Strange Evidence (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 2 - America's Loch Ness Monster - full transcript

Narrator: WORLDWIDE, SIX BILLION
CAMERAS ARE WATCHING US.

ON OUR STREETS, AT WORK, AND IN OUR HOMES,

THEY CAPTURE THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.

IT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

Man: OH, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE, MAN.

Narrator: EXPERTS CARRY
OUT FORENSIC ANALYSIS

OF THESE UNUSUAL EVENTS.

THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT'S GOING ON.

Woman: [ SCREAMS ]

Narrator: COMING UP,

A JURASSIC WORLD IN AN AMERICAN LAKE...



IMAGINE 60 PLIOSAURS SWIMMING
AROUND IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN.

THAT WOULD BE COMPLETELY TERRIFYING.

WHATEVER THAT THING IS,
THEY'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT.

Narrator: ...AN ARMY OF VAMPIRES...

THERE'D HAVE TO BE BILLIONS
OF THESE THINGS IN THERE.

IT REALLY IS A HORROR MOVIE.

Narrator: ...AND WHAT BEAST CAME
OUT OF THE SHELL FROM HELL?

THIS WOULD BE WAY OFF THE
SCALE FOR EVEN A DINOSAUR EGG.

Narrator: BIZARRE PHENOMENA,
MYSTERIES CAUGHT ON CAMERA,

WHAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND
THIS STRANGE EVIDENCE?

THE NIGHT SKY IN RUSSIA
BLAZES WITH A FIERY LIGHT,

TERRORIZING PEOPLE BELOW.

IT'S REALLY BIG AND IT'S REALLY POWERFUL.

IT COULD BE SOMETHING TERRIBLE.



Narrator: THE LIGHT IS HUGE AND INTENSE,

BUT SCIENTISTS ARE STILL
STRUGGLING TO FIND THE CAUSE.

IF I WAS GONNA IMAGINE THE
BEGINNING OF THE APOCALYPSE,

THIS WOULDN'T BE FAR OFF.

Narrator: NOVEMBER 14, 2014,
NIGHT FALLS IN SVERDLOVSK,

A RURAL CORNER OF EASTERN RUSSIA.

THEN, WITHOUT WARNING,
A GIANT BLINDING FLASH.

NOT KNOWING WHAT THAT IS
AND SEEING THAT MUCH ENERGY

AND POWER PUT OUT LIKE THAT,
THAT CAN BE VERY TERRIFYING.

Narrator: THE BURST OF LIGHT
CAUSES CONFUSION AND PANIC.

YOU ALMOST WANT TO
SHOUT OUT TO THE DRIVERS,

"STOP DRIVING TOWARDS IT AND TURN AROUND!"

Narrator: FOOTAGE OF THE
EVENT COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF ASTROPHYSICIST HAKEEM OLUSEYI.

HE HAS SPENT 30 YEARS
STUDYING THE NIGHT SKY.

HE CONSIDERS IF THE LIGHT
COULD'VE BEEN GIVEN OFF

BY A METEOR.

METEORS ARE MOVING INCREDIBLY FAST,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES PER HOUR,

SO THIS MEANS THAT THEY
HAVE A LOT OF KINETIC ENERGY,

AND THIS THING CAN SLAM
INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE,

AND SOME OF THAT KINETIC
ENERGY GETS CONVERTED INTO HEAT.

Narrator: METEORS CAN ENTER THE ATMOSPHERE

AT UP TO 160,000 MILES PER
HOUR AND BURN AT 3,000 DEGREES.

THESE ENORMOUS FORCES
CAN LITERALLY BLOW THEM APART.

THE FRONT SIDE IS UNDER A
MASSIVE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE,

AND THE BACK SIDE IS UNDER LOW PRESSURE,

AND THAT CAN BREAK IT APART,

AND THESE THINGS CAN
ACTUALLY EXPLODE IN THE SKY.

Narrator: RUSSIANS HAVE ALREADY
SUFFERED ONE CLOSE ENCOUNTER

WITH A SUPERSIZED SPACE ROCK.

IT WAS OVER 100 YEARS AGO,

AND IT'S WHAT WE CALL THE TUNGUSKA EVENT.

Narrator: WHEN A METEOR
EXPLODES ABOVE THIS REMOTE PART

OF SIBERIA IN 1908,

IT RELEASES ENERGY EQUIVALENT
TO 15 MEGATONS OF TNT.

THAT'S OVER 150 TIMES MORE POWERFUL

THAN THE ATOMIC BOMB
THAT DESTROYED HIROSHIMA.

THE TUNGUSKA EVENT FLATTENS
AROUND 80 MILLION TREES

ACROSS AN AREA TWICE
THE SIZE OF LOS ANGELES.

THE DEVASTATION OF TUNGUSKA WAS ON A SCALE

THAT THE ONLY THING IT COULD'VE BEEN

WAS SOMETHING FROM OUTER SPACE.

Narrator: BUT SCIENCE JOURNALIST
JOHN FARROW BELIEVES

THAT THE WEIRD FLASH
CAUGHT ON THE DASHCAM CLIP

IS NOT A METEOR.

WITH A METEOR, YOU ALWAYS SEE
A STREAK BEFORE THE EXPLOSION,

BUT THAT'S MISSING IN THIS CASE.

THERE IS NO STREAK BEFORE
THIS BIG FLASH OF LIGHT.

NO MATTER WHICH ANGLE YOU
SEE, THERE'S NEVER ANY TRAIL,

SO THAT TELLS YOU IT'S
PROBABLY NOT A METEORITE.

Narrator: IT IS KNOWN
THAT THE RUSSIAN STATE

HAS A SECRET ADVANCED-WEAPONS PROGRAM.

IS THIS A TEST OF SOME NEW SECRET WEAPON?

FORMER CIA AGENT LINDSAY MORAN

SPENT THREE YEARS
UNDERCOVER IN EASTERN EUROPE.

MY FIRST REACTION IS,
"THAT'S SOME KIND OF BOMB.

THAT'S SOME KIND OF EXPLOSION."

I MEAN, IT'S REALLY BIG.

IT'S FIERY ORANGE.

IT'S GOT TO BE SOME KIND
OF WEAPON DETONATING.

Narrator: IF THIS IS A NEW RUSSIAN WEAPON,

THE INTENSITY OF THE
BLAST IS A WORRYING SIGN.

FOR SOMETHING THAT SIZE

AND TO EXPEL THAT AMOUNT OF ENERGY,

IT HAS TO BE NUCLEAR.

Narrator: OVER THE PAST 70 YEARS,

RUSSIA HAS DETONATED
HUNDREDS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

TO JOHN FARROW, THE PYROTECHNICS
IN THE DASHCAM FOOTAGE

RESEMBLE A HIGH-ALTITUDE ATOMIC TEST.

THESE HIGH-ALTITUDE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS

DON'T CREATE THE
CHARACTERISTIC MUSHROOM CLOUD

THAT YOU ASSOCIATE WITH NUCLEAR BOMBS.

INSTEAD, THEY'RE MORE LIKE ORANGEY CLOUDS,

WHICH IS QUITE SIMILAR TO WHAT
WE'RE SEEING IN THIS FOOTAGE.

[ ALARM BLARING ]

DECLASSIFIED FILES SHOW THAT IN 1962,

THE U.S. CARRIED OUT THE
WORLD'S LARGEST HIGH-ALTITUDE

NUCLEAR TEST, CODE-NAMED STARFISH PRIME.

ONE AND A HALF MEGATONS OF ATOMIC ENERGY

WAS RELEASED 250 MILES ABOVE JOHNSON ISLAND

IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

RECORDS REVEAL AN INVISIBLE
SIDE EFFECT 900 MILES AWAY IN HAWAII.

WITH STARFISH PRIME IN 1962,
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE

THAT IT CREATED ACTUALLY
KNOCKED OUT ELECTRONICS IN HAWAII,

SO WITH THIS EXPLOSION,
IF THAT'S WHAT IT IS,

WE WOULD DEFINITELY EXPECT TO SEE

SOME KIND OF DISTURBANCES
IN THE ELECTRICITY

OR SOME KIND OF MASSIVE
BREAKDOWN IN THE AREA.

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST WILLIAM DRANGINIS

CHECKS THE FOOTAGE FOR TELLTALE GLITCHES

THAT MIGHT INDICATE AN
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE,

OR EMP.

FROM WHAT I'M SEEING HERE

IS THAT THERE'S NO STATIC ELECTRICITY

BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE CAMERA,

AND THE CAMERA IS FILMING CONSTANTLY.

THERE'S NO BREAK.

IT'S NOT THE NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: MIKE SANSOM IS
AN EXPERT IN EXPLOSIVES.

HE CHECKS FOR CLUES IN THE LANDSCAPE.

HE BELIEVES THERE'S A POSSIBILITY

THAT THE LIGHT IN THE
SKY BEGAN ON THE GROUND.

Sansom: THERE'S A MASSIVE BRIGHT LIGHT,

AND IT COMES FROM BEHIND A HILL.

WHAT CAN IT BE?

BECAUSE IT MAKES THAT
FEROCIOUS BRIGHT LIGHT,

MY THINKING IS AN EXPLOSIVE FIRE.

Narrator: SANSOM DEVISES AN EXPERIMENT

TO TEST HIS THEORY.

HE PLANS TO RECREATE THE EXPLOSION

USING ONLY HOUSEHOLD ITEMS.

SO I'VE GOT MY FUEL,
AND I'VE GOT AN OXIDIZER,

WHICH IS GONNA PROVIDE THE OXYGEN

FOR THE EXPLOSIVE FIRE.

THEY'RE ALL COMBINED IN THIS BAG.

WE'VE GOT A REMOTE FIRING SYSTEM,

AND WE'RE GONNA SEE IF WE CAN REPLICATE

WHAT WE SAW IN THAT VIDEO.

Narrator: BECAUSE THE EXPLOSION IN THE CLIP

OCCURS BEHIND A HILL,

SAMSON SETS UP A SIMILAR
OBSTACLE FOR HIS TEST.

I'VE GOT MY EXPLOSIVE FIRE
SET UP JUST BEHIND THIS HILL,

THE HAY BALES.

I'VE GOT MY FIRING SYSTEM, AND IT'S ARMED.

LET'S SEE WHAT IT PRODUCES.

[ EXPLOSION ]

LOOK AT THAT! IT'S LIGHTING UP THE SKY.

IT'S LIGHTING UP ALL THE SURROUNDINGS.

Narrator: SAMPSON BELIEVES THAT
IF THIS GROUND-BASED EXPLOSION

WAS SCALED UP BY A FACTOR OF 50,000,

HE MIGHT RECREATE THE WEIRD
SCENE CAPTURED ON THE DASHCAM.

BUT EVEN IF THIS WERE TRUE,

WHAT COULD'VE CAUSED
SUCH A GIGANTIC EXPLOSION

ON THE GROUND BENEATH THE FLASH?

THAT'S A FEROCIOUSLY BRIGHT LIGHT,

AND I'M THINKING, "WHAT ELSE
HAS FUELS AND OXIDIZERS?"

MUNITIONS.

AND IF YOU WERE TO BURN A LOAD OF THESE

ALL AT THE SAME TIME JUST BEYOND A HILL,

YOU'LL GET AN EXPLOSIVE
FIRE JUST LIKE THAT.

Narrator: ACROSS RUSSIA, THERE
ARE MANY STORES OF AMMUNITION,

AND THERE IS ONE IN THIS REGION.

SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT ONE OF
THESE STORES OF AMMUNITION

WAS SET ALIGHT,

AND THAT WOULD CREATE
A VERY LARGE EXPLOSION,

RELEASING A LOT OF LIGHT.

Narrator: BUT ACCORDING TO
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS,

THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT
OR EXPLOSION IN THIS AREA

ON THAT NIGHT.

THE STRANGE BLAST IN THE SKY

THAT TERRIFIED THE PEOPLE OF
SVERDLOVSK REMAINS A MYSTERY.

COMING UP, SOMETHING MASSIVE
IS ON THE MOVE IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN.

I WAS JUST TOTALLY AMAZED.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS FEAR THE RETURN

OF A JURASSIC MONSTER.

SOME BELIEVE THAT A
PLESIOSAUR STILL LIVES IN THIS LAKE.

Narrator: CAMERA FOOTAGE
CAPTURES SOMETHING LARGE

AND LEATHERY IN A NEW ENGLAND LAKE...

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THAT HUMP CAME UP

AND JUST STARTED CRAWLING ALONG.

IT WAS JUST TOTALLY AMAZING.

Narrator: ...FILM OF WHAT LOOKS
LIKE A CREATURE LONG ASSOCIATED

WITH THIS 500-SQUARE-MILE LAKE.

EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT CHAMPY,

THIS MYSTERIOUS MONSTER THAT
SUPPOSEDLY LIVES IN THE DEPTHS.

Narrator: LAKE CHAMPLAIN, VERMONT,

ONE OF THE LARGEST
FRESHWATER LAKES IN THE U.S.,

120 MILES LONG AND UP TO 400 FEET DEEP,

THERE'S ENOUGH WATER
HERE TO SUPPLY NEW YORK CITY

FOR 20 YEARS.

LOCAL RESIDENT KATY ELIZABETH GOES BACK

TO WHERE SHE WAS BY THE LAKE IN AUGUST 2014

WHEN SHE CAPTURED AN IMAGE ON CAMERA

SHE'LL NEVER FORGET.

I SAW A DISTURBANCE
AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN,

THIS HUMP ROSE TO THE SURFACE
OF THE WATER, DARK IN COLOR.

I JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SEEING.

Man: OH, MY GOD.

-IT'S CHAMP. -I KNOW. I SEE IT.

Man: WE GOT IT ON TAPE.

Narrator: KATY BELIEVES
SHE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE

OF A LIVING CREATURE THAT
BELONGS TO THE PREHISTORIC PAST.

IF SHE'S RIGHT, THIS COULD
BE RARE VIDEO FOOTAGE

OF THE MONSTER OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN,

THE LEGENDARY CHAMPY.

IT HAS BEEN MY CHILDHOOD DREAM TO,

I MEAN, JUST EVEN HAVE A SIGHTING OF CHAMP.

I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD EVEN HAPPEN.

Mardis: GOING BACK ALMOST 150 YEARS,

THERE HAVE BEEN STEADY REPORTS
OF SOME KIND OF A MONSTER-ISH

OR DINOSAUR-ISH CREATURE IN THE LAKE.

THERE IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
250 AND 300 SIGHTINGS OF THIS THING,

AND THERE ARE ALSO BITS AND PIECES

OF IMPRESSIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC
AND VIDEO EVIDENCE.

Narrator: KATY ELIZABETH'S
FOOTAGE COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF SECURITY EXPERT WILLIAM DRANGINIS,

AN ANALYST WHO SPECIALIZES
IN DECODING BLURRY IMAGES.

HIS FIRST TASK IS TO CALCULATE THE SIZE

OF THE OBJECT THAT KATY ELIZABETH FILMED.

A PASSING BIRD PROVIDES A CLUE.

WHAT I'M OBSERVING IN THIS FOOTAGE

SEEMS TO BE SOME TYPE OF MOVING OBJECT

THAT'S MOVING ALONG
THE SURFACE OF THE WATER

FROM OUR LEFT TO RIGHT.

IT SEEMS TO BE ABOUT 15 TO 20 FEET LONG.

Narrator: ZOOLOGIST ROLAND
KAYS STUDIES THE FILM.

IF DRANGINIS' SIZE
CALCULATIONS ARE CORRECT,

THE IMAGE MIGHT SHOW THE
ANATOMICAL AND BEHAVIORAL

CHARACTERISTICS OF A MONSTER
BUT NOT A MONSTER OF LEGEND.

Kays: WHAT WE SEE IN
THIS FOOTAGE IS SOMETHING

UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE,
JUST KIND OF BREAKING

THE SURFACE OF THE WATER A LITTLE BIT,

WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT
A ALLIGATOR LOOKS LIKE

WHEN IT'S SWIMMING ALONG IN A LAKE.

WHEN ALLIGATORS SWIM, THEY
OFTEN HAVE THEIR BACK AND NOSE

AND TAIL SORT OF OUT ON
THE SURFACE OF THE WATER,

SO WE MIGHT THINK, "COULD
THIS BE AN ALLIGATOR?"

Narrator: THE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR
CAN GROW UP TO 15 FEET IN LENGTH

AND HAS ONE OF THE MOST
POWERFUL BITES IN NATURE.

THEY HAVE BEEN KNOWN
TO KILL AND EAT HUMANS,

BUT ALLIGATORS ARE NORMALLY FOUND

IN WARMER SOUTHERN STATES LIKE FLORIDA.

MARINE BIOLOGIST DANNI WASHINGTON SUGGESTS

THAT EVEN THIS THICK-SKINNED SUPERPREDATOR

ISN'T TOUGH ENOUGH FOR LAKE CHAMPLAIN.

VERMONT HAS EXTREMELY HARSH
TEMPERATURES DURING THE WINTER,

AND THE LAKE COULD BE
FROZEN FOR MONTHS AT A TIME,

SO IT'S VERY UNLIKELY THAT AN ALLIGATOR

COULD SURVIVE THAT TYPE OF CONDITION.

Narrator: BIOLOGIST BRADLEY YOUNG

WORKS FOR U.S. WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES.

HE CONSIDERS WHAT KIND OF BEAST

COULD SURVIVE IN
CHAMPLAIN'S FREEZING WATERS.

THE SERIES OF RIDGES ON THE
CREATURE'S BACK SUGGESTS

ANOTHER KIND OF ANCIENT BEAST.

OUT OF ALL THE FISH IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN,

THE MOST LIKELY FISH THAT
COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR CHAMP

WOULD BE A STURGEON, IN MY OPINION.

STURGEON ARE A PRIMITIVE FISH.

THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOR
SEVERAL HUNDRED MILLION YEARS.

ITS BACK HAS WHAT ARE CALLED SCUTES ON IT.

THEY'RE A BONY STRUCTURE.

Narrator: STURGEON ARE COMMONLY
KNOWN AS BOTTOM-FEEDERS

AND GENERALLY STICK

TO THE DEEPEST PARTS OF RIVERS AND LAKES.

SO IF SOMEBODY SEES ONE
OF THOSE IN SHALLOW WATER,

THEY CERTAINLY WOULD BE SURPRISED.

Narrator: ROLAND KAYS BELIEVES
THERE'S A SCIENTIFIC WAY

OF TESTING IF THE CREATURE
KATY ELIZABETH SAW

WAS A STURGEON BECAUSE, ASTONISHINGLY,

STURGEONS CAN TALK.

STURGEONS DO MAKE A NOISE,

SOMETHING SOME PEOPLE
CALL STURGEON THUNDER.

IT'S A REALLY, REALLY LOW-FREQUENCY NOISE.

IT'S SUCH A LOW-FREQUENCY, INFRASONIC NOISE

THAT HUMANS CAN'T EVEN HEAR IT.

Narrator: KATY ELIZABETH
RETURNS TO THE LAKE TO TRY

AND FIND OUT WHAT'S
LURKING UNDER THE WATER.

IF THERE ARE STURGEON HERE,
THEN THIS SENSITIVE HYDROPHONE

SHOULD PICK UP THEIR
ULTRALOW-FREQUENCY CALLS,

BUT INSTEAD OF SO-CALLED STURGEON THUNDER,

SHE HEARS SOMETHING ELSE.

I JUST HEARD THIS SOUND, SAID,
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?"

IT JUST, LIKE, MADE THE HAIR ON
THE BACK OF MY NECK STAND UP.

Narrator: KATY ELIZABETH'S LAKE CHAMPLAIN

RECORDING LEAVES FISHERY
EXPERT BRADLEY YOUNG BAFFLED.

HEARING THE SOUND, I
CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT IT IS

OR WHAT'S CAUSING IT.

Narrator: HE CONFIRMS IT
ISN'T STURGEON THUNDER

OR ANY OTHER UNDERWATER NOISE HE KNOWS.

FISH I'M FAMILIAR WITH
WOULDN'T EMIT A SOUND

LIKE WHAT I HEARD ON THE HYDROPHONE.

IF IT DOESN'T MATCH ANY KNOWN
SPECIES, IT MAKES YOU WONDER,

"WHAT OTHER SPECIES COULD IT BE?"

Narrator: WILLIAM DRANGINIS
RETURNS TO THE FOOTAGE.

WHEN HE REANALYZES
THE IMAGE FRAME BY FRAME,

HE BELIEVES HE MAY HAVE UNDERESTIMATED

THE TRUE SIZE OF THE OBJECT IN THE WATER.

IT MAKES ME WONDER IF WHAT
WE'RE SEEING ON THE SURFACE

IS JUST THE TIP OF THE
ICEBERG, SO TO SPEAK.

THERE COULD BE MORE OF THE CREATURE'S BODY

BELOW THE WATER.

WHATEVER THAT THING IS, THEY'RE
GOING TO NEED A BIGGER BOAT.

Narrator: COMING UP, A
RANCHER WANTS TO CRACK

THE MYSTERY OF A MONSTER EGG.

THIS IS WEIRD AND TERRIFYING.

Narrator: HOLY SMOKE, A
DANCE OF DEATH IN THE DESERT.

KIND OF HAS A SPOOKY, ALMOST
SUPERNATURAL FEEL TO IT.

Narrator: AND SCIENTISTS
ASK IF A JURASSIC MONSTER

COULD BE LIVING IN NORTH AMERICA.

IT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST
LAKES IN THE UNITED STATES.

ANYTHING COULD BE HIDING IN THAT WATER.

343 Narrator: EXPERTS ANALYZE FOOTAGE

OF WHAT SOME BELIEVE IS THE LEGENDARY

LAKE CHAMPLAIN MONSTER.

-IT'S CHAMP. -I KNOW. I SEE IT.

Narrator: CRYPTOZOOLOGIST SCOTT MARDIS

COLLECTS REPORTS FROM THE LAKE

THAT GO BACK OVER 150 YEARS.

AND HE SEES AN ASTONISHING PATTERN EMERGE.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE
DESCRIBING SEEMS TO RESEMBLE

THIS PREHISTORIC MARINE REPTILE
FROM THE AGE OF THE DINOSAURS.

THEY HAVE LONG NECKS
WITH A SMALL HEAD AT THE TOP

WITH FOUR PADDLE-LIKE FLIPPERS.

Mardis: WHEN YOU PUT
TOGETHER THE WHOLE IMAGE,

THE COMPOSITE YOU COME
UP WITH LOOKS VERY MUCH

LIKE A PREHISTORIC PLESIUS.

Narrator: PLESIOSAURS ARE PREDATORS

FROM THE JURASSIC ARMED
WITH RAZOR-SHARP CURVED TEETH

USED TO DEVOUR FISH.

66 MILLION YEARS AGO, THEY
LIVED IN BRACKISH HABITATS,

A MIX OF SALT AND FRESHWATER,

BUT THEY ARE ASSUMED TO BE LONG EXTINCT.

THEY COULD'VE COME IN,
A SMALL GROUP OF THEM,

ADAPTED TO FRESHWATER
AND A COLD TEMPERATURE

AND MANAGED TO HANG ON,

AND THERE MIGHT BE A VERY
SMALL FRAGILE POPULATION OF THEM

IN THE LAKE NOW THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.

A PLESIOSAUR WOULD BE
PERFECTLY AT HOME IN A PLACE

LIKE LAKE CHAMPLAIN.

THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM IN
THERE FOR A PLESIOSAUR TO SURVIVE.

Narrator: ZOOLOGIST ROLAND KAYS BELIEVES

THAT IF THERE ARE ANCIENT
MONSTERS IN THE LAKE,

THERE CAN'T BE JUST ONE OR TWO OF THEM.

SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE THAT,

FOR A POPULATION TO SURVIVE LONG-TERM,

THEY NEED TO HAVE, AT A
MINIMUM, 30 BREEDING PAIRS,

SO IMAGINE 60 PLIOSAURS
SWIMMING AROUND IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN.

THAT WOULD BE COMPLETELY TERRIFYING.

Narrator: BUT EXPERTS CAN'T EXPLAIN

WHAT A PACK OF PLESIOSAURS
WOULD DO FOR FOOD.

PLIOSAURS IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN

WOULD EAT US OUT OF HOUSE AND HOME,

AND THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY SALMON OR TROUT

OR ANYTHING ELSE LEFT IN THE LAKE.

THE BALANCE, THE ECOLOGY OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN

DOESN'T PROMOTE THE
IDEA OF SUPPORTING ANIMALS

OF THAT SIZE LIVING HERE.

-IT'S CHAMP. -I KNOW. I SEE IT.

Narrator: WHATEVER IS CREATING
THESE MONSTROUS SIGHTS

AND SOUNDS IN THE LAKE,

KATY ELIZABETH ISN'T GOING TO
GIVE UP HER QUEST TO FIND OUT.

I BELIEVE THAT CHAMP IS OUT THERE.

THE HOLY GRAIL WOULD BE
TO GET A BIOLOGICAL SPECIMEN

TO PROVE TO SCIENCE THAT CHAMP EXISTS,

AND I THINK IT IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Narrator: NOW SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS CAPTURE

THE SPONTANEOUS APPEARANCE

OF SMOKE DANCING IN THE DESERT SKY.

YOU'RE SEEING THESE THINGS
KIND OF COME INTO EXISTENCE

AND THEN VANISH.

IT'S KIND OF FREAKING ME OUT.

Narrator: THE DESERT IS
HOME TO THE TOP SECRET

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

IT'S ONE OF THE PLACES
WHERE THE UNITED STATES

GOES TO DEVELOP THINGS
THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO SEE.

Narrator: THE MOJAVE DESERT,

STRETCHING OVER 50,000 SQUARE MILES,

IT'S THE DRIEST WILDERNESS
IN NORTH AMERICA.

THE DESERT IS A GREAT PLACE
FOR UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA,

ALL KINDS OF STRANGE THINGS GONE AWRY,

AND IT HAS HAD THAT SORT
OF GHOSTLIKE FEEL TO IT.

Narrator: 150 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF DEATH VALLEY,

NEAR THE BORDER WITH NEVADA, A
FIXED SECURITY CAMERA CAPTURES

GHOSTLY WISPS OF SMOKE
DANCING AGAINST A BLUE DESERT SKY.

THEY'RE NOT THERE. THEN THEY'RE THERE.

THEN THEY DISAPPEAR AGAIN.

Narrator: THE FOOTAGE
COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF SOLAR PHYSICIST SIMON FOSTER.

IT SEEMS TO SHOW SOME VAPOR, GAS OR SMOKE

THAT APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE.

THE MORE YOU START
WATCHING IT, IT LOOKS, ACTUALLY,

THAT THESE ARE SMALL OBJECTS
THAT SEEM TO BE EMITTING SMOKE.

NOW IS THIS FIREWORKS?

ARE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW,
LETTING SOMETHING OFF,

AND IT'S FLYING BY?

Narrator: THIS LOCATION IS JUST 50 MILES

FROM A PARTY CITY FAMOUS
FOR ITS THUNDEROUS SKY SHOWS...

LAS VEGAS.

THREE-FEET-LONG FIREWORK SHELLS

REACH SPEEDS OF 320 MILES PER HOUR

AND RISE WELL OVER 1,000 FEET.

WHEN A FIREWORK EXPLODES,
ITS CHEMICAL COCKTAIL BURNS

IN THE AIR TO CREATE THE LIGHT SPECTACLE,

AND THEN IT LEAVES BEHIND A
TRAIL OF GRAY GASES AND SMOKE.

THESE ARE LIKE PUFFS OF SMOKE,

SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE LITTLE EXPLOSIONS.

THINGS ARE SUDDENLY CATCHING
FIRE AND LEAVING A SMOKE TRAIL

AND THEN DISAPPEARING.

Narrator: BUT WHEN SCIENCE WRITER JEFF WISE

STUDIES THE FOOTAGE,

HE STRUGGLES TO LINK IT
TO SIN CITY'S SKY SHOWS.

IT'S NOT LIKE A NORMAL,
LIKE, A FIREWORKS DISPLAY,

AND IT'S PERSISTENT.

IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON.

THIS IS NOT A MINOR, YOU
KNOW, KID'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

OR SOMETHING.

Narrator: ENVIRONMENTAL
JOURNALIST CHRIS CLARKE

LIVE IN THE MOJAVE DESERT
AND KNOWS THE TERRAIN WELL.

WHEN HE EXAMINES THE FOOTAGE,

HE NOTICES THAT THE PUFFS
OF SMOKE ARE NOT STATIC.

EACH APPEARS TO BE MOVING
ON ITS OWN TRAJECTORY.

IT LOOKS LIKE SMOKE EMITTED
FROM LIVING CREATURES.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE SOME
OF THEM APPARENTLY FLAPPING,

FLAPPING THEIR WINGS, TRYING TO
GET OUT OF THIS DANGEROUS AREA.

Narrator: IT MAKES CLARKE BELIEVE

SOMETHING SINISTER IS GOING ON.

IN THESE VIDEOS, WE'RE SEEING
BIRDS FLYING INTO AN AREA

THAT IS DANGEROUS.

THEY EVENTUALLY COMBUST, BURST INTO FLAME.

Narrator: EXPERTS TRY TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT'S CAUSING THESE BIRDS TO COMBUST.

SIMON FOSTER WORKS THROUGH
THE IMAGES FRAME BY FRAME.

IT COULD BE THAT SOME NATURAL
OR UNNATURAL PHENOMENA

IS SOMEHOW INCREASING THE
HEAT THAT THESE BIRDS ARE FEELING,

CAUSING THEM TO BASICALLY IGNITE.

THEIR BODIES BOIL AND THEY
EXPLODE IN CLOUDS OF STEAM.

IT'S NOT A PLEASANT WAY TO DIE.

Narrator: SCIENTIST WONDER WHAT
FORCE COULD CAUSE A BIRD TO BE

SO GRUESOMELY KILLED.

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.

IT'S SO HARD TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.

Narrator: COMING UP, A
GIANT ORGANIC STRUCTURE

LEADS SCIENTISTS TO ONE
OF THE STRANGEST CREATURES

EVER TO WALK THE EARTH.

IT DOES ACTUALLY REMIND ME

A LITTLE BIT OF THE DRAGON
EGGS OUT OF "GAME OF THRONES."

Narrator: AND INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER

THE SUPER POWERFUL FORCE

ANNIHILATING LIFE IN THE MOJAVE DESERT.

THAT'S NOT COMPATIBLE WITH LIVING THINGS.

Narrator: AN UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENON IS

CAUSING BIRDS TO BURN UP MIDAIR

ABOVE THE MOJAVE DESERT.

SOLAR PHYSICIST SIMON FOSTER
RETURNS TO THE FOOTAGE.

HE FOCUSES IN ON THE TOWERLIKE STRUCTURE

AND NOTICES SOMETHING STRANGE.

YOU'VE GOT THESE BIRDS
FLYING ACROSS THE PATH

OF THIS STRANGE CENTRAL TOWER.

IT'S ACTUALLY GLOWING AT THE TOP.

YOU CAN JUST MAKE THAT OUT,

AND THAT'S POSSIBLY A CLUE
TO WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

YOU CAN SEE IT'S VERY
BRIGHT. IT'S VERY HOT.

Narrator: MILITARY-TECH JOURNALIST

JOE PAPPALARDO THINKS THE HEAT

EMANATING FROM THE TOWER COULD BE EXPLAINED

AS A WEAPON-DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.

THIS IS A MILITARY AREA. MOVE
AWAY FROM THE PERIMETER.

THE INTERESTING THING THAT
YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU FIND

THAT THIS HAPPENED IN MOJAVE

IS THAT, THAT AREA IN THE
DESERT OVER CALIFORNIA

IS A FANTASTIC PLACE TO
TEST NEW MILITARY EQUIPMENT.

THERE ARE NOT A LOT
OF PEOPLE TO WITNESS IT.

IT'S GREAT AIRSPACE.

IT'S THE BEST PLACE TO DEVELOP
A NEW WEAPON IN SECRET.

Narrator: PAPPALARDO BELIEVES
THAT THE TOWER COULD BE CREATING

SOME KIND OF INVISIBLE HEAT RAY.

IT'S SOMETHING U.S. MILITARY DEVELOPED

THAT'S A NONLETHAL TECHNOLOGY,

BUT WHAT IT DOES IS FIRE
MICROWAVES INTO THE SKIN ENOUGH

SO IT HEATS IT UP.

IF YOU AMP THAT UP ENOUGH
AND SHOT IT AT A BIRD,

THEN IT WOULD CATCH ON
FIRE AND FALL TO THE GROUND.

Narrator: BUT SCIENCE JOURNALIST JEFF WISE

BELIEVES THAT IF THE MILITARY
ARE DEVELOPING DEATH RAYS,

THEY WOULD NOT TEST THEM IN THE OPEN DESERT

CLOSE TO SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS.

THIS HAS NOT BEEN RESEARCH
THAT'S BEEN ONGOING.

THERE'S BEEN NO CHATTER OR
TALK IN THE BACK CHANNELS ABOUT,

THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
IS SECRETLY DEVELOPING

THIS KIND OF TECHNOLOGY.

Narrator: EXPERTS MOVE IN TO FIGURE OUT HOW

AND WHY THIS TOWER IS
BARBECUEING LIVE BIRDS.

PHYSICIST ASHKAN SALAMAT
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA

BELIEVES THE CLEAR BLUE
SKIES AND DESERT LOCATION

OFFERS A CLUE TO THE REAL CULPRIT.

HE SUSPECTS THE BIRDS AS VICTIMS
OF THE MOST POWERFUL DEATH RAYS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM... THE SUN.

HERE IN THE MOJAVE DESERT,
WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF SUNLIGHT,

AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY AND DO TODAY

IS REPLICATE THOSE CONDITIONS.

WHAT WE HAVE REPRESENTING
THE SUN IS A TUNGSTEN BULB.

[ SWITCH CLICKS ]

IT'S VERY BRIGHT, AND IN FACT,

IF I HOLD MY HAND VERY CLOSE TO IT,

I CAN FEEL THE HEAT BEING GIVEN OFF.

Narrator: BUT THE HEAT HE'S FEELING

ISN'T HOT ENOUGH TO INCINERATE BIRDS.

SALAMAT INTRODUCES A LENS TO FOCUS THE HEAT

INTO A 450-DEGREE DEATH RAY.

WHEN HE DIRECTS IT TOWARDS
SOME PAPER, THE EFFECT IS INSTANT.

IT'S ALREADY PRETTY HOT.

IF I PUT MY HAND IN THE BEAM,

IT WOULD CAUSE ME SERIOUS INJURY.

YOU COULD IMAGINE THIS INTENSE LIGHT SOURCE

CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE TO BIRDS.

Narrator: EXPERTS NOW LOOK TO SEE

WHAT'S TURNING THE DESERT SUN

INTO A BIRD-FRYING DEATH RAY.

WHEN INVESTIGATOR CHRIS CLARKE
TRAVELS FURTHER INTO THE DESERT,

HE FINDS THE IVANPAH SOLAR FACILITY,

A $2.2 BILLION PROJECT TO
HARVEST THE POWER OF THE SUN

WITH OVER 150,000 MIRRORS.

WHEN THE MIRRORS ARE
ALL AIMED AT THE BOILER

ON TOP OF THESE TOWERS,

THEY CREATE A RING OF
AIR THAT IS HIGHLY CHARGED

WITH WHAT THE ENGINEERS CALL SOLAR FLUX.

TEMPERATURES WELL IN EXCESS
OF 1,200 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

ARE GENERATED IN THE AREA OF SOLAR FLUX.

OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S NOT
COMPATIBLE WITH LIVING THINGS.

Narrator: FEDERAL BIOLOGISTS NOW ESTIMATE

THAT THE FIVE-SQUARE-MILE
AREA OF SOLAR FLUX

IS INCINERATING THOUSANDS
OF BIRDS EACH YEAR.

THE FACILITY IS INSTALLING
HIGH-TECH DEVICES

AIMED AT DETERRING FLYING CREATURES,

BUT ANY WHO STRAY TOO
CLOSE FACE CERTAIN DEATH.

[ BIRDS CALL ]

NOW CAMERAS CAPTURE
THIS HUGE EGG-SHAPED OBJECT

BURIED IN THE BANK OF A RIVER.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS,

BUT IT DEFINITELY SHOULDN'T BE THERE.

THIS IS WEIRD AND TERRIFYING.

Narrator: IT DOESN'T BELONG
TO ANY LIVING CREATURE

KNOWN TO SCIENCE.

IF IT IS AN EGG, I DEFINITELY
DON'T WANT TO MEET ITS MOM.

Narrator: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA,

CHRISTMAS DAY 2015,

40 MILES SOUTH OF THE CAPITAL,

FARMER JOSE NIEVES WALKS HIS LAND,

CHECKING ON LIVESTOCK.

HE SPOTS THE EDGE OF SOMETHING
BURIED IN THE MUDDY RIVERBANK.

INTRIGUED, HE INVESTIGATES FURTHER.

[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

WHATEVER THIS IS, IT SEEMS
REALLY OUT OF CONTEXT

TO HAVE SUCH A BIG STRANGE-SHAPED,

STRANGE-TEXTURED THING

JUST LAYING IN THE SIDE
OF THE RIVER LIKE THIS.

Narrator: DESPERATE TO IDENTIFY THE OBJECT,

NIEVES POSTS THE FOOTAGE ONLINE.

IT COMES TO THE ATTENTION OF
CRYPTOZOOLOGIST SCOTT MARDIS.

THE MYSTERY ORB'S SETTING ALONG
WITH ITS ENORMOUS SIZE SUGGESTS

EVIDENCE OF A CREATURE LONG THOUGHT

TO HAVE BEEN THE STUFF OF LEGEND.

DRAGON STORIES ARE OFTEN
ASSOCIATED WITH BODIES OF WATER,

AND IT APPEARS TO BE A DRIED-UP RIVERBED.

Narrator: DESCRIPTIONS OF TERRIFYING

DRAGONLIKE CREATURES

CAN BE FOUND IN THE TEXTS OF
MANY DIFFERENT ANCIENT CULTURES.

THIS IS LIKE SOMETHING
OUT OF MEDIEVAL STORY

ABOUT A DRAGON THAT LIVED
IN A RIVER AND LAID AN EGG.

SOMEBODY MIGHT EXTRAPOLATE FROM THAT EGG

THAT THERE ARE REAL DRAGONS.

Narrator: ZOOLOGIST ROLAND
KAYS ANALYZES THE LOCATION.

THIS IS AN AREA WHICH WAS
ONCE DENSELY POPULATED

BY THE BIGGEST CREATURES EVER THOUGHT

TO HAVE ROAMED THE EARTH.

WE KNOW THAT DINOSAURS LAID EGGS

BECAUSE PALEONTOLOGISTS
HAVE FOUND THEIR EGGS

ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
AND ARGENTINA, IN PARTICULAR,

IS A HOTBED FOR DINOSAUR FOSSILS.

IN 2012, SCIENTISTS FOUND PATAGOTITAN,

WHICH IS THE LARGEST
DINOSAUR EVER, 122 FEET LONG.

IT MADE T-REX LOOK LIKE A MUNCHKIN.

Narrator: PATAGOTITAN IS
LONGER THAN THREE BUSES

AND AS HEAVY AS A LARGE PASSENGER JET.

A PATAGOTITAN COULD'VE
STEPPED ON A T-REX AND CRUSHED IT.

THAT'S HOW BIG THESE ENORMOUS
LONG-NECKED DINOSAURS WERE.

THEY WOULD'VE CAUSED MANY
EARTHQUAKES WHEN THEY WALKED.

YOU HAVE THE LARGEST-EVER DINOSAUR

DISCOVERED IN ARGENTINA.

YOU HAVE THE LARGEST-EVER EGG-LOOKING THING

ALSO DISCOVERED IN ARGENTINA.

MAYBE IT COULD BE THE VERY LARGEST DINOSAUR

EVER DISCOVERED.

Narrator: COMING UP,

A TERROR TORNADO OF
FLESH-CHOMPING BLOODSUCKERS,

AND IT'S COMING THIS WAY.

THIS SEEMS MORE LIKE
SOMETHING OUT OF A HORROR MOVIE

THAN A VIRAL VIDEO.

Narrator: AND DOES THIS MYSTERY ORB

POINT TO ONE OF THE WEIRDEST CREATURES

EVER TO WALK THE PLANET?

IT'S A VERY BIOLOGICAL TYPE OF TEXTURE.

THAT'S A SIGN THAT THIS
IS PROBABLY SOMETHING

THAT WAS ONCE ALIVE.

Narrator: BIOLOGISTS CONSIDER
IF AN ARGENTINIAN FARMER

HAS UNEARTHED THE EGG

OF THE LARGEST CREATURE THAT EVER LIVED,

BUT WHEN PALEONTOLOGIST STEVE BRUSATTE

EXAMINES THE FOOTAGE,

HE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SIZE OF THE EGG.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, EVEN THESE
BIG LONG-NECKED DINOSAURS

DIDN'T LAY VERY BIG EGGS.

THEY LAID SMALL EGGS,

ONLY ABOUT THE SIZE OF
AN ORANGE OR A GRAPEFRUIT,

AND THE LARGEST DINOSAUR EGGS WE KNOW OF

ARE ONLY ABOUT THE SIZE OF
A SOCCER BALL OR A FOOTBALL,

SO THIS WOULD BE WAY OFF THE SCALE

FOR EVEN A DINOSAUR EGG.

Narrator: WHEN SCIENCE
JOURNALIST JOHN FARROW

ANALYZES THE FOOTAGE,

HE CONFIRMS THAT THIS OBJECT,

THOUGH NATURAL, IS UNLIKELY TO BE AN EGG.

THE SHAPE ISN'T A TOTAL SPHERE.

IT'S NOT ALL THE WAY AROUND.

IT KIND OF STOPS ABOUT HALFWAY.

Narrator: THIS DEVELOPMENT
CONVINCES ZOOLOGIST

ROLAND KAYS HE'S LOOKING AT A SHELL,

BUT IT IS NO ORDINARY SHELL.

UPON CLOSER INSPECTION,
THIS OBJECT STARTS TO LOOK

A LITTLE LIKE A CARAPACE,
LIKE THE SHELL OF AN ARMADILLO.

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS, ARMADILLOS TODAY

ARE A LOT SMALLER THAN THIS OBJECT,

SO THIS MUST HAVE BEEN

SOME REALLY BIG ARMADILLO-LIKE CREATURE.

Narrator: STEVE BRUSATTE
REEXAMINES THE FOOTAGE.

HE'S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT
BIZARRE TYPE OF ARMORED CREATURE

THIS GIANT SHELL MIGHT BELONG
TO AND SPOTS A CLUE IN THE TEXTURE.

THAT SHELL IS MADE UP OF LITTLE
PLATES CALLED OSTEODERMS,

AND THERE ARE OVER A THOUSAND
OF THESE THAT FUSE TOGETHER

IN MULTIPLE LAYERS TO MAKE THAT SHELL,

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S PRETTY UNUSUAL,

AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT
I'VE ONLY SEEN IN MUSEUMS.

Narrator: HE BELIEVES THAT THIS
SHELL BELONGS TO A CREATURE

THAT TIME FORGOT,

MORE LIKE A SMALL BATTLE
TANK THAN AN ANIMAL.

IT'S THE SHELL, ESSENTIALLY,
OF A BIZARRE TYPE

OF EXTINCT PREHISTORIC
MAMMAL CALLED A GLYPTODON.

Narrator: FARMER JOSE NIEVES HAS STUMBLED

ON THE MOST COMPLETE
GLYPTODON SHELL EVER SEEN.

GLYPTODONS GREW TO THE
SIZE AND WEIGHT OF A SMALL CAR.

THEY ROAMED NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

UNTIL THEIR EXTINCTION AT
THE END OF THE LAST ICE AGE.

SO OUR ANCESTORS, HUMANS,
WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY

SEEN AND DEALT WITH
GLYPTODONS IN SOUTH AMERICA,

IN NORTH AMERICA, WHERE THESE WEIRD,

SHELLED MAMMALS LIVED BEFORE THEY DIED OUT.

GLYPTODONS WERE PLANT-EATERS,

BUT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO MESS WITH THEM.

A LOT OF THEM HAD TAILS
WITH CLUBS ON THE END,

SOMETIMES EVEN WITH SPIKES
THAT THEY COULD SWING AT YOU

WHEN THEY NEEDED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS
STILL NEED TO FIGURE OUT

HOW A PERFECTLY PRESERVED PREHISTORIC SHELL

SHOWS UP 10,000 YEARS

AFTER THE BEAST IS SUPPOSED
TO HAVE BECOME EXTINCT.

GLYPTODONS PROBABLY
LIKED TO LIVE IN BURROWS

LIKE ARMADILLOS DO TODAY,

SO WE THINK THAT THIS ANIMAL
PROBABLY CRAWLED INTO A BURROW

TO SLEEP DURING THE DAYTIME,

AND THEN SOME DISASTER HAPPENED OVERHEAD,

KILLED THE ANIMAL BUT
LEFT IT IN A PERFECT PLACE

TO BE FOSSILIZED AND BE FOUND TODAY.

Narrator: FOR JOSE AND HIS WIFE, REINA,

THE GIANT SHELL THEY FOUND ON CHRISTMAS DAY

IS A MIRACULOUS GIFT FROM GOD AND HISTORY.

[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

Narrator: COMING UP, A TORNADO
OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE BLACK SMOKE.

THIS IS A REALLY BIZARRE
EVENT HAPPENING HERE,

SMOKE RISING FROM THE MIDDLE OF A LAKE.

Narrator: BUT EXPERTS THINK
THIS THING IS ALIVE AND HUNGRY.

IT'S A HORROR MOVIE. IT
REALLY IS A HORROR MOVIE.

Narrator: WHEN IS A TORNADO NOT A TORNADO?

WHEN IT'S A TWISTING HURRICANE
OF A BILLION BLOODSUCKERS

THREATENING ANY HUMAN CAUGHT IN ITS PATH.

IF I WAS THERE, I'D BE LIKE,

"IS THAT THING COMING TOWARDS ME?

BECAUSE IF IT IS, I'M OUT OF HERE"

Narrator: THE RIFT VALLEY, EAST AFRICA,

THE CRADLE OF MANKIND,

LAKE MALAWI, 350 MILES LONG,

THE THIRD-BIGGEST LAKE IN AFRICA.

DECEMBER 23, 2015,

ANOTHER PERFECT DAY IN PARADISE,

BUT TRAVELERS SUDDENLY
SEE WHAT APPEARS TO BE

A SPIRAL OF SMOKE RISING FROM THE LAKE.

THEY FILM THE PHENOMENON.

SCIENTISTS CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THEIR EYES.

WITH SMOKE, YOU ALWAYS NEED A FUEL SOURCE

TO GENERATE THAT SMOKE,

AND WATER IS NEVER THAT SOURCE OF FUEL,

SO TO SEE THAT RISING
FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE

IS REALLY SURPRISING.

Narrator: GEOLOGIST SIAN PROCTOR CONSIDERS

WHETHER THE TURBULENT GEOLOGY
OF THE REGION MAY BE TO BLAME.

LAKE MALAWI IS LOCATED IN
THE EAST AFRICAN RIFT ZONE.

THE CONTINENT IS BEING
RIFTED, OR PULLED, APART.

THAT MEANS IT'S IN A VOLCANIC AREA.

Narrator: VOLCANIC ACTIVITY
PRODUCES MOLTEN ROCK,

OR MAGMA, HEATED TO OVER 1,500 DEGREES.

WHEN MAGMA MEETS WATER,

IT CREATES AN EFFECT THAT
COULD EXPLAIN THIS SMOKE.

WHEN GROUNDWATER COMES
IN CONTACT WITH A HEAT SOURCE,

USUALLY MAGMA, WELL, THAT
WATER BECOMES SUPERHEATED,

AND THEN IT COMES UP TO THE
SURFACE AND CREATES STEAM,

SO MAYBE THERE'S SOME KIND OF ACTIVITY

HAPPENING UNDER THE LAKE
CAUSING WHAT WE'RE SEEING.

Narrator: BUT EXPLORER GEORGE KOUROUNIS

SPEEDS UP THE FOOTAGE.

IF THIS SINISTER PLUME WERE
COMING FROM A VOLCANO VENT,

IT SHOULDN'T BE MOVING.

Kourounis: THE AIR IS MOVING VERY RAPIDLY

BUT IN A CYLINDER THAT
IS SORT OF CONTAINED.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THIS LOOKS LIKE

IT'S SOME KIND OF WEATHER PHENOMENON.

IT'S HAPPENING OVERTOP OF A LAKE,

SO THE FIRST THING THAT
COMES TO MIND IS A WATERSPOUT.

Narrator: KOUROUNIS HAS SEEN
SUCH SPINNING WATERSPOUTS

DEVELOP IN WARM, HUMID
AREAS LIKE LAKE MALAWI.

THEY ARE VORTICES JUST LIKE TORNADOES.

YOU HAVE SOME TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS

OR A THUNDERSTORM THAT'S ALREADY IN PLACE.

YOU GOT INSTABILITY AT THE GROUND.

YOU GOT SPIN FROM SOME WIND SHEAR,

AND THE NEXT THING YOU
KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A TORNADO

BUT, IN THIS CASE, NOT GOING
OVER FARMLAND BUT A LAKE.

Narrator: WATERSPOUTS CAN
REACH 150 MILES AN HOUR.

OVER THE CENTURIES, THEY'VE
SUNK HUNDREDS OF SHIPS

AND KILLED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

WATERSPOUTS ARE NOTORIOUS
FOR RIPPING APART THE LANDSCAPE

AND LOFTING ALL KINDS
OF DEBRIS UP IN THE AIR.

Narrator: MATERIAL SCIENTIST KISHORE HARI

REVIEWS WEATHER DATA FOR LAKE MALAWI

ON THE DATE THE FOOTAGE IS SHOT.

IT DOESN'T YIELD THE KIND
OF ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS

THAT TYPICALLY SPAWN WATERSPOUTS.

THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT A WATERSPOUT

OR A WEATHER PATTERN

BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE A CLEAR AND CALM DAY.

IT MUST BE SOME SORT OF
OTHER NATURAL PHENOMENON.

Narrator: WHEN MORE FOOTAGE OF
THE SAME EVENT COMES TO LIGHT,

ENTOMOLOGIST DR. SCOTT BUNDY ANALYZES IT.

HE RECOGNIZES THE SWIRLING MOVEMENT

AS SOMETHING FROM THE NATURAL WORLD.

WHEN I LOOKED CLOSER, IT LOOKED LIKE MAYBE

THERE WAS SOMETHING
LIVING ASSOCIATED WITH IT.

THE DARK APPEARANCE OF THE
COMPONENTS OF THAT SMOKE

INDICATE THAT IT'S LIKELY
JUST A LOT OF INSECTS.

Narrator: WHEN BUNDY
ZOOMS IN ON THE FOOTAGE,

HE RECOGNIZES THE BLOODSUCKING
CULPRITS BY THEIR FLYING MOTION.

Bundy: IT IS DEFINITELY A SWARM OF MIDGES.

IT'S ON A MUCH LARGER
SCALE THAN I'VE EVER SEEN.

THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE
BILLIONS OF THESE THINGS IN THERE.

IT'S NOT JUST A MILLION FLIES.

IT'S BILLIONS OF FLIES
EMERGING FROM THIS LAKE.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH ONLY
THE SIZE OF A PINHEAD,

MIDGES USE THEIR SCISSORLIKE JAWS

TO SUCK THE BLOOD OF HUMANS.

THEY SPEND MUCH OF THEIR LIVES AS LARVAE

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE.

THEY RISE TO THE SURFACE AT
THE SAME TIME TO PARTNER UP.

IT SEEMS SOMEWHAT RANDOM,

BUT THEY ARE KIND OF
CIRCLING AROUND ONE ANOTHER

TO FIND EACH OTHER AND MATE.

Narrator: BUNDY RESEARCHES WHAT'S BEHIND

THIS BILLION-MIDGE HORROR SWARM

THAT THREATENS TO TURN
ANY HUMAN IN ITS PATH

INTO AN ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BUFFET.

WHAT THESE NUMBERS AND
THE SIZE OF THE SWARM TELLS ME

IS THAT CONDITIONS WERE
JUST PERFECT SO LOTS OF FOOD,

REDUCED PREDATION,
TEMPERATURES JUST HOW THEY WANT IT.

EVERYTHING IS JUST RIGHT
FOR THIS EVENT TO HAPPEN.

DISGUSTING, I AM NOT AN INSECT PERSON,

AND THE THOUGHT OF THAT SWARM
COMING TOWARDS ME, HELL NO.

I'M OUT OF THERE.