- 6 days ago
River.Monsters S01E04.European.Maneater
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00:01The Amazon River is home to a terrifying collection of man-eating monsters.
00:07And in the darkest corners lurks a dinosaur.
00:11Legends tell of an evil spirit inhabiting an enormous fish.
00:16Longer than a man, it is encased in thick scales, and it crushes its prey with a tongue made of bone.
00:24But with a body of pure muscle, its primary weapon is raw power.
00:31I'm Jeremy Wade, biologist and extreme angler, and I've encountered this creature once before.
00:40That time I came out second best, but now I'm ready for the rematch.
00:49Yes!
01:00I've been coming to the Amazon for 15 years, and a tale I've heard many times is that of a fisherman going missing.
01:14Far from home, on a remote tributary of the Amazon, something happens.
01:27Far from home, on a remote tributary of the Amazon, something happens.
01:29Far from home, on a remote tributary of the Amazon, something happens.
01:34People tell of a creature leaping out of the water, knocking the fisherman from his canoe.
02:04But with no eyewitnesses, the list of suspects is speculative at best.
02:11Could there really be a monster in the Amazon capable of doing this?
02:14And if so, what kind of beast could it be?
02:19Anaconda, caiman, piranha are all convicted killers.
02:26But in my travels around the world,
02:30I've caught some super-sized freshwater fish that are more than capable of doing the job.
02:39Is there one more river monster to add to the list of the Amazon's usual suspects?
02:44A creature that has somehow slipped through the net.
02:49The story of a canoe found floating, nobody in it, fishermen disappeared.
02:55The automatic assumption from everybody was that it was a caiman or an anaconda.
02:59Those are the obvious candidates.
03:00But I've been doing a bit of thinking, and I think another animal might have been involved.
03:04And what I think it might have been is one of these.
03:08Now, I mean, this is a real armour coat, this.
03:11And it looks as if it's a snake or some other reptile.
03:14But believe it or not, this is actually a fish.
03:17And this is a big fish.
03:21This is the skin of an arapaima fish.
03:24And if its scales make you think of a dinosaur,
03:26that's because the arapaima is indeed a dinosaur of sorts.
03:30It has swum in these waters virtually unchanged since the Cretaceous period.
03:37That is just a single scale from this animal.
03:40I mean, you know, that is pretty impressive.
03:42But they go a lot bigger than that.
03:44And the reason I know that is that.
03:47Now, whatever that came off, that would have been a serious river monster.
03:52Arapaima have been caught measuring up to ten foot long,
03:55making them the largest freshwater fish in the world's largest river.
03:59But in recent years they have been relentlessly overfished.
04:02And today they are so rare it is forbidden to catch them in most areas.
04:06However, they are potentially found throughout the countless thousand miles of river
04:11that make up the Amazon basin.
04:13And I believe arapaima may be responsible for killing some of those missing people.
04:19My mission is to investigate this theory and see if I can track down
04:25and even catch one of these potential killers.
04:34I have begun my quest in Manaus, the wild west frontier town at the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.
04:40I need to know what I am dealing with.
04:43And for that I am going to visit some captive arapaima.
04:46And I know just the place.
04:48Normally in the Amazon, seeing arapaima live and close up is pretty well impossible.
05:04There is just so much water, it is pretty murky.
05:07Here is this place. It is a bar in the middle of Manaus.
05:10And this could be just the perfect place to check them out.
05:22Absolutely amazing opportunity to get eyeball to eyeball with these things.
05:26It really is prehistoric looking, like stone or metal or something, a real armour plating.
05:31And the other thing that is very striking about these fish, you know, they are very elongated.
05:36They are quite cylindrical.
05:38That is just perfect design for an ambush predator, you know, speed over a short distance.
05:45Arapaima are naturally predatory, engulfing any fish that fit into that bony mouth, including piranha.
05:52They will even consume birds and other animals, sucking them down from the water surface.
06:05And then they have got this very gruesome technique for actually finishing their prey off.
06:10They have a tongue with a piece of bone inside it.
06:14And they actually use that bony tongue to crush the small fish against the roof of the mouth.
06:19So it's not a very pleasant way to go, I'd imagine.
06:23These are pretty big fish.
06:24You know, that mouth isn't big enough to swallow a person.
06:27So any stories like that you've really got to discount.
06:29But it could still actually kill you.
06:31That is a very solid lump of bone with an enormous mass of muscle behind it.
06:38I've actually been on the receiving end of one of these things.
06:40It hit me in the chest and, no exaggeration, I could still feel that a month and a half later.
06:46It just bruised me so deeply.
06:50It was seven years ago and I was helping a friend of mine, a research scientist, with his captive breeding program for arapaima.
06:56His long-term goal is to take the pressure off the wild population.
07:01And he needed to capture his fish to pair them up with likely mates.
07:06We caught several fish already and weighed and measured them without problem.
07:11When I let my guard down.
07:13While drawing in a net with an arapaima trapped inside, this hard-nosed giant turned from fish into missile.
07:22From nowhere, I had a hundred pounds of solid bone smash into me.
07:31Weeks later, a doctor described my injury as similar to the impact of striking the steering column during a car crash.
07:38I'm not saying this is some malignant creature that will deliberately hunt and eat you.
07:45It doesn't have the mouth for it.
07:47But corner one of these beasts and it will launch a pre-emptive strike.
07:52It is this event that makes me believe the arapaima may be the killer in question.
07:58If these fishermen were hunting arapaima or accidentally caught one in a net, this animal will violently defend itself.
08:08Just one thrash connecting with the head is all it would take to knock you unconscious.
08:13Leaving you at the mercy of the Amazon's scavenging river monsters.
08:21If I am going to investigate this theory, I need to demonstrate that my experience wasn't a freak occurrence.
08:27An arapaima do have the power, the ability and even the intent to take a fisherman out.
08:33But more importantly, I need to prove that despite overfishing, there are still arapaima out there large enough to do the damage.
08:42And the best way I can do that is by catching a giant arapaima.
08:46But as I set off on my mission, leaving the port of Manaus, my boat captain tells me that if I am interested in arapaima, then I should definitely visit one of these floating houses.
09:01Salted arapaima used to be a meal enjoyed across the Amazon, but since a ban on commercial fishing, a few enterprising riberinos or river people have started to farm them in pens like this to satisfy the demand for arapaima meat.
09:18I've heard these arapaima in this enclosure here do something quite spectacular.
09:26I've arrived just as they're preparing to fish one out for their own cooking pot.
09:32Good morning.
09:33Good morning.
09:34Good morning.
09:35Good morning.
09:36Good morning.
09:37Good morning.
09:38Good morning.
09:39Good morning.
09:40Good morning.
09:41Good morning.
09:42Good morning.
09:43I'm Jeremy.
09:44Alegria.
09:45Alegria.
09:46Alegria, which means happiness, is he's about to try and get an arapaima out of here.
09:51There's a few in here.
09:52And he says it's not an easy job.
09:54It can be a wee bit interesting.
09:56I'm going to ask him if maybe I can help.
09:59There are 30 fish in here and he says they're just jumping everywhere and they are just, 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, it's about having, you know, it's like having 30 people coming at you and just having to avoid them.
10:17Right, I'm going to have to just prepare myself a little bit.
10:21Suddenly, all my old fears from my painful encounter are back.
10:25But if I'm going to catch an arapaima capable of killing a man, then I need to face up to my fear.
10:33And if that means getting back into the water with one of these beasts, then that's what I'm going to have to do.
10:55Having previously had a crippling personal encounter, I'm on a mission to see if I can add the arapaima fish to the list of Amazon River monsters with lethal potential.
11:07And to do that, I need to catch one of these giants.
11:10But before I tackle one in the wild, I need to lay the ghost of that earlier encounter to rest.
11:18Oh, I'm just throwing a fish.
11:20So I'm helping these guys net a captive arapaima.
11:23Right.
11:24This is a bit like a boxing ring.
11:33It's about the same size.
11:34There's 35 fish in here, nearly as big as I am.
11:36It's a simple matter of netting one.
11:46But this is exactly what I was doing when I took the full force of an arapaima headbutt to the chest.
11:52And I have been warned that these fish are particularly violent when cornered.
11:56De frente, eh?
11:57De frente é melhor.
11:58Bota o pé direito no churro.
11:59They're walking forward, which means all the vulnerable bits of my body, you know, a boxer would be covering them up.
12:10Okay, that's going well.
12:15Right, they're going to start jumping.
12:16Any minute, he's saying.
12:17Any minute, they're going to start jumping.
12:19Okay, we didn't get one.
12:39We're going to have to go through the whole thing again.
12:43Knowing what's coming makes the second attempt even more daunting.
12:47I'm afraid.
12:50Jeremy is afraid, he's saying.
12:52I think that is fairly clear to see.
12:56He's saying they might be a bit tired this time, so they might...
12:59Oh!
13:09There's no doubt that when cornered or trapped by nets, the arapaima becomes a formidable force of nature.
13:17Oh!
13:19Oh!
13:19Oh!
13:20Oh!
13:24Oh!
13:25Oh!
13:34With the help of these arapaima farmers, I'm finally holding one of these incredible fish in my arms.
13:37Look at that!
13:38Oh!
13:39Oh!
13:40Oh!
13:40One more!
13:41Okay!
13:41Oh!
13:42My fear has been replaced with a new respect.
13:48Maybe I'm now ready to face an arapaima on my own.
13:55Now we're going to let the head go.
14:03They wanted one to eat. That one was too big.
14:05They want to get a smaller one. I think I'm just going to leave them to it.
14:12Never, ever seen anything like that before.
14:18All those fish absolutely clean out of the water.
14:21You know, I think that just has to be, you know, the evidence that I was looking for.
14:25Just imagine the damage a fish could do that had the same solid bone head,
14:30but was more than twice the weight.
14:33But Sue Alegria also insists that they sneak through holes in the nets,
14:37displaying a curiously unfish-like cunning.
14:40Combine that with their sheer muscular power,
14:43and you can easily see how dangerous the arapaima becomes when cornered.
14:52Now I know what I'm dealing with.
14:55But to catch one, it's going to be a couple of days by boat
14:58to one of the few places where arapaima fishing is still allowed.
15:10After a day's travelling, we stop at a riverside town to spend the night.
15:15I'm not suggesting that the arapaima is responsible for all disappearances on the Amazon.
15:28This river has a full complement of killers,
15:31as I'm powerfully reminded when asking around for any fisherman's tails.
15:35This man lost his wife to a horrifying attack by the South American cousin of the alligator, the Cayman.
15:52Just yards away, his poor daughter could only helplessly look on.
15:56This gentleman's wife went fishing.
16:09On her way back, the boat actually sort of went over the top of the Cayman.
16:14It hit the canoe, tipped her into the water, and then basically grabbed her.
16:32The Cayman had actually drawn away a little distance because of the commotion and the shouting.
16:49And then her daughter was able to go around the other side and pull her to land.
16:53But it just took so long to get help that despite rescuing her mother from the Cayman,
16:59you know, she died of her wounds later on.
17:09It's one thing to hear second-hand stories about people being taken by animals in the water,
17:16you know, all very dramatic fisherman's tales,
17:19but to actually hear from somebody who actually saw their mother, you know, taken in front of them,
17:25just really brings home just what a potentially dangerous place this is, particularly if you're a fisherman.
17:33Something I've got to remember is that it's not just dangerous fish that you've got in the water,
17:38but there's a whole array of other nasty, dangerous creatures down there.
17:43My mission is to prove whether the Arapaima deserves a place alongside the Amazon's undisputed freshwater killers.
17:53And as I go deeper into the heart of the Amazon in search of this fish,
17:57I encounter the other creatures that come with this increasingly dangerous territory.
18:01Between 1918 and 1924, what was the average annual catch of Arapaima in the Amazon's largest state?
18:15Was it A, 7,000 fish, B, 7,000 pounds, or C, 7,000 tons?
18:25Between 1918 and 1924, the average annual catch of Arapaima was C, 7,000 tons, the weight of 20 jumbo jets.
18:48This led to the commercial extinction of the Arapaima in the wild.
18:52Fishermen that hunt the Arapaima fish here in the Amazon regularly expose themselves to river monsters that have no need to prove their deadly nature.
19:09I've heard a tale of a killer caiman in these waters.
19:14So I head out after dark to see if I can find it.
19:18But it seems like I'm the one being watched.
19:20There are eyes following my every move.
19:25I'm out at night hunting caiman.
19:28There's one in these waters apparently that is absolutely man-eating size.
19:32They say it is close to 20 foot.
19:35Caiman's eyes reflect my flashlight, making them easy to spot.
19:40Oh, there's one, there's one, there's one, there's one, there's one, there's one.
19:43Nice one, nice one.
19:59Seeing how many Cayman there are in these waters
20:02makes me realize that it is as much the company
20:05that Arapaima keep that makes them
20:07such risky prey to hunt.
20:10Their fearsome defenses allow them to survive
20:13in these predatory waters.
20:14But also, as the Arapaima becomes rarer and rarer,
20:18it is pushed deeper into the literally uncharted
20:21reaches of the Amazon.
20:23This is where the deadly forces of nature lurk.
20:27Civilization is left behind,
20:29and all medical assistance is, well, beyond reach.
20:34But if I'm to catch a giant Arapaima
20:37and lay my own demons to rest,
20:39then I'm going to have to face these other monsters as well.
20:42As I enter the dark heart of the Amazon.
20:51Being such a rare animal nowadays,
20:53limited and sustainable fishing is allowed
20:55in just a few locations.
20:57And this is where I'm headed.
20:59I'm as far off the beaten track as possible
21:02in search of those last places
21:04which still provide sanctuary to monsters.
21:07Basically, there's no way we could get up here
21:09using the motor.
21:11Too many branches, rocks in the water.
21:15So we're having to manhandle the boat
21:19up this very narrow creek.
21:23We've entered a pristine, magical world,
21:34home to many mysterious jungle creatures.
21:36And maybe, maybe, the large Arapaima I'm after.
21:52Goodness me, that is a fish and a half.
22:06Look at that.
22:08This is a beautiful caparari.
22:11Right, I'm actually very pleased to have this fish.
22:17It's not the Arapaima I was after.
22:20But, you know, this is just, to my mind,
22:24such a lovely looking fish.
22:25I mean, the patterning on that is just wonderful.
22:30This bizarre catfish is a strange monster of the deep.
22:33But it seems that the Arapaima is an elusive giant
22:37that won't be caught easily.
22:42With the weather turning, it's time to rethink my options.
22:46Maybe I need to find someone who can advise me
22:49where exactly it's best to fish.
22:53As I race ahead of the storm, deeper into the jungle,
22:56I'm reminded of the legend that tells
22:57how this monster fish came into being.
23:02Piraruku was the son of an Indian chief,
23:04known to be cruel and arrogant.
23:06He was disrespectful of the gods.
23:09So the highest god, Tupar, decided to punish him.
23:17He ordered storms to attack Piraruku on a fishing trip.
23:20But Piraruku laughed them off.
23:26So Tupar struck him down with lightning,
23:30dragged him to the bottom of the river,
23:32and transformed him into a giant fish, the Arapaima, or fire fish.
23:40Although to this day, Brazilians still call it Piraruku.
23:46In the west, we have lost much of our old reverence
23:48for the natural world.
23:50But there are still remote tribal people for whom reality and myth
23:54are almost interchangeable.
23:57The tribes of this region have a deep connection
23:59to the Arapaima and are still allowed to hunt it for food.
24:03So if I'm going to track one down and learn from the ancient ways,
24:07I'm told there are no better teachers
24:09than the Mundaruku people.
24:25I'm on a mission to catch the giant Arapaima, or fire fish.
24:30Fish that I believe should be on the list of river monsters
24:33that cause human fatalities here in the Amazon.
24:36From experience both past and present,
24:38I know just how powerful this creature is when cornered.
24:47To prove that there are still Arapaima out there
24:49that are big enough to inflict a deadly blow,
24:52all I have to do is catch one.
24:56Getting to grips with the Arapaima in captivity is one thing,
24:59but getting close to them in the wild
25:02is another thing entirely,
25:03particularly now they are so endangered.
25:05But there are some people further up this Amazon backwater
25:09who do have a very ancient relationship with the Arapaima,
25:12and I'm hoping that when I get there,
25:14I'm going to find out an awful lot more.
25:16I've now been travelling for several days.
25:21It feels like I'm light years from civilisation
25:27when I finally track down the Mundaruku people.
25:40Although often dressed in Western clothes these days,
25:43the Mundarukus still retain their connection to wildlife
25:46and to the myths and legends of old.
25:50A Arapaima, Melio, Proveos.
25:53What is the Arapaima?
25:55Arapa de Deseca, OK.
25:57It looks like, you know, I could be here at the right time.
25:59A good time is right now when the water's down
26:01and the fish are actually concentrated.
26:03OK.
26:06Ah-ah.
26:09But lunch is on the go.
26:11And this far from civilisation,
26:12the creatures of the forest, like this tarantula,
26:15are an everyday part of life.
26:17That, that is a monster.
26:19That is an absolute monster.
26:24I hook up with Manel,
26:26one of the village's top fishermen.
26:29He's going to take me out to see if we can spot
26:31some wild Arapaima.
26:34I want to learn all I can about the behaviour
26:36and natural haunts of this river monster,
26:38if I'm going to give myself the best chance
26:40of catching a good-sized Arapaima.
26:52What Manel's just told me is that to fish an Arapaima,
26:55the one thing that you really need is patience,
26:57and I'm really, really getting a sense of that,
26:59just drifting slowly, slowly,
27:01watching for that one sign of the fish coming up to the surface.
27:07Arapaima are air breathers,
27:09an adaptation that allows them to live in the oxygen-depleted lakes
27:12that form in the Amazon's dry season.
27:15But it is also a vital clue for fishermen.
27:17Every time they break the surface,
27:18at the surface, they give away their presence.
27:22And when they're actually not afraid or at all spooked,
27:25you know, that can be actually quite a gentle ripple
27:28for such a big fish.
27:30It's a small sign, but it gives away their location.
27:35The only problem is that it can be 20 minutes or more
27:37between breaths.
27:39So predicting where they're going to come up next is not easy.
27:42So there you are all day under the hot sun
27:44after this huge fish.
27:46But, you know, not only is that down there,
27:48there's all these other different river monsters in the water.
28:05I'm often in large, metal-hulled fishing boats.
28:08So coming down to water level in these tiny canoes
28:12makes you feel very exposed and vulnerable.
28:15I'm beginning to appreciate that how you see
28:17the natural world entirely depends on your perspective.
28:23We've been paddling around here for a fair old while
28:27and he's actually seen, pointed out, a couple of fish surfacing.
28:31But to be honest, I actually couldn't see anything at all.
28:34I think I've got quite a way to go until I properly get my eye in.
28:39As we head back to the village, my guide tells me about one river monster in particular
28:48that they fear.
28:50It's called the Cobra Grange, the big snake.
28:55I've heard of this monster before and I thought it was a mythical oversized anaconda.
28:59But I am told that several people here have actually seen it
29:02and that a nearby village had to totally relocate
29:05because they were so terrified of the big snake.
29:08Mano here has actually seen a cobra grand and it was actually on land.
29:25So I'm very keen to get the details of this.
29:32This sounds more than just a big anaconda.
29:34This was a huge animal.
29:35I mean, you know, immense size, great big head.
29:39And this thing was black, red and yellow.
29:42And it was missing its tail, apparently, which is an odd detail.
29:45But he obviously had a very good look at it.
29:47This snake was just lying there, looking out over the water,
29:50these eyes like searchlights, and apparently his head just covered in bees,
29:55just black with bees.
29:56But, you know, the animal just not bothered at all.
30:00Sounds far-fetched, but he actually saw this huge animal just down the bank from here.
30:05He tells me the few other people in the village saw the cobra grand very recently.
30:11This is an opportunity not to be missed.
30:13I decided to put my arapaima hunt on hold
30:16to see if one of the Amazon's most unbelievable myths is, in fact, reality.
30:35I've come to meet the Munduruku people, to try and catch the Amazon's biggest fish.
30:46But as I've become immersed in their world and myths,
30:49I've decided to put my arapaima hunt on hold,
30:52to follow up a lead that might reveal another vast river monster,
30:56the cobra grandje, or big snake.
30:59I'm on my way up a narrow, winding creek in the middle of flooded forests,
31:09except at the moment the water is very, very low.
31:12And I'm on my way to see the hole where a cobra grandje is supposed to live.
31:17This is the giant snake, which, you know, I thought was just purely a creature of myth.
31:21But they said, no, no, we are taking you to a place where
31:24people say there is one actually there now.
31:27I was initially sceptical, but their insistence is infectious.
31:33You know, if anywhere is going to be the home of a cobra grandje,
31:36I mean, this place certainly does have that kind of feel to it.
31:57We're here.
32:10With the Amazon basin covering some 2.7 million square miles,
32:14there are, without any doubt, new species waiting to be discovered.
32:18And who knows how big some of these animals might be?
32:21And they said that this line here is a track.
32:25If this actually is the track of a snake, it is a big, heavy animal.
32:30You know, this is a seriously large track that it's actually made in the ground here.
32:36Anacondas can reach around 30 feet.
32:39If that isn't a big snake, I don't know what is.
32:42But the locals say cobra grandje is far bigger than an anaconda.
32:46Yes?
32:51That does actually look like the home of something.
32:54Judging by the size of the holes there,
32:57you know, that could have been something pretty, pretty large.
33:02So here we've got a bit of shed snakeskin.
33:05Let's just pick a bit up.
33:11You can actually see the individual scales.
33:13At some point, quite a large snake lay here and shed its skin.
33:20Even though it sounds quite an ugly bee, somewhat frustrated that it doesn't seem to be here today,
33:25although there are very, very definite signs that something large is around these parts.
33:31If I'm to fish for a giant arapaima, then I will be entering the home of monsters.
33:39Maybe I won't meet the cobra grandje on this trip,
33:42but I'm finally grasping how myth and reality are intertwined for these people.
33:47I'm sure I could spend a lifetime learning more and more about the arapaima
33:59and the creatures that share its mysterious world.
34:02But it's now time to put all I have gathered into practice.
34:18This is actually a place where the tribespeople around here used to come before a big battle,
34:24focus the mind, prepare themselves mentally beforehand.
34:29And I guess, as I'm likely to need all the help that I can get,
34:35you know, it's not a bad idea for me to just spend a few minutes here as well.
34:38I know that if I'm going to be successful, I need to understand and respect a fish that,
34:49for the local tribes, is the incarnation of a warrior.
34:55Mentally and physically prepared, it's game on.
35:00It's just me, my guide Johnny, and out there somewhere, a very big fish.
35:08I'm putting into practice the things I've learnt,
35:16not just from the fishing captivity, but also the whole business about locating the fish,
35:21spotting them, patience, you know, gradually working close so that you're in a position of
35:26getting one on the line.
35:29With the water so low in this lake, oxygen levels are depleted.
35:34The arapaima's air-breathing physiology is both its strength and its weakness.
35:38It came into existence millions of years before there were hunters like me around,
35:44scanning the water surface for that tell-tale clue.
35:48I'm told there is another small lake in the forest where rod and line fishing is allowed for arapaima,
35:59as long as it's catch and release.
36:01We can't take the canoe there, but we can go on foot.
36:04And the fact that it's tucked away a little bit, you know, maybe there's going to be something
36:07that I can get a bait at over there.
36:11I've heard tales of various Amazon monsters on this journey, some legendary, some real, and all dangerous.
36:38But there's one creature that, despite overfishing, I'd love to prove really grows to mythic proportions.
36:46It's the arapaima, a fish capable of knocking a man from his canoe and leaving him for dead.
36:52But the only way I know how to prove these monsters are still out there is to catch one.
37:01And I've heard of a lake that might be just the place to do that.
37:16This lake looks really nice, actually. It's very quiet.
37:30Lots of snags, which could be interesting.
37:32I'm actually using a thing called a circle hook.
37:44Now that looks like it's just not going to hook anything at all.
37:47The point just coming in here, that's just not going to hook on anything.
37:50But in fact, if that's the fish's mouth, what happens is it just comes and turns.
38:03And there it is, right in the corner of the mouth.
38:07Oh, there we go. That was one.
38:10I just saw this red tail come up a fraction of a second, but I recognise it now.
38:15That was an arapaima.
38:16And what I've got to do is try and quietly get into position so I can actually put a bait near that fish.
38:30One thing that I learned from the tribes people, which is actually quite hard to do, but I've just got to be patient.
39:00Yes, yes, yes, yes.
39:24That's a fish. That's a good fish.
39:26Closer.
39:30I can see the fish.
39:40As the battle with this arapaima approaches the half-hour mark, I'm reminded that the rebellious,
39:45proud spirit that inhabits this fish even refused to surrender to the gods.
39:56This is all I'm going to pick up.
40:00Oh, look at that. It came out so easily.
40:18There it is. Look at that for a fish. Look at that.
40:28Massive female arapaima, about 150 pounds.
40:33I finally have the proof in my arms that huge arapaima are still out here.
40:39This is a true dinosaur of the deep.
40:43I need this fish to regain its strength after our battle before I release it.
40:47If I put it straight back, it might not have the energy to swim to the surface to take a breath.
40:51And being an air breather, it would drown.
40:54Just the head a little bit under the water.
40:58And pointing up towards the bank so that if it does thrash, there's only one way it can go.
41:02In theory, which is not back into the water, although they can just double around 180 degrees.
41:07Even at the end of a long fight, I can still feel the strength of this fish.
41:13So I can absolutely imagine this thing being able to knock over it.
41:17Oh, there we go. That's good. That's good. That's good.
41:19That was good. That was the fish just having a breath, which is excellent.
41:24It means the fish is not too tired out.
41:27But I mean, mainly this fish is just a bony head with a big cylinder of muscle behind it.
41:35And if this fish wasn't tired out, I don't think I'd be able to hold it.
41:38That's good.
41:48No, it's gone.
41:49We were just wondering if it had enough strength to go, and no doubt about it, I just couldn't hold it.
41:53And in fact, at the end of an epic battle on the line, but also an epic quest, trying to find one of these things,
41:59but, you know, finally feeling the strength of it.
42:02Absolutely, I mean, no doubt now that if you were in a small fishing canoe and that thing hit you underneath,
42:07I mean, it would easily upend the canoe.
42:08And then if you're in the water afterwards, and you got on the wrong side of that head,
42:12my goodness, that would absolutely take you out.
42:15Mythic and real beasts swirl around one another here in the Amazon.
42:24When people go missing, there is usually talk of giant snakes and mannington caiman.
42:31I set out to show that the arapana is an underestimated fish, capable of extraordinary feats of strength.
42:41If cornered, trapped or netted, it becomes a formidable opponent, an airborne missile.
42:47I knew I had to overcome my fear to prove my case.
42:53I went back into the water and caught an ancient survivor that is part fish, part legend, and entirely worthy of a deadly reputation.
43:03Now this is a real river monster.
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