
They're inviting us to,
uh, to hunt with them.
MANU: I don't
think we should go.
Wait, what,
what's happening here?
CYRIL: They're
taking us on a hunt.
NARRATOR: Despite
Manu's misgivings,
Cyril accepts the
invitation and the team takes
a short break from
their fishing mission to
join the hunt.
CYRIL: And it's
a real privilege,
being able to go
hunting with them,
especially with
the blowguns, super rare.
NARRATOR: Before
the hunt begins,
the hunters prepare a
poison made from a mixture
of sap and resin that
can paralyze their prey.
CYRIL: If it stays
on the skin, it's fine.
But if it gets
into your bloodstream,
it paralyzes you
and eventually, "pfft".
NARRATOR: The hunt is on.
The hunters spot their prey.
To hit it, they need
to make the perfect shot
through the dense foliage.
It's a direct hit.
The duck is wounded,
and it tries to escape.
CYRIL: I mean, I have a lot of
respect for this type of hunt.
Well, as traditional
as it gets, you know, they,
they make the
blowguns here in the jungle,
the poison is from the jungle.
It's all natural and
they've done this for
centuries and centuries.
NARRATOR: After their once in
a lifetime hunting experience,
it's time for the
team to resume their mission
to sample a giant pirarucu.
JESSE: Ah!
CYRIL: Geoff.
NARRATOR: But the jungle
has other plans for them.
JESSE: Ooh, that's a bullet ant.
CYRIL: Where, you got stung?
JESSE: Ooh (bleep).
It's right there.
Ooh, right there.
CYRIL: That's right there.
Right here, right?
JESSE: Ah, (bleep)!
CYRIL: Jesse just
got stung by this.
It's a bullet ant, right here.
JESSE: Ah!
GEOFF: Are you okay?
JESSE: Ah, oh, it's coming!
The pain is coming!
(speaking in native language).
JESSE: Ah!
CYRIL: I think he
wants us to follow him.
JESSE: Ah, ah!
NARRATOR: Bullet ants
get their name from the
power of their sting...
JESSE: Right away, my
adrenaline is pumping,
you know, so I didn't feel it.
CYRIL: And now
it's coming, right?
JESSE: Now it hurts.
NARRATOR: Which
feels like being shot.
JESSE: Oh!
NARRATOR: The pain
intensifies as the venom
circulates in the bloodstream.
JESSE: Oh!
NARRATOR: If a sting
isn't treated immediately,
the pain will become unbearable.
JESSE: Ow.
(painful grunts)
CYRIL: Almost there, man.
I see the village.
NARRATOR: The
chief of the village
comes out to meet them,
and for the moment,
the team's quest for a
pirarucu is put on hold.
JESSE: Ow!
(painful grunting).
CYRIL: Thank you, thank you!
JESSE: I heard stories but I...
I didn't believe
it was that bad.
CYRIL: Just have to
deal with the pain,
that's pretty much the only
thing you can do right now.
I've been there, man.
NARRATOR: This is
not Cyril's first
encounter with bullet ants.
He got stung while taking part
in a rite of passage ritual.
(painful groan).
CYRIL: The pain is unbelievable.
It's as if I was
stabbed by a hot poker.
Oh, yeah, that's going to...
JESSE: Yeah, yeah,
it helped you?
CYRIL: Yeah, that's,
that really did.
JESSE: Ooh, that feels nice.
Ah!
CYRIL: I don't know if
it was the smoke, but I
think it's the heat because...
JESSE: Oh, I
don't know, that feels good.
CYRIL: It breaks down the venom,
it breaks down
the venom, I think.
JESSE: That feels good.
NARRATOR: The indigenous
peoples of Brazil know every
poisonous creature
that lives in the jungle.
JESSE: Ah!
Aw, that feels better.
NARRATOR: And they have
natural remedies to help treat
the ailments they inflict.
CYRIL: I got that to
make up a, a bed here.
All right, man?
JESSE: Ow, it's still in a
little pain now, I'm just tired.
CYRIL: Yeah?
JESSE: Yeah, just
give me some time, guys.
Oh.
NARRATOR: A few hours later,
the hunters graciously share
the duck they caught earlier
with their new guests.
CYRIL: How's your foot?
Okay now, right?
You're good, yeah?
JESSE: Yeah, I'm good.
CYRIL: Yeah?
JESSE: Much better.
GEOFF: Jesse, I know you
think you had a bad day,
but at least
you're not the duck.
CYRIL: Yeah.
JESSE: Mm-hmm.
GEOFF: He had a worse day.
JESSE: His bad day
was my good day, though.
I'm liking this food.
CYRIL: It's incredible when
you think about it, you know,
we're trekking
through the woods and
come across indigenous hunters.
At the end of the day,
here we are eating
their hunt, and they took care
of Jesse all day long.
And they showed
us a place to fish.
JESSE: We'll go, we'll
go back, there are fish there.
CYRIL: They're giants.
I'm sure there are
giants in that lake.
GEOFF: Awesome.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Very privileged to
be sleeping here tonight.
NARRATOR: The village
also offers the team
shelter for the night.
CHRIS: Good night, everybody.
MANU: Good night, guys.
CYRIL: Yeah, good night.
JESSE: Oh, yes.
CYRIL: Thank you.
BOTH: Thank you, goodbye!
NARRATOR: After a
good night's rest,
the team sets out for the lake,
which the hunters confirm
contains truly giant pirarucu.
But first, they need to
find a clear spot where
they can land a giant.
CYRIL: All right, we're back.
Okay, the lake is here, guys.
Over there, look,
did you see that?
That's pirarucu.
CYRIL: Yeah, I think I see
a spot where I can fish from.
GEOFF: Oh!
CYRIL: Are you all right, Geoff?
GEOFF: Yeah, no, going down
a slippery hill on your heels
is not a good idea, but yeah,
this looks like
a good spot, man.
CYRIL: Telling you, when
you're looking for a fish as
big as the giant pirarucu,
you don't want to
take any chances.
NARRATOR: To make sure his
line doesn't break again if
he runs into a massive fish.
Cyril ties on a
200-pound monofilament leader.
(splash)
CYRIL: Oh, big fish over there!
NARRATOR: Lorenzo wants a
DNA sample from a pirarucu
that has succeeded
in growing to full size
in this hostile environment.
CYRIL: Oh, here we go.
Here we go.
Fish, fish, fish,
fish, fish, fish.
NARRATOR: And according
to the indigenous tribe,
there could be a
giant in this lake.
CYRIL: Yup, it's got the bait.
Here we go.
Coming up, coming up, oh,
big fish, big fish, big fish.
NARRATOR: The pirarucu is
putting up an intense fight.
There's no question,
it's a giant.
CYRIL: I got to get
this fish in before it
breaks me off in a snag.
Got this little bit of
a spot here that we can,
that hopefully I can land it.
I'm going to have to bring
him here between the, the weeds.
Oh, yeah, it's a
big fish, big fish.
That's a tank.
NARRATOR: Cyril has no choice,
he has to get in the water.
Even if there are
Caimans and piranhas around.
CYRIL: It's a big fish.
NARRATOR: But if
he's going to land it,
he has to keep
it away from the weeds.
(Cyril groans).
CYRIL: Don't go there.
Don't go there, fish.
(Cyril groans).
(splashing)
CYRIL: That's a giant,
that's a true giant.
Geoff, are you
ready with the samples?
GEOFF: Yup, coming.
CYRIL: It's going to be tough,
holding on to this fish.
You got to be careful, Chris.
Careful, man.
CHRIS: Okay, I'm getting out.
CYRIL: This can knock you out.
NARRATOR: Chris is a
little too close for comfort.
CYRIL: Or kill you man.
NARRATOR: And has to move back.
CYRIL: We got to bring
this guy in to sample him.
CYRIL: I'm gonna need some
help here to land this fish.
JESSE: Help.
CYRIL: Jesse, can
you please grab the rod?
JESSE: Yeah,
careful of its head.
CYRIL: Watch out, watch out,
watch out, watch out.
Watch out, watch out.
(splashing and groans)
CYRIL: Oh, God.
Okay, Geoff,
you're almost ready?
GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: This is it, the
true giant of the Amazon.
And one of the,
the world's largest,
largest freshwater fish.
Look at this.
Look at this animal.
Oh!
Okay Geoff, let's
get the sample here.
GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: Gotta do it quick.
GEOFF: Yeah, this
fish needs to go back.
CYRIL: Just a quick...
GEOFF: Can you
hold that fin for me?
CYRIL: Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, you got it good.
GEOFF: It's coming,
coming right up.
I got it, I got it.
JESSE: You got it, you got it?
CYRIL: All right, good one.
Okay, let's, let's get
this measurement real quick.
Good job.
GEOFF: I'll get
the tail, you get the nose?
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Hang on, buddy, hang on.
Wow.
CYRIL: What do you got?
GEOFF: It sort of twisted,
but man, it's like 223.
CYRIL: That's almost 90 inches.
This fish is over seven feet.
That's a giant.
That's a true giant.
Oh, oh.
NARRATOR: At
seven feet, four inches,
this pirarucu is one
of the Amazon's last giants.
Its DNA holds the genetic
secrets of this rarely studied
fish capable of
surviving and flourishing
in this harsh environment.
CYRIL: Did you see
the size of this fish?
Man, that's what
we've been looking for.
GEOFF: It was huge.
CYRIL: That was a monster.
Good job guys.
Yeah, buddy, good job.
JESSE: It was huge.
CHRIS: Great work.
GEOFF: Yes, we did it.
CYRIL: You guys just saw the
Amazon's true last giant fish.
BOTH: It's crazy.
CYRIL: And we got the
samples and the measurement.
We got everything, right?
You got samples?
GEOFF: Yeah, we
got the measurement.
I think I broke the
measuring tape pulling it
all the way out like that.
CYRIL: I think Lorenzo
is going to be happy.
JESSE: I hope so.
GEOFF: Yeah, he's
definitely going to be happy.
CYRIL: Yeah, now
it's time to move
on to, uh, the piraiba, right?
GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Seeing a giant
pirarucu in the wild gives
the team hope for these
unique prehistoric fish.
The team is back in
Manaus on their way to deliver
the pirarucu samples to Lorenzo,
a scientist with the
Federal Institute of Amazonas.
LORENZO: Wow Cyril, you
got the samples we needed!
Yeah! This is really good!
CYRIL: Perfect.
NARRATOR: The data from the
two pirarucu the team sampled,
which includes the biggest
fish in Lorenzo's study so far,
will help him better
understand the species
in order to protect it.
Now, the guys can move on
to the huge Goliath catfish,
known locally as the piraiba.
LORENZO: The
piraiba is a huge fish,
and it's really
important for the ecosystem.
It's an apex predator that
controls its whole ecosystem.
NARRATOR: Reaching
well over 400 pounds,
the piraiba is one of the
biggest fish on the planet.
This murky water giant
feeds on anything that swims
in front of its
massive bucket-like mouth.
To spawn, the Goliath catfish
makes the migration through
the Amazon's
complex river systems.
And yet, in spite of
its incredible exploits,
the piraiba is facing
serious challenges.
LORENZO: Its habitat is being
destroyed by deforestation,
pollution of the rivers,
overfishing,
and the construction
of hydroelectric dams.
This large fish needs
to relocate to reproduce.
CYRIL: So if a dam is built
in the river, it's all over.
LORENZO: Yes Cyril,
it can be catastrophic.
This species can disappear,
or its population can
be greatly diminished.
It's rare to see
piraibas in rivers near
large cities, nowadays.
CYRIL: The piraiba is, is one of
the biggest fish in the world.
And yet we barely know
anything about those fish and
populations are
going down drastically.
LORENZO: There are a lot
of areas in the Amazon we
still don't have samples from.
CYRIL: Like the
area we're going to?
Because you don't
have samples from there?
LORENZO: Exactly, we need
to get samples from there.
NARRATOR: Lorenzo
only has samples from
downriver in the Amazon.
If the team can
sample piraibas from
the remote upper rivers,
this could provide
DNA evidence that they all
belong to the same
population and need protection.
CYRIL (off-screen): The
area that we're going to,
those fish have
never been studied there,
so the only way to study
this fish is to catch them,
get the samples to
know where they're from,
where they reproduce,
so that it can be
better protected.
NARRATOR: This next
mission will take them far
from civilization and
further into the Amazon jungle
than they've
ever been before.
LORENZO: May God
be with you. Good work.
I hope you all stay safe.
CYRIL: Yes, thank you.
NARRATOR: Where they're headed,
they'll be
completely on their own.
So they make one last stop
in Manaus to meet a chief of
a special branch
of military police
who will be their
emergency contact if anything
goes wrong in the wild.
They're meeting him at
the headquarters of Choque,
Brazil's elite security forces.
While they wait,
the team is invited to join
the day's intensive training.
CYRIL: You guys
are ready for it?
GEOFF: Mmm.
GEOFF: But we're not
actually going to, like,
need to dodge or know
about grenades on this trip,
are we?
CYRIL: I hope not.
But it's part of the training,
so if you want to
train with them and be taken
seriously, you got to do it.
CYRIL: Perfect.
CYRIL: It's not quite
every day that you get
to throw a, a grenade.
GEOFF: Ah, I didn't
release the grenade!
NARRATOR: The next phase of the
training is no laughing matter,
and the team does their
best to keep up with the troops.
MAN: Go go go!
(shouting in native language).
MAN: Go! Faster! Go!
(overlapping shouting).
CYRIL (off-screen): No choice.
We have to train
with the best to face the
worst conditions possible.
NARRATOR: But just
because it's training,
doesn't mean it's not dangerous.
(Geoff groans).
CYRIL (off-screen): What
happened to you, Geoff?
GEOFF: I hit the wire.
CYRIL: You hit the wire?
GEOFF: Yeah, I hit
it with my (bleep) face.
CYRIL: Are you all right?
GEOFF: Yeah, I was going
under the wires, and, uh,
I kind of looked up
too much, obviously, and...
CYRIL: You hit it.
GEOFF: I took one
right on the forehead.
CYRIL: You're
bleeding a little bit here.
GEOFF: Just a bit?
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Yeah, I
smoked it pretty hard.
CYRIL: Are you all right?
Are you not dizzy?
(laughter)
NARRATOR: Luckily,
the crew still has a
functioning director,
and it's time for a briefing
with their emergency contact.
CYRIL: We're heading
into the jungle, now.
MAN: You must start sending me
your location
coordinates, every day,
so I can check
your exact location
for security purposes.
CYRIL: Okay, by GPS?
MAN: Yes, by GPS.
CYRIL: Every day?
MAN: Yes, every day.
That way, we can
keep monitoring you,
to ensure your security.
CYRIL: Thank you very much.
CYRIL: They're going to
be our point of contact.
So every day
I've got to send GPS
coordinates so that they know
exactly where we're located
in case of an emergency.
NARRATOR: Most of
the Amazon rainforest is
inaccessible by road,
so to get to the
remote rivers where
the giant piraiba
can still be found...
CYRIL: Here we go.
GEOFF: All right.
NARRATOR: The team is
taking a 24-hour cruise
on a slow boat.
Decades ago, the
piraiba could easily be found
throughout the Amazon,
but because of human
activity in recent years,
their numbers
have dropped drastically.
So to find these giant fish,
the team is going to have
to travel far upriver into
truly wild and
uncharted territory.
While the captain
keeps a lookout for
debris in the river,
the team takes
advantage of a rare moment...
(boat engine)
GEOFF: What?
NARRATOR: Of not
so quiet downtime.
CYRIL: You guys are
enjoying the cruise?
GEOFF: Yeah.
JESSE: Good.
GEOFF: Fun times.
(boat engine)
NARRATOR: It's their last
night sleeping under shelter
and even a noisy boat
can't ruin the luxury.
CYRIL: Amazon style shower.
NARRATOR: After 24 hours of
slowly plodding up the river,
they finally get to
the end of the line.
CYRIL: All right, as far
as we can go with this boat.
CYRIL: Thank you, my friends.
Thank you for everything.
CAPTAIN: Good luck!
(speaking in native language).
NARRATOR: The team sets out
on a half-day hike through
the jungle to meet up with some
locals who can take them to
an area where it's rumored
there are giant piraiba.
But along the way,
Cyril is going to try
his luck at catching this
elusive giant and to do that,
he needs to
stock up on some bait.
CYRIL: There should be
some black piranhas here.
NARRATOR: When
fishing for the Amazon's
legendary black piranha,
a few precautions are needed.
CYRIL: I'm gonna
use some metal leaders.
As you can imagine,
those fish have teeth
that can bite through
pretty much any kind of line,
except for wire, metal wire.
It shouldn't be able
to get through that.
And another reason why
it's so important to have a
metal leader on is that
once the fish bites into prey,
especially if there's blood,
it triggers a
feeding frenzy, they'll go...
(growling).
They will all go crazy.
Actually, they lose their mind
kind of like sharks, you know,
if a shark bites into a prey,
and if there's
blood in the water,
they all start biting.
Same feeding behavior.
And if you don't have
a metal leader on, other
piranhas will bite into your,
your line and cut you through.
And to get the
piranhas attention,
I'm using a, a nice
big piece of steak.
CYRIL: If there are
piranhas here, they're, they
should soon smell the meat.
Okay, here we go, look, look.
Piranha on.
We've got some bait.
If you thought a
piranha was a small fish,
huh, well, think again.
Look at the size of this one.
The black piranha, the
largest of all piranha species,
the biggest I've heard
of is close to ten pounds.
Pound for pound,
the black piranha
has a stronger bite
than a great white shark.
These guys are the
terror of the river.
Everybody fears them.
CYRIL (off-screen): They're so
ferocious and there's so many.
If you're a fish here,
you get to keep
your head on a swivel,
I can tell you that.
Look, this is
typical bite from piranha.
See? Look at the rod.
See, boom, boom,
boom, boom, boom.
Yeah, they smelled
the bait, one got a bite,
and the other ones went crazy.
Oh man, look at this one.
He got attacked
by another piranha.
And that bite is fresh,
I could tell you that.
You're so voracious,
so vicious, aren't you?
NARRATOR: Stocked up on bait,
it's time to test these
waters for massive piraiba.
The team sets off along the
edge of the river in search
of a good fishing spot,
one where Cyril can
cast to deeper waters.
GEOFF: You guys okay?
JESSE: Yeah.
CYRIL: Let's keep going, guys.
I think I saw a
good spot on the GPS.
Looks good here.
I like the fact
that there's two rivers,
this one and
another river there,
that meet right
here at the point.
Should be a really good area.
NARRATOR: The piraiba is
an active predator that likes
to hunt for prey in deep
pools where currents meet.
And a piece of fresh piranha
should get their attention.
♪ ♪
CYRIL: Oh. Oh.
Here we go.
Here we go, here we go.
Oh, yeah, look at that,
look at that, look at that.
Oh, this fish is
going up current.
It's a good fish.
It's powerful, whatever it is.
(grunting)
Oh, it's a payara,
big vampire fish.
Ah, mmm, it's a nice payara,
a very nice payara.
Might not be the
fish that we want,
but I want to show
you the teeth on this thing.
Yes.
(panting).
Yes, this is one
truly amazing Amazon
predatory fish right there.
The payara,
AKA vampire fish.
Look at the fangs on this fish,
on the bottom jaw of
this fish, monstrous.
And they actually used
those fangs to puncture
the vital organs of
their prey and then
swallow them whole.
Imagine being a small fish,
the last thing that you see
before you get crushed is this.
Scary.
He got attacked by a piranha.
The piranha took a
bite directly out of this
fish's tail, right there.
Just like a cookie cutter,
boom, straight, clean cut.
You think this is a jungle
there and it's bad in there?
Think about what's happening
underneath the surface here.
Predator versus
predator down there.
Payara, what a creature.
Yeah, we need to
get upriver, guys.
NARRATOR: With
no piraiba around,
the team continues
upriver towards tributaries
where the massive fish spawn.
To help navigate this wild,
uncharted no man's land,
the guys are meeting up with
a local, Eder, at his camp.
CYRIL: Hey, Eder!
How's it going?
EDER: Great, how about you?
CYRIL: Really good.
NARRATOR: Eder has
military experience and
knows the rivers around here,
and the team will be using
his boats for their mission.
EDER: João, get down here!
NARRATOR: Eder is
bringing along his friend João.
CYRIL: Hello, João!
NARRATOR: And even if
he's indigenous from here,
the river system is so huge
he can only know so much of it.
CYRIL: Do you
know this area well?
JOÃO: More or less.
CYRIL: Okay.
JOÃO: It's dangerous.
CYRIL: Hmm.
NARRATOR: There
are countless dangers
where the team is heading,
but none are more unpredictable
than the river itself.
With this extremely rocky,
shallow bottom,
the river is infamous
for boat crashes and drownings.
But they have no choice,
traveling by river is
the only way to access
the birthplace of
the piraiba catfish.
CYRIL: Giant otters.
Caiman right there.
Just a little guy,
the bigger one is around.
NARRATOR: Caimans are just
one of the dangers they'll face
out here and
finding the piraiba's
remote spawning grounds
will take them far from
help if they run into trouble.
CYRIL: We're going to such
remote areas that we're going
to have to use some
technology for safety reasons.
This is a satellite phone.
It looks like an
old phone from the '80s.
Big, bulky, huge antenna,
but you can have a
voice conversation at
any point in time
with anybody in the world.
We have also
another device, which is this.
This is for mapping purposes.
It still works with
satellite communications too
and has an SOS
button on the side.
If you press on this,
just like if you
press on this guy here,
help will be on its way.
But the plan is to send the
GPS coordinates of where we are
every day to the police chief.
That way if we lose this,
or if we lose communication
with satellite for any reason,
they'll be able to find us
through the last coordinates
that were left.
CYRIL (off-screen):
And hopefully get us.
We have to have this stuff,
you know, because the area
that we're going to be going
to is way out there.
Anything can happen.
NARRATOR: Cyril and the crew
have teamed up with locals,
Eder and João
and are heading into the
remote Amazon jungle
with the hopes of finding and
sampling the Goliath catfish
known here as the piraiba.
CYRIL: Here...
it's a good pool here.
It's a large basin
and it looks very deep.
EDER: There's plenty of
big fish here, big beasts.
NARRATOR: Eder and João
have safely navigated the team
to their first fishing spot.
Deep basins in the river
are favored hunting grounds
for the piraiba,
which patrol the
bottom looking for prey.
They can grow over ten feet long
and weigh over 400 pounds.
And with piranhas everywhere,
Cyril rigs a metal leader to
avoid losing his bait and hook.
CYRIL: Oh yeah, a
piraiba is going to love this.
Hmm.
♪ ♪
Oh, oh, oh.
CHRIS: You got something?
CYRIL: I think so,
might have a client here.
Here we go, here we go,
it's a good fish, yeah.
NARRATOR: Cyril has a
nice fish on the line.
And in these waters,
there's only a couple
species that can be this big.
CYRIL: Okay, we might, yeah,
we might have a
piraiba on the line.
I don't think it's a
monster because it's
not pulling that much.
And I'm getting small
head shakes, but who knows,
it could definitely
be a small one.
It's right here.
Pirarara.
NARRATOR: It's a catfish,
just not the right species.
CYRIL: It's a redtail catfish.
I was sure it was
going to be a piraiba.
It was a really good bite.
It felt solid.
Let's get this
guy out of the water.
Oh!
Redtail catfish, pirarara,
another of the Amazon cats.
NARRATOR: This redtail is
a juvenile and adults can
grow to be four times its size.
CYRIL: Really cool fish.
Oh, man, look, this
fish has candirus on it.
It's actually a parasite fish,
because what they do is
they get in their gills and
they suck on the, on the mucus
that they have on the, on
the gills and even the blood.
So they find
themselves a host like this.
They attach to it and
they take advantage of it.
There's even a legend.
People seem to think that they
can swim up your urethra or any
other bodily orifices
and stay stuck in there.
And the only way to get
rid of them is to get surgery.
CYRIL: There's so many
stories here in the Amazon,
many people say it's true.
JOÃO: Well...
CYRIL: Do you think it's true?
JOÃO: Hm.
CYRIL: Yet,
in reality, who knows?
EDER: Cyril, with this bait,
you'll catch a huge piraiba.
CYRIL: Yes!
They love the taste of piranha.
NARRATOR: Having
just caught a red tail,
Cyril is in a
good spot to find a piraiba.
Both catfish species like
deep pools near fast water.
But when it comes to giants,
it's always a waiting game.
CYRIL: Oh, just got a bite.
There's definitely something
after my bait right now.
Oh, here we go.
Man, big fish, big fish,
big fish, big fish, guys.
Oh, man, the
strength of this fish!
NARRATOR: The fish
is running hard and
taking a lot of Cyril's line.
CYRIL: Untie the rope,
let the boat drift.
It's a huge fish.
EDER: I'm going to let it drift.
NARRATOR: For Cyril
to get back his line,
they'll let the boat
drift while he fights the fish.
CYRIL: I think it is a piraiba.
The current is coming this way.
Man, the fish is swimming
out of a current, look,
it's pulling the boat.
NARRATOR: The piraiba
is extremely powerful.
It's capable of
migrating up these rivers,
and it seems impervious
to the strong current.
CYRIL: This fish is
swimming up current,
it's pulling the boat.
It's unreal.
Oh, it just changed directions.
It's swimming
straight back at me now.
NARRATOR: As quickly as
the fish shot up current,
it's now turned around
and racing downstream.
CYRIL: I think
this is a piraiba.
I'm pretty sure it is.
It's just too erratic
to be anything else.
I think it's getting
close to the surface.
It's almost here.
Here it is. I saw it, I saw it.
It's a big fish,
it's a big fish.
Oh, look at the tail.
Look at the tail.
EDER: Piraiba.
(speaking in native language)
CYRIL: It's coming up,
coming up, coming up,
coming up, coming up.
Oh yeah, look at, look at that.
Look at this fish,
can you believe they get
even bigger than this guy?
This is what Lorenzo needs,
so we'll get a sample from it.
Oh, all right,
Geoff, let's do this.
We got to sample this fish.
We don't have much time, man.
I see some big rapids there.
I'm going, I'm going to
secure the fish by the boat.
GEOFF: Can we
get him on the boat?
CYRIL: No, no,
that's going to hurt him.
GEOFF: The water
is getting fast.
CYRIL: Hurry!
Start the motor, please!
Please, quickly.
EDER: Cyril, it's not starting.
NARRATOR: The motor is dead.
All Eder can do now
is try to steer the
boat through the rapids.
EDER: Hurry! We're
getting close to the rapids.
NARRATOR: And with
rapids fast approaching,
Cyril and Geoff are under
the gun to sample this piraiba.
GEOFF: I got it.
CYRIL: Okay, hold on, let
me grab the pectoral fin.
GEOFF: That's it.
CYRIL: Yeah, take
the fin clip right here.
GEOFF: Can you get
him to stay still?
CYRIL: Not really, no.
GEOFF: Oh (bleep)!
Guys, the rapids
are like right here.
CYRIL: We're going
to get beat up and the fish
is going to
get beat up in the rapids.
(speaking in native language)
GEOFF: I can't get the sample.
CYRIL: Gotta let
go of this fish.
GEOFF: Aw, man.
CYRIL: We're going to
flip the boat and we're
going to kill this fish.
GEOFF: Uh, just give
me one last shot, okay?
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Right, quick, quick!
GEOFF: Ah!
this is a big fish.
Oh, look at the tail.
That's what Lorenzo needs.
All right, Geoff, let's do this.
We've got to sample this fish.
I see some big rapids there.
CYRIL: Start the motor, please!
Quickly, please!
EDER: It's not starting.
CYRIL: Take the
fin clip right here.
GEOFF: Can you get
him to stay still?
CYRIL: Not really.
And the fish is going to
get beat up in the rapids.
I got to let go of this fish.
GEOFF: Aw, man.
CYRIL: We're going to
flip the boat and we're
going to kill this fish.
GEOFF: Uh, just give
me one last shot, okay?
EDER: Hurry!
We're getting into big rapids!
CYRIL: Quick, quick, quick!
GEOFF: Ah!
NARRATOR: Cyril Chauquet
spends his life
traveling the world...
CYRIL: Easy, big guy.
NARRATOR: In search
of massive fish...
CYRIL: Ah, look at
the size of that thing!
NARRATOR: No matter the danger.
CYRIL: Look at the amount
of venom on that barb.
Careful.
NARRATOR: He'll do
whatever it takes to
see these giants up close.
CYRIL (over radio): He
could almost swallow me whole.
NARRATOR: But many of these
animals are also in danger.
CYRIL: They're facing a lot
of challenges, these fish.
NARRATOR: From
habitat destruction, pollution,
and commercial overfishing.
Now, Cyril and his team of
adventure filmmakers are on
a grueling mission
across the globe...
CYRIL: Look out!
GEOFF: Unbelievable.
CYRIL: Whoa! Oh, yeah!
NARRATOR: To help scientists
study these fantastic creatures
and protect them.
CYRIL: We have the choice,
whether we preserve those
fish or we let them go extinct.
NARRATOR: Together,
they'll fight to save
the last of the giants.
NARRATOR: Previously,
Cyril and his team traveled to
the Amazon rainforest in Brazil,
where illegal poaching
has become big business.
Their mission to help save
two of South America's biggest
freshwater fish took them
deep into the Amazon jungle...
CYRIL: Here we go.
NARRATOR: Where
there is no shortage...
FISHERMEN: Watch out! Watch out!
NARRATOR: Of apex predators.
CYRIL: Biggest snake
in the world right here.
NARRATOR: They caught and
sampled a decent sized pirarucu.
They still needed
samples from a truly giant fish,
so the team headed
north to find another lake.
CYRIL: Flood, flood, guys.
NARRATOR: But on the way
they got hit by a flash flood.
CYRIL: (bleep), ah!
(rushing water)
GEOFF: Go, go, go. (bleep)!
Guys, I'm stuck.
CYRIL: You all right, Geoff?
GEOFF: I can't move.
My leg's stuck.
CYRIL: There could be
way more water coming.
We have to get to higher ground.
Let's get to...
GEOFF: Man, the samples!
JESSE: There's the samples.
GEOFF: Get them!
Get them, get them.
JESSE: Got it, here!
GEOFF: Thanks, man.
This is crazy.
CYRIL: Let's keep
walking this way,
we don't want to go
upstream since we don't know
what's coming next.
GEOFF: This
entire area is flooded.
CYRIL: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Caught
in a flash flood,
the TV crew is slowed
down by all their gear.
JESSE: I don't want to
wreck any of the equipment.
CYRIL: Don't worry about it.
We just got to get out of here.
NARRATOR: Cyril tries to
direct the team to safety.
CYRIL: Ah, to the side,
it could be more water
coming, we don't know!
NARRATOR: The water
is unrelenting, and
the crew has to be careful
not to twist an ankle or
break a leg on
hidden logs and deep holes.
CYRIL: Just keep
walking downstream here.
JESSE: I'm trying!
(grunt).
CYRIL: Are you okay, Jesse?
JESSE: Yeah.
CYRIL: Come on, guys,
keep pushing.
I see hard ground up ahead.
We just got to get there.
Geoff, pass me the samples.
GEOFF: Here you go.
CYRIL: Right, keep going.
We're almost out.
Well, high ground here.
Higher ground.
I think we're good here.
Are you okay, Chris?
CHRIS: Yeah man, I'm all right.
MANU: Yeah, we're
good here, guys.
CYRIL: Must have rained a
crazy amount in the jungle and
all of a sudden with the rain,
big influx of water
came down, a torrent of water.
But we're good now.
(sighs)
Intense.
All right, let's keep going,
let's find another lake.
NARRATOR: The Amazon jungle
is constantly being flooded.
Many of the
lakes here are created
when the rivers overflow.
CYRIL: I like the
fact that it's going
downhill from here, so...
CHRIS: Mm-hmm.
CYRIL: Should be
some water, hopefully.
NARRATOR: And these
intricate water systems are
perfect habitats for pirarucu.
CYRIL: Nice.
This looks really good here.
There, there!
There, I'm telling you,
that's a giant.
NARRATOR: The team is trying
to find a giant pirarucu for
local scientist Lorenzo Barroco.
LORENZO: It's very important
that you catch big specimens.
The larger the specimen,
the more data we can gather.
NARRATOR: The DNA
of a pirarucu that
has reached full size
in this hostile environment...
CYRIL: There's one.
NARRATOR: Holds precious
genetic information that
scientists can use in the
future to propagate the species.
CYRIL: There are a couple
of really big fish here.
I've seen two, I think.
NARRATOR: Cyril
must move quietly
not to scare away any pirarucu.
(splash)
But the crew
definitely gets the attention
of one of the
lake's other residents.
CYRIL: Yeah, there
are caiman here.
(thunder)
NARRATOR: And if
Caimans weren't enough...
JESSE: Looks like
the rain's coming back.
CYRIL: Oh, it's coming up.
Oh, there we go.
Here we go.
Fish, fish, fish, fish.
NARRATOR: Just as
it starts to rain...
CYRIL: Yeah, we're on.
NARRATOR: Cyril gets a bite.
Sudden downpours are
common in the Amazon,
and they can end as
quickly as they start.
CYRIL: This is a heavy fish.
Oh, yeah.
Yes, that's a big fish.
There's a lot of
weeds there, that's not good.
Keeping my rod tip as
low as possible to try to
keep the fish underneath the,
this mat of weeds there.
So it doesn't get
tangled up, but it's too late.
(Cyril groans).
A lot of, of weeds that are
caught in the line right now.
No.
I have to get in there
and untangle the line.
Hopefully, there's
not a caiman right here.
Jess, I'm gonna need you to
hold on to the rod please, here.
Yeah, I'm gonna try to get...
Make sure you don't wrap
your fingers around the line.
The braided line will cut right
through your, your fingers.
NARRATOR: The team's
second cameraman, Jesse,
takes the rod so that
Cyril can find the fish
beneath the grass.
But he has to be careful.
A direct blow from its bony
head would easily knock him out.
CYRIL: I don't even know
where the fish is right now.
It's not far.
I'm afraid it's going to jump
in my face at the last minute.
Yes, ah, oh yeah, right here.
That's what I mean.
Watch out.
Geoff, I think
we're going to be able to
take a sample on this fish.
NARRATOR: It's
not a giant fish,
but Lorenzo
still needs a DNA sample...
CYRIL: Okay, we've got to
move fast with this fish...
GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: In order to
identify its population.
CYRIL: Damn it, I lost it.
It's getting away.
Ah, it's back in the weeds now.
(grunts).
Oh, oh, man!
Oh, no!
Just got off the
hook right here.
Oh, it broke me off.
It broke me off.
Look at that.
This is 150 pounds leader
material, and he broke it.
(sighs).
NARRATOR: Once again,
the grass beds in these lakes
are making things difficult.
This time, the extra
pressure on the line
helped the fish break off.
CYRIL (off-screen): Way
too many weeds here, guys.
Let's move.
NARRATOR: The crew
sets out to look for a
better spot to land a fish.
CYRIL: We're
parallel to the lake here,
so hopefully we'll
find a, a better access point.
Oh, guys, stop.
MANU: What, what is it?
CYRIL: You guys, there.
MANU: What the...
CYRIL: Oh.
MANU: They're coming
this way, coming to us.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: They're hunters.
CYRIL: Do you speak Portuguese?
Portuguese, no?
HUNTER: No, no.
CYRIL: No?
HUNTER: No.
CYRIL: Cyril.
GEOFF: Yeah, I guess if, uh,
they weren't friendly,
we would have
found out by now, right?
JESSE: For sure.
They knew we were in
the jungle way before, uh,
we spotted them.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: I think it, I
think that means, uh, hi.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Hey, uh...
CYRIL: Fish hook...
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Yes.
HUNTER: Uh-huh.
CYRIL: Pirarucu?
CYRIL: Big fish...
Yes.
Over there?
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Cool.
That's where we came from.
Man, it's awesome.
They're inviting us to,
uh, to hunt with them.
MANU: I don't
think we should go.
Wait, what,
what's happening here?
CYRIL: They're
taking us on a hunt.
NARRATOR: Despite
Manu's misgivings,
Cyril accepts the
invitation and the team takes
a short break from
their fishing mission to
join the hunt.
CYRIL: And it's
a real privilege,
being able to go
hunting with them,
especially with
the blowguns, super rare.
NARRATOR: Before
the hunt begins,
the hunters prepare a
poison made from a mixture
of sap and resin that
can paralyze their prey.
CYRIL: If it stays
on the skin, it's fine.
But if it gets
into your bloodstream,
it paralyzes you
and eventually, "pfft".
NARRATOR: The hunt is on.
The hunters spot their prey.
To hit it, they need
to make the perfect shot
through the dense foliage.
It's a direct hit.
The duck is wounded,
and it tries to escape.
CYRIL: I mean, I have a lot of
respect for this type of hunt.
Well, as traditional
as it gets, you know, they,
they make the
blowguns here in the jungle,
the poison is from the jungle.
It's all natural and
they've done this for
centuries and centuries.
NARRATOR: After their once in
a lifetime hunting experience,
it's time for the
team to resume their mission
to sample a giant pirarucu.
JESSE: Ah!
CYRIL: Geoff.
NARRATOR: But the jungle
has other plans for them.
JESSE: Ooh, that's a bullet ant.
CYRIL: Where, you got stung?
JESSE: Ooh (bleep).
It's right there.
Ooh, right there.
CYRIL: That's right there.
Right here, right?
JESSE: Ah, (bleep)!
CYRIL: Jesse just
got stung by this.
It's a bullet ant, right here.
JESSE: Ah!
GEOFF: Are you okay?
JESSE: Ah, oh, it's coming!
The pain is coming!
(speaking in native language).
JESSE: Ah!
CYRIL: I think he
wants us to follow him.
JESSE: Ah, ah!
NARRATOR: Bullet ants
get their name from the
power of their sting...
JESSE: Right away, my
adrenaline is pumping,
you know, so I didn't feel it.
CYRIL: And now
it's coming, right?
JESSE: Now it hurts.
NARRATOR: Which
feels like being shot.
JESSE: Oh!
NARRATOR: The pain
intensifies as the venom
circulates in the bloodstream.
JESSE: Oh!
NARRATOR: If a sting
isn't treated immediately,
the pain will become unbearable.
JESSE: Ow.
(painful grunts)
CYRIL: Almost there, man.
I see the village.
NARRATOR: The
chief of the village
comes out to meet them,
and for the moment,
the team's quest for a
pirarucu is put on hold.
JESSE: Ow!
(painful grunting).
CYRIL: Thank you, thank you!
JESSE: I heard stories but I...
I didn't believe
it was that bad.
CYRIL: Just have to
deal with the pain,
that's pretty much the only
thing you can do right now.
I've been there, man.
NARRATOR: This is
not Cyril's first
encounter with bullet ants.
He got stung while taking part
in a rite of passage ritual.
(painful groan).
CYRIL: The pain is unbelievable.
It's as if I was
stabbed by a hot poker.
Oh, yeah, that's going to...
JESSE: Yeah, yeah,
it helped you?
CYRIL: Yeah, that's,
that really did.
JESSE: Ooh, that feels nice.
Ah!
CYRIL: I don't know if
it was the smoke, but I
think it's the heat because...
JESSE: Oh, I
don't know, that feels good.
CYRIL: It breaks down the venom,
it breaks down
the venom, I think.
JESSE: That feels good.
NARRATOR: The indigenous
peoples of Brazil know every
poisonous creature
that lives in the jungle.
JESSE: Ah!
Aw, that feels better.
NARRATOR: And they have
natural remedies to help treat
the ailments they inflict.
CYRIL: I got that to
make up a, a bed here.
All right, man?
JESSE: Ow, it's still in a
little pain now, I'm just tired.
CYRIL: Yeah?
JESSE: Yeah, just
give me some time, guys.
Oh.
NARRATOR: A few hours later,
the hunters graciously share
the duck they caught earlier
with their new guests.
CYRIL: How's your foot?
Okay now, right?
You're good, yeah?
JESSE: Yeah, I'm good.
CYRIL: Yeah?
JESSE: Much better.
GEOFF: Jesse, I know you
think you had a bad day,
but at least
you're not the duck.
CYRIL: Yeah.
JESSE: Mm-hmm.
GEOFF: He had a worse day.
JESSE: His bad day
was my good day, though.
I'm liking this food.
CYRIL: It's incredible when
you think about it, you know,
we're trekking
through the woods and
come across indigenous hunters.
At the end of the day,
here we are eating
their hunt, and they took care
of Jesse all day long.
And they showed
us a place to fish.
JESSE: We'll go, we'll
go back, there are fish there.
CYRIL: They're giants.
I'm sure there are
giants in that lake.
GEOFF: Awesome.
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Very privileged to
be sleeping here tonight.
NARRATOR: The village
also offers the team
shelter for the night.
CHRIS: Good night, everybody.
MANU: Good night, guys.
CYRIL: Yeah, good night.
JESSE: Oh, yes.
CYRIL: Thank you.
BOTH: Thank you, goodbye!
NARRATOR: After a
good night's rest,
the team sets out for the lake,
which the hunters confirm
contains truly giant pirarucu.
But first, they need to
find a clear spot where
they can land a giant.
CYRIL: All right, we're back.
Okay, the lake is here, guys.
Over there, look,
did you see that?
That's pirarucu.
CYRIL: Yeah, I think I see
a spot where I can fish from.
GEOFF: Oh!
CYRIL: Are you all right, Geoff?
GEOFF: Yeah, no, going down
a slippery hill on your heels
is not a good idea, but yeah,
this looks like
a good spot, man.
CYRIL: Telling you, when
you're looking for a fish as
big as the giant pirarucu,
you don't want to
take any chances.
NARRATOR: To make sure his
line doesn't break again if
he runs into a massive fish.
Cyril ties on a
200-pound monofilament leader.
(splash)
CYRIL: Oh, big fish over there!
NARRATOR: Lorenzo wants a
DNA sample from a pirarucu
that has succeeded
in growing to full size
in this hostile environment.
CYRIL: Oh, here we go.
Here we go.
Fish, fish, fish,
fish, fish, fish.
NARRATOR: And according
to the indigenous tribe,
there could be a
giant in this lake.
CYRIL: Yup, it's got the bait.
Here we go.
Coming up, coming up, oh,
big fish, big fish, big fish.
NARRATOR: The pirarucu is
putting up an intense fight.
There's no question,
it's a giant.
CYRIL: I got to get
this fish in before it
breaks me off in a snag.
Got this little bit of
a spot here that we can,
that hopefully I can land it.
I'm going to have to bring
him here between the, the weeds.
Oh, yeah, it's a
big fish, big fish.
That's a tank.
NARRATOR: Cyril has no choice,
he has to get in the water.
Even if there are
Caimans and piranhas around.
CYRIL: It's a big fish.
NARRATOR: But if
he's going to land it,
he has to keep
it away from the weeds.
(Cyril groans).
CYRIL: Don't go there.
Don't go there, fish.
(Cyril groans).
(splashing)
CYRIL: That's a giant,
that's a true giant.
Geoff, are you
ready with the samples?
GEOFF: Yup, coming.
CYRIL: It's going to be tough,
holding on to this fish.
You got to be careful, Chris.
Careful, man.
CHRIS: Okay, I'm getting out.
CYRIL: This can knock you out.
NARRATOR: Chris is a
little too close for comfort.
CYRIL: Or kill you man.
NARRATOR: And has to move back.
CYRIL: We got to bring
this guy in to sample him.
CYRIL: I'm gonna need some
help here to land this fish.
JESSE: Help.
CYRIL: Jesse, can
you please grab the rod?
JESSE: Yeah,
careful of its head.
CYRIL: Watch out, watch out,
watch out, watch out.
Watch out, watch out.
(splashing and groans)
CYRIL: Oh, God.
Okay, Geoff,
you're almost ready?
GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: This is it, the
true giant of the Amazon.
And one of the,
the world's largest,
largest freshwater fish.
Look at this.
Look at this animal.
Oh!
Okay Geoff, let's
get the sample here.
GEOFF: Yeah.
CYRIL: Gotta do it quick.
GEOFF: Yeah, this
fish needs to go back.
CYRIL: Just a quick...
GEOFF: Can you
hold that fin for me?
CYRIL: Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, you got it good.
GEOFF: It's coming,
coming right up.
I got it, I got it.
JESSE: You got it, you got it?
CYRIL: All right, good one.
Okay, let's, let's get
this measurement real quick.
Good job.
GEOFF: I'll get
the tail, you get the nose?
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Hang on, buddy, hang on.
Wow.
CYRIL: What do you got?
GEOFF: It sort of twisted,
but man, it's like 223.
CYRIL: That's almost 90 inches.
This fish is over seven feet.
That's a giant.
That's a true giant.
Oh, oh.
NARRATOR: At
seven feet, four inches,
this pirarucu is one
of the Amazon's last giants.
Its DNA holds the genetic
secrets of this rarely studied
fish capable of
surviving and flourishing
in this harsh environment.
CYRIL: Did you see
the size of this fish?
Man, that's what
we've been looking for.
GEOFF: It was huge.
CYRIL: That was a monster.
Good job guys.
Yeah, buddy, good job.
JESSE: It was huge.
CHRIS: Great work.
GEOFF: Yes, we did it.
CYRIL: You guys just saw the
Amazon's true last giant fish.
BOTH: It's crazy.
CYRIL: And we got the
samples and the measurement.
We got everything, right?
You got samples?
GEOFF: Yeah, we
got the measurement.
I think I broke the
measuring tape pulling it
all the way out like that.
CYRIL: I think Lorenzo
is going to be happy.
JESSE: I hope so.
GEOFF: Yeah, he's
definitely going to be happy.
CYRIL: Yeah, now
it's time to move
on to, uh, the piraiba, right?
GEOFF: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Seeing a giant
pirarucu in the wild gives
the team hope for these
unique prehistoric fish.
The team is back in
Manaus on their way to deliver
the pirarucu samples to Lorenzo,
a scientist with the
Federal Institute of Amazonas.
LORENZO: Wow Cyril, you
got the samples we needed!
Yeah! This is really good!
CYRIL: Perfect.
NARRATOR: The data from the
two pirarucu the team sampled,
which includes the biggest
fish in Lorenzo's study so far,
will help him better
understand the species
in order to protect it.
Now, the guys can move on
to the huge Goliath catfish,
known locally as the piraiba.
LORENZO: The
piraiba is a huge fish,
and it's really
important for the ecosystem.
It's an apex predator that
controls its whole ecosystem.
NARRATOR: Reaching
well over 400 pounds,
the piraiba is one of the
biggest fish on the planet.
This murky water giant
feeds on anything that swims
in front of its
massive bucket-like mouth.
To spawn, the Goliath catfish
makes the migration through
the Amazon's
complex river systems.
And yet, in spite of
its incredible exploits,
the piraiba is facing
serious challenges.
LORENZO: Its habitat is being
destroyed by deforestation,
pollution of the rivers,
overfishing,
and the construction
of hydroelectric dams.
This large fish needs
to relocate to reproduce.
CYRIL: So if a dam is built
in the river, it's all over.
LORENZO: Yes Cyril,
it can be catastrophic.
This species can disappear,
or its population can
be greatly diminished.
It's rare to see
piraibas in rivers near
large cities, nowadays.
CYRIL: The piraiba is, is one of
the biggest fish in the world.
And yet we barely know
anything about those fish and
populations are
going down drastically.
LORENZO: There are a lot
of areas in the Amazon we
still don't have samples from.
CYRIL: Like the
area we're going to?
Because you don't
have samples from there?
LORENZO: Exactly, we need
to get samples from there.
NARRATOR: Lorenzo
only has samples from
downriver in the Amazon.
If the team can
sample piraibas from
the remote upper rivers,
this could provide
DNA evidence that they all
belong to the same
population and need protection.
CYRIL (off-screen): The
area that we're going to,
those fish have
never been studied there,
so the only way to study
this fish is to catch them,
get the samples to
know where they're from,
where they reproduce,
so that it can be
better protected.
NARRATOR: This next
mission will take them far
from civilization and
further into the Amazon jungle
than they've
ever been before.
LORENZO: May God
be with you. Good work.
I hope you all stay safe.
CYRIL: Yes, thank you.
NARRATOR: Where they're headed,
they'll be
completely on their own.
So they make one last stop
in Manaus to meet a chief of
a special branch
of military police
who will be their
emergency contact if anything
goes wrong in the wild.
They're meeting him at
the headquarters of Choque,
Brazil's elite security forces.
While they wait,
the team is invited to join
the day's intensive training.
CYRIL: You guys
are ready for it?
GEOFF: Mmm.
GEOFF: But we're not
actually going to, like,
need to dodge or know
about grenades on this trip,
are we?
CYRIL: I hope not.
But it's part of the training,
so if you want to
train with them and be taken
seriously, you got to do it.
CYRIL: Perfect.
CYRIL: It's not quite
every day that you get
to throw a, a grenade.
GEOFF: Ah, I didn't
release the grenade!
NARRATOR: The next phase of the
training is no laughing matter,
and the team does their
best to keep up with the troops.
MAN: Go go go!
(shouting in native language).
MAN: Go! Faster! Go!
(overlapping shouting).
CYRIL (off-screen): No choice.
We have to train
with the best to face the
worst conditions possible.
NARRATOR: But just
because it's training,
doesn't mean it's not dangerous.
(Geoff groans).
CYRIL (off-screen): What
happened to you, Geoff?
GEOFF: I hit the wire.
CYRIL: You hit the wire?
GEOFF: Yeah, I hit
it with my (bleep) face.
CYRIL: Are you all right?
GEOFF: Yeah, I was going
under the wires, and, uh,
I kind of looked up
too much, obviously, and...
CYRIL: You hit it.
GEOFF: I took one
right on the forehead.
CYRIL: You're
bleeding a little bit here.
GEOFF: Just a bit?
CYRIL: Yeah.
GEOFF: Yeah, I
smoked it pretty hard.
CYRIL: Are you all right?
Are you not dizzy?
(laughter)
NARRATOR: Luckily,
the crew still has a
functioning director,
and it's time for a briefing
with their emergency contact.
CYRIL: We're heading
into the jungle, now.
MAN: You must start sending me
your location
coordinates, every day,
so I can check
your exact location
for security purposes.
CYRIL: Okay, by GPS?
MAN: Yes, by GPS.
CYRIL: Every day?
MAN: Yes, every day.
That way, we can
keep monitoring you,
to ensure your security.
CYRIL: Thank you very much.
CYRIL: They're going to
be our point of contact.
So every day
I've got to send GPS
coordinates so that they know
exactly where we're located
in case of an emergency.
NARRATOR: Most of
the Amazon rainforest is
inaccessible by road,
so to get to the
remote rivers where
the giant piraiba
can still be found...
CYRIL: Here we go.
GEOFF: All right.
NARRATOR: The team is
taking a 24-hour cruise
on a slow boat.
Decades ago, the
piraiba could easily be found
throughout the Amazon,
but because of human
activity in recent years,
their numbers
have dropped drastically.
So to find these giant fish,
the team is going to have
to travel far upriver into
truly wild and
uncharted territory.
While the captain
keeps a lookout for
debris in the river,
the team takes
advantage of a rare moment...
(boat engine)
GEOFF: What?
NARRATOR: Of not
so quiet downtime.
CYRIL: You guys are
enjoying the cruise?
GEOFF: Yeah.
JESSE: Good.
GEOFF: Fun times.
(boat engine)
NARRATOR: It's their last
night sleeping under shelter
and even a noisy boat
can't ruin the luxury.
CYRIL: Amazon style shower.
NARRATOR: After 24 hours of
slowly plodding up the river,
they finally get to
the end of the line.
CYRIL: All right, as far
as we can go with this boat.
CYRIL: Thank you, my friends.
Thank you for everything.
CAPTAIN: Good luck!
(speaking in native language).
NARRATOR: The team sets out
on a half-day hike through
the jungle to meet up with some
locals who can take them to
an area where it's rumored
there are giant piraiba.
But along the way,
Cyril is going to try
his luck at catching this
elusive giant and to do that,
he needs to
stock up on some bait.
CYRIL: There should be
some black piranhas here.
NARRATOR: When
fishing for the Amazon's
legendary black piranha,
a few precautions are needed.
CYRIL: I'm gonna
use some metal leaders.
As you can imagine,
those fish have teeth
that can bite through
pretty much any kind of line,
except for wire, metal wire.
It shouldn't be able
to get through that.
And another reason why
it's so important to have a
metal leader on is that
once the fish bites into prey,
especially if there's blood,
it triggers a
feeding frenzy, they'll go...
(growling).
They will all go crazy.
Actually, they lose their mind
kind of like sharks, you know,
if a shark bites into a prey,
and if there's
blood in the water,
they all start biting.
Same feeding behavior.
And if you don't have
a metal leader on, other
piranhas will bite into your,
your line and cut you through.
And to get the
piranhas attention,
I'm using a, a nice
big piece of steak.
CYRIL: If there are
piranhas here, they're, they
should soon smell the meat.
Okay, here we go, look, look.
Piranha on.
We've got some bait.
If you thought a
piranha was a small fish,
huh, well, think again.
Look at the size of this one.
The black piranha, the
largest of all piranha species,
the biggest I've heard
of is close to ten pounds.
Pound for pound,
the black piranha
has a stronger bite
than a great white shark.
These guys are the
terror of the river.
Everybody fears them.
CYRIL (off-screen): They're so
ferocious and there's so many.
If you're a fish here,
you get to keep
your head on a swivel,
I can tell you that.
Look, this is
typical bite from piranha.
See? Look at the rod.
See, boom, boom,
boom, boom, boom.
Yeah, they smelled
the bait, one got a bite,
and the other ones went crazy.
Oh man, look at this one.
He got attacked
by another piranha.
And that bite is fresh,
I could tell you that.
You're so voracious,
so vicious, aren't you?
NARRATOR: Stocked up on bait,
it's time to test these
waters for massive piraiba.
The team sets off along the
edge of the river in search
of a good fishing spot,
one where Cyril can
cast to deeper waters.
GEOFF: You guys okay?
JESSE: Yeah.
CYRIL: Let's keep going, guys.
I think I saw a
good spot on the GPS.
Looks good here.
I like the fact
that there's two rivers,
this one and
another river there,
that meet right
here at the point.
Should be a really good area.
NARRATOR: The piraiba is
an active predator that likes
to hunt for prey in deep
pools where currents meet.
And a piece of fresh piranha
should get their attention.
♪ ♪
CYRIL: Oh. Oh.
Here we go.
Here we go, here we go.
Oh, yeah, look at that,
look at that, look at that.
Oh, this fish is
going up current.
It's a good fish.
It's powerful, whatever it is.
(grunting)
Oh, it's a payara,
big vampire fish.
Ah, mmm, it's a nice payara,
a very nice payara.
Might not be the
fish that we want,
but I want to show
you the teeth on this thing.
Yes.
(panting).
Yes, this is one
truly amazing Amazon
predatory fish right there.
The payara,
AKA vampire fish.
Look at the fangs on this fish,
on the bottom jaw of
this fish, monstrous.
And they actually used
those fangs to puncture
the vital organs of
their prey and then
swallow them whole.
Imagine being a small fish,
the last thing that you see
before you get crushed is this.
Scary.
He got attacked by a piranha.
The piranha took a
bite directly out of this
fish's tail, right there.
Just like a cookie cutter,
boom, straight, clean cut.
You think this is a jungle
there and it's bad in there?
Think about what's happening
underneath the surface here.
Predator versus
predator down there.
Payara, what a creature.
Yeah, we need to
get upriver, guys.
NARRATOR: With
no piraiba around,
the team continues
upriver towards tributaries
where the massive fish spawn.
To help navigate this wild,
uncharted no man's land,
the guys are meeting up with
a local, Eder, at his camp.
CYRIL: Hey, Eder!
How's it going?
EDER: Great, how about you?
CYRIL: Really good.
NARRATOR: Eder has
military experience and
knows the rivers around here,
and the team will be using
his boats for their mission.
EDER: João, get down here!
NARRATOR: Eder is
bringing along his friend João.
CYRIL: Hello, João!
NARRATOR: And even if
he's indigenous from here,
the river system is so huge
he can only know so much of it.
CYRIL: Do you
know this area well?
JOÃO: More or less.
CYRIL: Okay.
JOÃO: It's dangerous.
CYRIL: Hmm.
NARRATOR: There
are countless dangers
where the team is heading,
but none are more unpredictable
than the river itself.
With this extremely rocky,
shallow bottom,
the river is infamous
for boat crashes and drownings.
But they have no choice,
traveling by river is
the only way to access
the birthplace of
the piraiba catfish.
CYRIL: Giant otters.
Caiman right there.
Just a little guy,
the bigger one is around.
NARRATOR: Caimans are just
one of the dangers they'll face
out here and
finding the piraiba's
remote spawning grounds
will take them far from
help if they run into trouble.
CYRIL: We're going to such
remote areas that we're going
to have to use some
technology for safety reasons.
This is a satellite phone.
It looks like an
old phone from the '80s.
Big, bulky, huge antenna,
but you can have a
voice conversation at
any point in time
with anybody in the world.
We have also
another device, which is this.
This is for mapping purposes.
It still works with
satellite communications too
and has an SOS
button on the side.
If you press on this,
just like if you
press on this guy here,
help will be on its way.
But the plan is to send the
GPS coordinates of where we are
every day to the police chief.
That way if we lose this,
or if we lose communication
with satellite for any reason,
they'll be able to find us
through the last coordinates
that were left.
CYRIL (off-screen):
And hopefully get us.
We have to have this stuff,
you know, because the area
that we're going to be going
to is way out there.
Anything can happen.
NARRATOR: Cyril and the crew
have teamed up with locals,
Eder and João
and are heading into the
remote Amazon jungle
with the hopes of finding and
sampling the Goliath catfish
known here as the piraiba.
CYRIL: Here...
it's a good pool here.
It's a large basin
and it looks very deep.
EDER: There's plenty of
big fish here, big beasts.
NARRATOR: Eder and João
have safely navigated the team
to their first fishing spot.
Deep basins in the river
are favored hunting grounds
for the piraiba,
which patrol the
bottom looking for prey.
They can grow over ten feet long
and weigh over 400 pounds.
And with piranhas everywhere,
Cyril rigs a metal leader to
avoid losing his bait and hook.
CYRIL: Oh yeah, a
piraiba is going to love this.
Hmm.
♪ ♪
Oh, oh, oh.
CHRIS: You got something?
CYRIL: I think so,
might have a client here.
Here we go, here we go,
it's a good fish, yeah.
NARRATOR: Cyril has a
nice fish on the line.
And in these waters,
there's only a couple
species that can be this big.
CYRIL: Okay, we might, yeah,
we might have a
piraiba on the line.
I don't think it's a
monster because it's
not pulling that much.
And I'm getting small
head shakes, but who knows,
it could definitely
be a small one.
It's right here.
Pirarara.
NARRATOR: It's a catfish,
just not the right species.
CYRIL: It's a redtail catfish.
I was sure it was
going to be a piraiba.
It was a really good bite.
It felt solid.
Let's get this
guy out of the water.
Oh!
Redtail catfish, pirarara,
another of the Amazon cats.
NARRATOR: This redtail is
a juvenile and adults can
grow to be four times its size.
CYRIL: Really cool fish.
Oh, man, look, this
fish has candirus on it.
It's actually a parasite fish,
because what they do is
they get in their gills and
they suck on the, on the mucus
that they have on the, on
the gills and even the blood.
So they find
themselves a host like this.
They attach to it and
they take advantage of it.
There's even a legend.
People seem to think that they
can swim up your urethra or any
other bodily orifices
and stay stuck in there.
And the only way to get
rid of them is to get surgery.
CYRIL: There's so many
stories here in the Amazon,
many people say it's true.
JOÃO: Well...
CYRIL: Do you think it's true?
JOÃO: Hm.
CYRIL: Yet,
in reality, who knows?
EDER: Cyril, with this bait,
you'll catch a huge piraiba.
CYRIL: Yes!
They love the taste of piranha.
NARRATOR: Having
just caught a red tail,
Cyril is in a
good spot to find a piraiba.
Both catfish species like
deep pools near fast water.
But when it comes to giants,
it's always a waiting game.
CYRIL: Oh, just got a bite.
There's definitely something
after my bait right now.
Oh, here we go.
Man, big fish, big fish,
big fish, big fish, guys.
Oh, man, the
strength of this fish!
NARRATOR: The fish
is running hard and
taking a lot of Cyril's line.
CYRIL: Untie the rope,
let the boat drift.
It's a huge fish.
EDER: I'm going to let it drift.
NARRATOR: For Cyril
to get back his line,
they'll let the boat
drift while he fights the fish.
CYRIL: I think it is a piraiba.
The current is coming this way.
Man, the fish is swimming
out of a current, look,
it's pulling the boat.
NARRATOR: The piraiba
is extremely powerful.
It's capable of
migrating up these rivers,
and it seems impervious
to the strong current.
CYRIL: This fish is
swimming up current,
it's pulling the boat.
It's unreal.
Oh, it just changed directions.
It's swimming
straight back at me now.
NARRATOR: As quickly as
the fish shot up current,
it's now turned around
and racing downstream.
CYRIL: I think
this is a piraiba.
I'm pretty sure it is.
It's just too erratic
to be anything else.
I think it's getting
close to the surface.
It's almost here.
Here it is. I saw it, I saw it.
It's a big fish,
it's a big fish.
Oh, look at the tail.
Look at the tail.
EDER: Piraiba.
(speaking in native language)
CYRIL: It's coming up,
coming up, coming up,
coming up, coming up.
Oh yeah, look at, look at that.
Look at this fish,
can you believe they get
even bigger than this guy?
This is what Lorenzo needs,
so we'll get a sample from it.
Oh, all right,
Geoff, let's do this.
We got to sample this fish.
We don't have much time, man.
I see some big rapids there.
I'm going, I'm going to
secure the fish by the boat.
GEOFF: Can we
get him on the boat?
CYRIL: No, no,
that's going to hurt him.
GEOFF: The water
is getting fast.
CYRIL: Hurry!
Start the motor, please!
Please, quickly.
EDER: Cyril, it's not starting.
NARRATOR: The motor is dead.
All Eder can do now
is try to steer the
boat through the rapids.
EDER: Hurry! We're
getting close to the rapids.
NARRATOR: And with
rapids fast approaching,
Cyril and Geoff are under
the gun to sample this piraiba.
GEOFF: I got it.
CYRIL: Okay, hold on, let
me grab the pectoral fin.
GEOFF: That's it.
CYRIL: Yeah, take
the fin clip right here.
GEOFF: Can you get
him to stay still?
CYRIL: Not really, no.
GEOFF: Oh (bleep)!
Guys, the rapids
are like right here.
CYRIL: We're going
to get beat up and the fish
is going to
get beat up in the rapids.
(speaking in native language)
GEOFF: I can't get the sample.
CYRIL: Gotta let
go of this fish.
GEOFF: Aw, man.
CYRIL: We're going to
flip the boat and we're
going to kill this fish.
GEOFF: Uh, just give
me one last shot, okay?
(speaking in native language).
CYRIL: Right, quick, quick!
GEOFF: Ah!