River Monsters (2009–2017): Season 1, Episode 5 - Amazon Assassins - full transcript

The Amazon River is home

to a terrifying collection
of man-eating monsters.

And in the darkest corners
lurks a dinosaur.

Legends tell of an evil spirit
inhabiting an enormous fish.

Longer than a man,
it is encased in thick scales,

and it crushes its prey
with a tongue made of bone.

But with a body of pure muscle,

its primary weapon is raw power.

I'm Jeremy Wade,
biologist and extreme angler,

and I've encountered
this creature once before.

Hey!



That time,
I came out second best,

but now I'm ready
for the rematch.

Yes!

I've been coming to the Amazon
for 15 years,

and a tale I've heard many times

is that of a fisherman
going missing.

Far from home, on a remote
tributary of the Amazon,

something happens.

People tell of a creature
leaping out of the water,

knocking the fisherman
from his canoe.

But with no eyewitnesses,

the list of suspects
is speculative at best.

Could there really be
a monster in the Amazon

capable of doing this?



And if so,
what kind of beast could it be?

Anaconda...

caiman...

piranha
are all convicted killers.

But in my travels
around the world...

I've caught
some supersized freshwater fish

that are more than capable
of doing the job.

Is there one more river monster

to add to the list of
the Amazon's usual suspects...

A creature that has somehow
slipped through the net?

The story
of a canoe found floating,

nobody in it,
fisherman disappeared...

The automatic assumption
from everybody

was that it was a caiman
or an anaconda.

Those are
the obvious candidates.

But I've been thinking,

and I think another animal
might have been involved.

And what I think
it might have been...

is one of these.

Now, I mean, this is
a real armor coat, this,

and it looks as if it's a snake
or some other reptile.

But, believe it or not,
this is actually a fish,

and this is a big fish.

This is the skin
of an arapaima fish.

And if its scales
make you think of a dinosaur,

that's because the arapaima
is indeed a dinosaur of sorts.

It has swum in these waters
virtually unchanged

since the Cretaceous period.

That is just a single scale
from this animal.

I mean, you know,
that is pretty impressive.

But they go
a lot bigger than that.

And the reason I know that
is... that.

Now, whatever that came off,

that would have been
a serious river monster.

Arapaima have been caught
measuring up to 10 foot long,

making them
the largest freshwater fish

in the world's largest river.

But in recent years, they have
been relentlessly overfished.

And today they are so rare,

it is forbidden to catch them
in most areas.

However,
they are potentially found

throughout the countless
thousand miles of river

that make up the Amazon basin.

And I believe arapaima
may be responsible

for killing some
of those missing people.

My mission is to investigate
this theory

and see if I can track down
and even catch

one of these potential killers.

I've begun my quest in Manaus,
the Wild West frontier town

at the heart
of the Brazilian Amazon.

I need to know
what I'm dealing with.

And for that, I'm going
to visit some captive arapaima,

and I know just the place.

Normally, in the Amazon, seeing
arapaima live and close up

is pretty well impossible.

There's just so much water.
It's pretty murky.

Here's this place.

It's a bar
in the middle of Manaus,

and this could be just the
perfect place to check them out.

Absolutely amazing opportunity

to get eyeball-to-eyeball
with these things.

It really is
prehistoric-looking,

like stone or metal or something
in a real armor plating.

And the other thing that's
very striking about this fish...

They are very elongated.
They're quite cylindrical.

That is just perfect design
for an ambush predator...

You know,
speed over a short distance.

Arapaima
are naturally predatory,

engulfing any fish
that fit into that bony mouth,

including piranha.

They will even consume birds
and other animals,

sucking them down
from the water's surface.

And then they've got
this very gruesome technique

for actually finishing
their prey off.

They have a tongue
with a piece of bone inside it,

and they actually use
that bony tongue

to crush the small fish
against the roof of the mouth.

So it's not a very pleasant way
to go, I'd imagine.

These are pretty big fish.

You know, that mouth isn't
big enough to swallow a person,

so any stories like that,
you've really got to discount.

But it could still kill you.

That is a very solid
lump of bone

with an enormous mass of muscle
behind it.

I've been on the receiving end
of one of these things.

It hit me in the chest,
and... no exaggeration...

I could still feel that
a month and a half later.

It just bruised me so deeply.

It was seven years ago,

and I was helping a friend
of mine, a research scientist,

with his captive-breeding
program for arapaima.

His long-term goal

is to take the pressure
off the wild population,

and he needed
to capture his fish

to pair them up
with likely mates.

We'd caught several fish
already,

and weighed and measured them
without problem

when I let my guard down.

While drawing in a net with
an arapaima trapped inside,

this hard-nosed giant turned
from fish into missile.

From nowhere, I had 100 pounds
of solid bone smash into me.

Weeks later,
a doctor described my injury

as similar to the impact

of striking the steering column
during a car crash.

I'm not saying
this is some malignant creature

that will deliberately hunt
and eat you.

It doesn't have the mouth
for it.

But corner one of these beasts,

and it will launch
a preemptive strike.

It is this event
that makes me believe

the arapaima may be
the killer in question.

If these fishermen
were hunting arapaima

or accidentally caught one
in a net,

this animal
will violently defend itself.

Just one thrash
connecting with the head

is all it would take
to knock you unconscious,

leaving you at the mercy

of the Amazon's scavenging
river monsters.

If I'm going to investigate
this theory,

I need to demonstrate

that my experience
wasn't a freak occurrence

and arapaima do have the power,
the ability,

and even the intent
to take a fisherman out.

But more importantly,

I need to prove
that despite overfishing,

there are still arapaima
out there

large enough to do the damage.

And the best way I can do that
is by catching a giant arapaima.

But as I set off on my mission,
leaving the port of Manaus,

my boat captain tells me that
if I'm interested in arapaima,

then I should definitely visit
one of these floating houses.

Salted arapaima

used to be a meal
enjoyed across the Amazon.

But since a ban
on commercial fishing,

a few enterprising Ribeirinhos,
or river people,

have started to farm them
in pens like this

to satisfy the demand
for arapaima meat.

I've heard these arapaima
in this enclosure here

do something quite spectacular.

I've arrived

just as they're preparing
to fish one out

for their own cooking pot.

Bom dia.

Jeremy, Jeremy.

- Alegria.
- Alegria, eh?

Alegria,
which means "happiness,"

he's about to try and get
an arapaima out of here.

There's a few in here.

And he says
it's not an easy job.

It can be a wee bit interesting.

I'm going to ask him
if maybe I can help.

There are 30 fish in here,

and he says
they're just jumping everywhere.

And, you know,
you're just having to duck.

You risk getting hit
by the head.

And this is about the size
of a boxing ring.

You know, it's like having
30 people coming at you

and just having to avoid them.

I'm gonna have to just prepare
myself a little bit.

Suddenly, all my old fears

from my painful encounter
are back.

But if I'm going to catch
an arapaima

capable of killing a man, then
I need to face up to my fear.

And if that means getting back
into the water

with one of these beasts,

then that's
what I'm going to have to do.

Oh, I just trod on a fish!

So I'm helping these guys
net a captive arapaima.

Right.

Ah, this is the...

This is a bit
like a boxing ring.

It's about the same size.

There's 35 fish in here
nearly as big as I am.

It's a simple matter
of netting one,

but this is exactly
what I was doing

when I took the full force

of an arapaima head butt
to the chest.

And I have been warned
that these fish

are particularly violent
when cornered.

I'm walking forward, which means

all the vulnerable bits
of me body...

You know, a boxer would be
covering them up.

Okay, that's going well.

They're gonna start jumping
any minute, he's saying.

Any minute,
they're gonna start jumping.

Okay, we didn't get one.

Gonna have to go through
the whole thing again.

Knowing what's coming

makes the second attempt
even more daunting.

I'm afraid.
"Jeremy is afraid," he's saying.

I think that is
fairly clear to see.

He's saying they might be
a bit tired this time,

so they might... Oh!

There's no doubt that when
cornered or trapped by nets,

the arapaima becomes
a formidable force of nature.

With the help
of these arapaima farmers,

I'm finally holding
one of these incredible fish

in my arms.

Look at that fin.

Aah!

Hey!

My fear has been replaced
with a new respect.

We're gonna lift it up.

Maybe I'm now ready
to face an arapaima on my own.

Oh, now we're gonna
let the head go.

Gonna let the head go.

This is the...

Oh!

They wanted one to eat.
That one was too big.

They want to get a smaller one.

I think I'm just going to
leave them to it.

Okay! Bom.

Never, ever seen
anything like that before...

All those fish absolutely clean
out of the water.

You know, I think
that just has to be

the evidence
that I was looking for.

Just imagine
the damage a fish could do

that had
the same solid-bone head

but was more than twice
the weight.

But Senhor Alegria also insists

that they sneak through
holes in the nets,

displaying a curiously
unfishlike cunning.

Combine that with
their sheer muscular power,

and you can easily see how
dangerous the arapaima becomes

when cornered.

Now I know
what I'm dealing with.

But to catch one, it's gonna be
a couple of days by boat

to one of the few places

where arapaima fishing
is still allowed.

After a day's traveling,

we stop at a riverside town
to spend the night.

I'm not suggesting that
the arapaima is responsible

for all disappearances
on the Amazon.

This river has
a full complement of killers,

as I'm powerfully reminded

when asking around
for any fishermen's tales.

This man lost his wife
to a horrifying attack

by the South American cousin
of the alligator... the caiman.

Just yards away,

his poor daughter
could only helplessly look on.

This gentleman's wife
went fishing.

On her way back,

the boat actually sort of went
over the top of a caiman.

Mae! Mae!

Mae!

It hit the canoe,

tipped her into the water,
and then basically grabbed her.

Mae!

The caiman had actually
drawn away a little distance

because of the commotion
and the shouting.

Her daughter was able
to go around the other side

and pull her to land.

But they just took so long
to get help

that despite rescuing her mother
from the caiman, you know,

she died of her wounds later on.

It's one thing to hear
secondhand stories

about people being taken
by animals in the water...

You know, all very dramatic
fishermen's tales.

But to actually hear
from somebody

who actually saw their mother,
you know, taken in front of them

just really brings home
just what a...

potentially dangerous place
this is,

particularly
if you're a fisherman.

Something I've got to remember

is that it's not
just dangerous fish

that you've got in the water,
but there's a whole array

of other nasty,
dangerous creatures down there.

Fishermen that hunt
the arapaima fish

here in the Amazon

regularly expose themselves
to river monsters

that have no need to prove
their deadly nature.

I've heard a tale of a killer
caiman in these waters,

so I head out after dark
to see if I can find it.

But it seems like
I'm the one being watched.

There are eyes following
my every move.

I'm out at night hunting caiman.

There's one in these waters,
apparently,

that is absolutely
man-eating size.

They say it's close to 20 foot.

Caimans' eyes reflect
my flashlight,

making them easy to spot.

Oh, there's one, there's one,
there's one, there's one!

Seeing how many caiman
there are in these waters

makes me realize

that it is as much
the company the arapaima keep

that makes them
such risky prey to hunt.

Their fearsome defenses

allow them to survive
in these predatory waters.

But also, as the arapaima
becomes rarer and rarer,

it is pushed deeper

into the literally uncharted
reaches of the Amazon.

This is where the deadly forces
of nature lurk,

civilization is left behind,

and all medical assistance
is, well, beyond reach.

But if I'm to catch
a giant arapaima

and lay my own demons to rest,

then I'm going to have to face
these other monsters as well

as I enter the dark heart
of the Amazon.

Being such a rare animal
nowadays,

limited and sustainable fishing

is allowed
in just a few locations.

And this is where I'm headed.

I'm as far off the beaten track
as possible,

in search of those last places

which still provide sanctuary
to monsters.

There's no way we could get
up here using the motor.

Too many branches and rocks
in the water.

So we're having to manhandle
the boat

up this...
this very narrow creek.

We've entered a pristine,
magical world,

home to many mysterious
jungle creatures...

and maybe... maybe...
The large arapaima I'm after.

Agh!

Goodness me, that is a fish
and a half!

Look at that!

This is a beautiful caparari.

Oop.

Right. I'm actually very pleased
to have this fish.

It's not the arapaima
I was after,

but, you know, this is just...

to my mind,
such a lovely-looking fish.

I mean, the patterning on that
is just wonderful.

This bizarre catfish is
a strange monster of the deep.

But it seems that the arapaima
is an elusive giant

that won't be caught easily.

With the weather turning,

it's time to rethink my options.

Maybe I need to find someone
who can advise me

where exactly it's best to fish.

As I race ahead of the storm,
deeper into the jungle,

I'm reminded of the legend
that tells

how this monster fish
came into being.

Pirarucu was the son
of an Indian chief,

known to be cruel and arrogant.

He was disrespectful
of the gods,

so the highest god, Tupa,
decided to punish him.

He ordered storms to attack
Pirarucu on a fishing trip,

but Pirarucu laughed them off.

So Tupa struck him down
with lightning...

dragged him
to the bottom of the river,

and transformed him
into a giant fish...

The arapaima, or fire fish.

Although to this day,

Brazilians still call it
"pirarucu."

In the West, we have lost

much of our old reverence
for the natural world.

But there are still
remote tribal people

for whom reality and myth
are almost interchangeable.

The tribes of this region

have a deep connection
to the arapaima

and are still allowed
to hunt it for food.

So if I'm going to
track one down

and learn from the ancient ways,

I'm told
there are no better teachers

than the Mundurucú people.

Getting to grips with arapaima
in captivity is one thing.

But getting close to them
in the wild

is another thing entirely,

particularly now
they are so endangered.

But there are some people
further up this Amazon backwater

who do have a very ancient
relationship with the arapaima,

and I'm hoping
that when I get there

I'm going to find out
an awful lot more.

I've now been traveling
for several days.

It feels like I'm light-years
from civilization

when I finally track down
the Mundurucú people.

Bom dia.

Bom dia.

Although often dressed
in Western clothes these days,

the Mundurucús still retain
their connection to wildlife

and to the myths and legends
of old.

It looks like I could be
here at the right time.

A good time is right now
when the water's down

and the fish
are actually concentrated.

Aha.

But lunch is on the go.

And this far from civilization,

the creatures of the forest,
like this tarantula,

are an everyday part of life.

That is a monster.
That is an absolute monster.

I hook up with Manoel,

one of the village's
top fishermen.

He's gonna take me out to see
if we can spot

some wild arapaima.

I want to learn all I can
about the behavior

and natural haunts
of this river monster

if I'm going to give myself
the best chance

of catching
a good-sized arapaima.

What Manoel has just told me
is that to fish for arapaima,

the one thing that
you really need is patience,

and I'm really, really getting
a sense of that...

Just drifting slowly, slowly,
watching for that one sign

of the fish coming up
to the surface.

Arapaima are air-breathers,
an adaptation that allows them

to live
in the oxygen-depleted lakes

that form
in the Amazon's dry season.

But it is also a vital clue
for fishermen.

Every time
they break the surface,

they give away their presence.

And when they're actually
not afraid or at all spooked,

you know, that could be
actually quite a gentle ripple

for such a big fish.

It's a small sign,

but it gives away
their location.

The only problem is that
it can be 20 minutes or more

between breaths.

So predicting where
they're going to come up next

is not easy.

So there you are all day
under the hot sun,

after this huge fish.

But not only is that down there,
there's all these other

different river monsters
in the water.

I'm often in large,
metal-hulled fishing boats,

so coming down to water level
in these tiny canoes

makes you feel very exposed
and vulnerable.

I'm beginning to appreciate

that how you see
the natural world

entirely depends
on your perspective.

We've been paddling around here
for a fair old while,

and he's actually pointed out
a couple of fish surfacing.

But to be honest, I actually
couldn't see anything at all.

I think
I've got quite a way to go

until I properly get my eye in.

As we head back to the village,

my guide tells me about
one river monster in particular

that they fear.

It's called the cobra grande...
The big snake.

I've heard
of this monster before,

and I thought it was
a mythical, oversized anaconda.

But I am told
that several people here

have actually seen it

and that a nearby village
had to totally relocate

because they were so terrified
of the big snake.

Manoel here has actually seen
a cobra grande,

and it was actually on land.

So I'm very keen
to get the details of this.

This sounds to be more
than just a big anaconda.

This was a huge animal...
Immense size, great big head.

And this thing was black,
red, and yellow,

and it was missing its tail,
which is an odd detail.

He obviously had
a very good look at it.

The snake was just lying there,
looking out over the water,

these eyes like searchlights,

and apparently its head
just covered in bees...

Just black with bees,

but, you know, the animal
just not bothered at all.

Sounds farfetched, but he
actually saw this huge animal,

just down the bank from here.

He tells me a few
other people in the village

saw the cobra grande
very recently.

This is an opportunity
not to be missed.

I decide to put
my arapaima hunt on hold

to see if one of the Amazon's
most unbelievable myths

is in fact reality.

I'm on my way
up a narrow, winding creek

in the middle of flooded forest,

except at the moment,
the water is very, very low.

And I'm on my way to see

the hole where a cobra grande
is supposed to live.

This is the giant snake
which, you know,

I thought was just purely
a creature of myth.

But they said, "No, no,
we are taking you to a place

where people say there is one
actually there now."

I was initially skeptical, but
their insistence is infectious.

If anywhere is going to be
the home of a cobra grande,

I mean,
this place certainly does have

that kind of feel to it.

We're here.

With the Amazon basin covering
some 2.7 million square miles,

there are, without any doubt,

new species
waiting to be discovered,

and who knows how big
some of these animals might be.

They said that this line here
is a track.

If this actually is
the track of a snake,

it is a big, heavy animal.

You know, this is
a seriously large track

that it's actually made
in the ground here.

Anacondas can reach
around 30 feet.

If that isn't a big snake,
I don't know what is.

But the locals say cobra grande
is far bigger than an anaconda.

Yes?

That does actually look
like the home of something.

Judging by the size
of the holes there,

you know, it could have been
something pretty large.

So here we've got
a bit of shed snakeskin.

Let's just pick a bit up.

And you can actually see
the individual scales.

At some point,

quite a large snake lay here
and shed its skin.

Even though it sounds ugly,
they're somewhat frustrated

that it doesn't seem
to be here today.

Although there are very,
very definite signs

that something large
is around these parts.

If I'm to fish
for a giant arapaima,

then I will be entering
the home of monsters.

Maybe I won't meet
the cobra grande on this trip,

but I'm finally grasping
how myth and reality

are intertwined
for these people.

I'm sure I could spend
a lifetime

learning more and more
about the arapaima

and the creatures that share
its mysterious world.

But it's now time
to put all I have gathered

into practice.

This is actually a place

where the tribespeople
around here

used to come before a big battle
to focus the mind,

prepare themselves mentally
beforehand.

And, um...

I guess, as I'm likely
to need all the help I can get,

it's not a bad idea

for me to just spend
a few minutes here as well.

I know that if I'm going to be
successful,

I need to understand and respect

a fish that,
for the local tribes,

is the incarnation of a warrior.

Mentally and physically
prepared, it's game on.

It's just me, my guide Johnny,

and out there somewhere,
a very big fish.

I'm putting into practice
the things I've learnt,

not just from the fish
in captivity

but also the whole business
about locating the fish,

spotting them, patience,

you know,
gradually working close

so that you're in a position
of getting one on the line.

With the water so low
in this lake,

oxygen levels are depleted.

The arapaima's
air-breathing physiology

is both its strength
and its weakness.

It came into existence

millions of years before there
were hunters like me around

scanning the water's surface
for that telltale clue.

I'm told there is another
small lake in the forest,

where modern line fishing
is allowed for arapaima,

as long as it's catch
and release.

We can't take the canoe there,
but we can go on foot.

And the fact that
it's tucked away a little bit,

maybe there's gonna be something

that I can get a bait at
over there.

This lake looks really nice,
actually.

It's very quiet.

Lots of snags,
which could be interesting.

I'm actually using
a thing called a circle hook.

Now, that looks like it's not
gonna hook anything at all.

The point just coming in here...

That's just not gonna hook
on anything.

But in fact,
if that's the fish's mouth...

what happens is it just comes...

and turns...

and there it is...

right in the corner
of the mouth.

Oh!

There we go.
That was one.

I just saw this red tail
come up.

Fraction of a second,
but I recognize it now.

That was an arapaima.

What I've got to do is try
and quietly get into position

so I can actually put a bait
near that fish.

One thing that I learned
from the tribespeople,

which is actually
quite hard to do,

but I've just got to be patient.

Yes!
Yes, yes, yes!

Ah, yeah!

That's a fish.
That's a good fish.

Oh, he's up.

I can see the fish.

As the battle with this arapaima

approaches the half-hour mark,

I'm reminded that
the rebellious, proud spirit

that inhabits this fish

even refused to surrender
to the gods.

Right.
It's got to be out.

There we go.

Oh, look at that.
It came out so easily.

Okay.
We're ready.

There it is.

Look at that for a fish.

Look at that
massive female arapaima...

About 150 pounds.

I finally have the proof
in my arms

that huge arapaima
are still out here.

This is a true dinosaur
of the deep.

I need this fish to regain
its strength after our battle

before I release it.

If I put it straight back,
it might not have the energy

to swim to the surface
to take a breath.

And being an air-breather,
it would drown.

Just the head a little bit
under the water...

and pointing up towards the bank

so if it does thrash,
there's only one way it can go,

in theory, which is not
back into the water.

Although they can
just double around 180 degrees.

Even at the end of a long fight,

I can still feel the strength
of this fish.

So I can absolutely imagine
this thing being able to...

Oh, there we go.

That's good.

That was the fish just having
a breath, which is excellent.

It means the fish
is not too tired out.

But, I mean, mainly,
this fish is just a bony head

with a big cylinder of muscle
behind it.

If this fish wasn't tired out,

I don't think I'd be able
to hold it.

That's good.

No, it's gone.

We were just wondering
if it had enough strength to go,

and no doubt about it...
I just couldn't hold it.

And in fact, at the end
of an epic battle on the line

but also an epic quest trying
to find one of these things,

but finally feeling
the strength of it,

absolutely, I'm in no doubt now

that if you were in
a small fishing canoe

and that thing hit you
underneath,

it would easily upend the canoe.

And then, if you were
in the water afterwards

and you got on the wrong side
of that head,

my goodness, that would
absolutely take you out.

Mythic and real beasts

swirl around one another
here in the Amazon.

When people go missing,

there is usually talk
of giant snakes...

and man-eating caiman.

I set out to show

that the arapaima
is an underestimated fish,

capable of extraordinary feats
of strength.

If cornered, trapped, or netted,

it becomes
a formidable opponent...

An airborne missile.

I knew I had to overcome
my fear to prove my case.

I went back into the water

and caught an ancient survivor
that is part fish, part legend,

and entirely worthy
of a deadly reputation.

Now, this is a real
river monster.

Want more of the world's
wildest, strangest,

and most terrifying
freshwater horrors?