Man-eating alligator gars, killer piranha and demon fish: tall tales or frightening facts? In 1976 a packed coach crashed into the Amazon killing 39 people. When the bodies were pulled out, some had been so viciously mutilated by piranhas they could only be identified by their clothes. Following the upcoming horror blockbuster Pirahna 3D, don’t miss an investigation of the real-thing when host and expert angler Jeremy Wade sets off of on a six-week murder mystery in the new Discovery World HD series, RIVER MONSTERS. Premiering Wednesday, September 8 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT – with the remarkable quality of high-definition – Wade goes in search of these legendary, supernatural beasts living and moving murderously in the serpentine waterways of the planet on a global hunt for freshwater fish with a taste for human flesh. From tiny piranha that can tear apart humans in the Amazon to large killer catfish of man-eating proportions, Wade has seen it all…or has he?
Fact or fiction: freshwater fish can grow as long as a whale; sharks can live in fresh water 160 kilometres from the sea; and a breed of fish feature teeth as big as a lion’s. With the hope of proving these mysteries right from wrong, Wade has taken his life-long passion for finding new varieties of aquatic vertebrae and turned it into a full-time career. Wade’s RIVER MONSTERS quests have him reeling and diving in with such fascinating creatures as nile perch, goliath tiger fish, freshwater sharks and piraiba catfish – all alleged man killers.
This international excursion takes Wade through the dark side of watery depths as he engages in a battle of wills with the beasts that lurk in our planet’s rivers and lakes. Watch as Wade opens his tackle box and risks his life in a quest for the truth – barely escaping peril in his encounters.
Episode highlights from RIVER MONSTERS include:
RIVER MONSTERS – “Amazon Assasins”
Wednesday, September 8 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
In the darkest depths of the Amazon lurks a dinosaur. Legends tell of an evil spirit inhabiting an enormous fish. Taller than a man, it is covered in scales and crushes its prey with a tongue made of bone. Jeremy Wade encounters the legendary arapaima fish.
RIVER MONSTERS – “Alligator Gar”
Wednesday, September 8 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
In the deep South is a fish reputed to have committed a series of violent attacks on humans. This creature is said to be as vicious as a shark and big as a gator. Extreme angler Jeremy Wade heads to Texas to reveal the truth about the notorious alligator gar.
RIVER MONSTERS – “Amazon Flesh Eaters”
Wednesday, September 8 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
A man swallowed whole by a fish. A body eaten alive from within. Another penetrated in a most unnatural fashion. Yet more victims attacked with multiple stab wounds. Jeremy Wade is in pursuit of some of the Amazon’s most notorious flesh eaters.
About Jeremy Wade
Wade has a zoology degree from Bristol University, U.K., and a post-grad teaching certificate in biological sciences. He has been travelling to the world’s most remote rivers for over 25 years – mostly on solo expeditions. He is the co-author of the fishing classic, Somewhere Down the Crazy River and travels frequently through India and the Congo.
