All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S06E03.Beast.of.the.Bayou.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-SLAG_track3_[eng]

[Phil] It sounds big,
and it sounds angry.

-[monster grunts]
-[Phil] Oh!

Everybody back,
back, back, back.

[woman yells] Oh God!

[Josh Gates] On this episode
ofExpedition X...

My team heads deep
into the Louisiana Bayou

on the hunt for a legendary
swamp monster.

I seen the eyes. Bright red.
It stood up about 7-foot tall.

Oh! It's moving.

[Jessica] Is that
coming towards us?

[Phil] Look at the eyes
back there.

-[shushes]
-[monster growls]

[Phil] There's one eye.

-[both] Two.
-[Jessica gasps]

All right, I have
something very cool
to show you guys today.

We got movie day.
Are we getting a sub?

[Josh] No substitute teacher,
you're stuck with me.

But it is movie day.

All right, this is a very
intriguing old film

that was sent to me
by a woman named
Dana Holyfield from Louisiana.

She claims this shows--
Are you ready for it?

-Ready
-A terrifying monster.

Dude, you get
the weirdest fan mail.

I do, you have no idea.

But I have to say,
this is very cool footage.

Phil, you ready
to believe in monsters?

Play the film
and then we'll see.

Okay, here we go.

-[Jessica] You installed
a clapper in here?
-Just watch the movie.

Wow.

[Josh] Okay, so we're out
in the swamps now. Get ready.

We see there's like
a hunting blind
or a platform there.

Okay, here we go.

Keep an eye, center
of the frame in the back.

-Look at that! Look at that!
-[Jessica] Oh!

-Yeah!
-You see that?

That looks like Bigfoot.

Right? We see this large,
upright something walking
right through the frame.

[Jessica] I mean,
that legitimately
looks like Bigfoot.

[Josh] That's
what Dana thinks.

This has really become
a family mystery for her.

This footage was shot
by her grandfather

who spent his whole life
trying to figure out exactly
what that is.

[Josh] New Orleans
has a rich history of folklore
and mysticism

from voodoo to vampires...

[howling]

[Josh] ...but for the folks
living on the edge
of the swamp,

one legend
has eclipsed all others.

The Honey Island
Swamp Monster.

The first known sighting
is in 1963 by Harlan Ford.

He's out hunting,
and claims he runs into
a 7-foot ape-like creature

with large amber-colored eyes
covered in long, matted hair.

He's so terrified
and awestruck by the encounter

that he spends
more than a decade

relentlessly searching
the swamp.

In 1974, he claims
to finally find physical proof
of the creature.

Harlan makes a plaster cast

of a 11.5-inch
three-toed footprint.

Ford contacts
the Louisiana department
of Wildlife and Fisheries

who find similar tracks,

but are unable to identify
any known species in the area
that could make them.

He continues to search,
carrying with him
a Super 8 camera.

And at some point
before his death
in March of 1980,

he films the footage
of what appears to be
a monster.

But for unknown reasons,
he keeps it to himself.

It isn't until 2006,
when his granddaughter,
Dana Holyfield,

is working on a documentary
about her family's
decades-long search

when Harlan's old 8mm
film reels are discovered.

Okay, so what do you think?
Is there a Louisiana cryptid
out of the swamps?

I mean, all of this
sounds pretty compelling.

So at least worth
going out there
and researching it.

What I would love to see
is those plaster casts.

However, my instinct here
tells me that this is probably
a case of misidentification.

Someone sees something
like a black bear in the woods
out there,

and if they can't quite
make out what it is,

imagination can take you
to some pretty wild places.

Sure, but that
old film footage,
that's not a bear.

It's not, however,
maybe it's all a hoax.

Maybe that's
someone in a Bigfoot suit
walking around.

I mean, that's the first thing
you think, right?

Could this just be
a man in suit?

I mean, that is
a possibility, right?

But you gotta remember,
Harlan never used this

to profit off of it
in any way, shape or form,

so I don't understand why
somebody would dress up
for no reward.

[Josh] Right.
That's the part of this
that's very compelling.

Maybe we're dealing
with some sort of southern
subspecies of Bigfoot here,

a la Swampsquatch.

-Right?
-That's a good name.

-[Josh] That's a good name.
-It is a good name.

Or who knows?
Maybe it's a werewolf.

You think there's a werewolf
running around in the swamps?

Don't laugh. Because there is
southern folklore around
the Louisiana area

about a rougarou,
and it's basically a werewolf.

A giant, hairy man-beast.

Well, whatever it is,
that's what you're here
to find out, all right?

I'm sending you to the bayou.

I want you to shed light
on these recent
eyewitness accounts.

-Okay.
-Sounds good.

All right. Time to figure out
what is lurking in
the Honey Island Swamps.

Good luck.

[Josh] It's a
three-and-a-half hour flight
from New York to New Orleans,

a city swirling with centuries
of multicultural influences.

And from there,
it's a 40-minute drive north

to the Pearl River
Wildlife Area.

[Jessica] This is looking
pretty swampy.

[Josh] These 35,000 acres
of untamed marshland
contain Honey Island Swamp.

I've arranged a meeting
for Jess and Phil with Dana

at her family's
old hunting camp.

But to get there,

they'll need to adopt
a more swamp-friendly
form of transport.

-[Jessica] All right,
you ready?
-[Phil] Oh, yes.

-You know why they
call it Honey Island?
-Why?

Because apparently
it's full of bees.

[Jessica] Awesome.

[Phil] There
are no roads out here.

So the only way people find
each other is by coordinates.

[Phil] GPS says
we go left here.

We're meeting
with Dana Holyfield,

whose grandfather captured
purported video

of the Honey Island
Swamp Monster
back in the 1970s.

-Hello there.
-[Dana] How are you?

[Jessica and Phil] Good.

[Phil] Since then,
Dana's been on the frontline
of the monster hunt.

So your grandfather
dedicated decades of his life
to tracking this thing down.

-Yes, he did.
-[Phil] Why do you think
he did that?

I think when he first saw
this thing face-to-face
and got a good look at it,

first of all, he said
it scared the hell out of him.

And then finding the tracks
in the same area,

he just became very interested
in finding out more about it.

Why do you think
he never went public with it?

Probably because
when he first talked
about this years ago,

he said people come
out of the woodwork,

like monster hunters
wanting to go in there
and shoot it.

And he was afraid people
were gonna kill each other
by accident

trying to hunt it down.

So what did this thing
look like?

My grandfather said that
the thing he remembered most
was the eyes.

Big amber-colored eyes
just looking at him.

The body was covered
in long, dingy hair.

My grandfather stood 6'4",
and this thing was taller
than he was.

Big broad shoulders
and long arms.

And when it turned to run,
it ran off on two feet.

What made you pick up
your grandfather's mantle?

Did you have
an experience at all?

I've had
some experiences out here.

I grew up in the swamp.
There's all kinds of wildlife.

Being out here all the time,
you hear things.

Sometimes I'd hear this thing
screaming out.

[monster screams]

It's just a noise that
makes you very eerie.

Could it be, like, a bear
or something like that?

[growling]

-[Dana] They do have
black bear...
-[Jessica] Okay.

[Dana] ...that you see
out here occasionally.

[purring]

[Dana] Black panthers.

There's theories that it could
have been from a circus train

that had wrecked
out here in the '40s.

[horn blowing]

[crashing]

[Dana] That maybe
something got off.

Have you gotten any hints
as to what it's attracted to?
What it could feed on?

Any clue that would help us
track whatever this is down.

[Dana] It could feed
on wild hogs.

[hog screaming]

[Dana] There were some
wild hogs that had been killed
in the area

that they found these tracks.

They had their throats
ripped out,

blood was all splattered
all over the place.

This was one of the originals
that my grandfather made.

And then we found those
a couple years back.

-[Phil] Wow.
-[Jessica] Look at these.

Those are really clear-cut,
good sets.

And really consistent
that whatever this is,

it seems like the same
species with the three main
clawed toes.

And then this looks like
a little dewclaw.

Do you mind
if I take a 3D scan?

[Dana] Go ahead.

[Phil] I'm using
a lidar scanner

to create 3D models
of these plaster casts.

We'll have these
digital replicas handy

as we venture further
into the swamp.

Got it.

What do you think it is?

I think it's probably
something that's just
always been out there.

This swamp goes for miles
and miles and it connects
with other swamps,

so there's a lot of places
for this thing to roam.

Then where do you recommend
we start our investigation?

Y'all need to go meet
with M.K. Davis.

He thought it was a hoax...
[chuckles softly]

...until he had his own
evidence out there.

-Do you have some coordinates
you could give me?
-[Dana] Yeah, I do.

[Jessica] We make our way
to M.K. Davis,

a local investigator
who actually spent years

attempting to disprove
Harlan's evidence.

-[Jessica] M.K.?
-[M.K. Davis] Yes?

[Jessica] Nice to see you,
Dana sent us.

-Thank you, sir.
-[MK] All right.

[Jessica] She said that
you had some evidence
of the swamp monster.

[M.K.] I do.

[Phil] So you've been
looking into this for decades?

I put a lot into it at first,
but I didn't find it.

And then I came
across this track.

And there it is.
This big three-toed track,

the same kind of track
that Harlan Ford casted
all those years ago.

I looked at it and I said,
"This can't be."

It can't be. You know,
'cause no one set me up.
No one knew I was coming.

So you went from
complete skeptic on this
to now a complete believer?

[M.K.] Well,
I don't have any choice.

Why are you even doing this
if you're not dedicated
to the facts and the truth?

What other kind of evidence
have you gotten?

-I've got a thermal video.
-[Jessica] Really?

-[Phil] You have
a thermal video of this thing?
-I do. I have a thermal video.

-Can we see it?
-Sure. Let me go get it.

-Awesome. All right.
-Whoa.

[Jessica] All right.

-[Jessica] Okay.
-[Phil] That's a pretty big
heat signature.

-[M.K.] Right there
would be his head.
-[Jessica] Uh-huh.

-[M.K.] And then
the rear is down.
-[Jessica] Oh, I can see it.

It's actually behind
some vegetation.

-It's hiding--
-[Phil] About how far away?

I don't know for sure,

but it was across
a body of water, it was
a pretty good way aways.

So it's kind of like
squatting down,
looking at you guys.

[M.K.] Right. We stayed there
for 30 minutes.

It just stood there
and watched.

So this is your
most recent evidence?

It is the most recent.

Can we get
the GPS coordinates to that?

-You most certainly can.
I'll get them for you.
-[Jessica] Perfect.

[M.K.] Remember, now.

If you can see what it does
to pigs and hogs...

-[Jessica] Yeah.
-[M.K.] It don't eat 'em,
it just kills them.

-Be careful.
-[Jessica] We will.

[growling]

-[Phil] Make our way in?
-[Jess] Yeah.

[Phil] It's going to be
a 2-mile hike on foot

to the location where M.K.
had his encounter.

Remote wetlands like these
are home to many
dangerous animals.

So as we trek in, Jess and I
are on high alert

for any large predators
in the area.

-I think based on
everything we've heard...
-Uh-huh.

...what people are seeing
and they describe as the
Honey Island Monster,

it climbs, it swims,
stands upright,
rips apart boar's throats.

That will be easy to find.

Look for dead boars.

For dead boars.
Also, let's look
for live boars

'cause they can be
300 pounds around here.

I don't wanna find live boars.

-I don't either,
but keep your eyes out.
-All right.

That's it over there?

-According to his-- whoa!
GPS coordinates...
-Uh-huh.

...we are right about there.

This is probably our best bet
to set up camera traps.

I got the water nearby
so that we can pick up
on anything

that's coming down
to the water's edge.

[Phil] This creature
has eluded search parties
for decades,

so first up,
we're going to set a perimeter
of eight game cameras

spaced 10 yards apart
surrounding the coordinates
of the sighting.

Anything moving
into or out of this area,
we'll catch it on film.

Okay. On to the next.

[camera clicks onto mount]

All right. Here,
this looks like a good spot.

Oh, [bleep]. Look at this.

Oh!

Phil, you copy?

Yeah, what's up, Jess?

I just found some prints
right by the water's edge.

I mean, I think
this thing just ran by.

[Phil] Heading your way.

-Jess?
-[Jessica] Right here.

I just found some prints.
Look, look.

-Look at that.
-[Phil] Nice!

[Jessica] So there's
these right here,

then over here there's more
like a three-toed track.

[Phil] That is
really interesting.

It does look like three.

[Jessica] This is
the first ones I found.

[Phil] And they do look fresh.

-[Jessica] Do you
have your lidar?
-[Phil] I have my lidar.

[Jessica] You wanna scan 'em?

[Phil] We should
absolutely scan 'em.

It's clear from these tracks
that whatever made them
is big and went inland.

It must have just
passed through here,

close to where M.K.
had his most recent sighting.

If whatever made this track
was walking inland,

why don't we go in there
and try to draw it out?

Our plan is to use
a game caller to mimic
animal sounds

that will hopefully
lure whatever this is
into the open.

[Jessica exclaims] Look
how big that thing is!

Jess, we've seen
bigger than this.

[Jessica screaming] Oh, God!
It's moving! Oh, God!

-[laughs]
-[chuckles nervously] Jesus,
I hate spiders.

All right.
Your spider screaming is gonna
scare anything around here.

Or it's gonna draw it in.

Well, maybe that too.

It's gonna be like,
"Wounded woman, let's go
rip her throat out."

That is possible.

Then I don't have to worry
about spiders anymore.

-[chuckles] 'Cause
you'll be dead?
-Yeah.

[Phil] Looks like over here
to the right might have
a clearing.

[Jessica grunts]

[Phil exhales]
What do you think? Base camp?

[Jessica] Yeah,
let's set up the blinds here.

Yeah.

[Phil] We begin setting up
hunting blinds to help
camouflage our location.

Surrounding us
is our perimeter
of game cameras

which are tethered
to my phone.

So if anything goes off,
I'll receive an alert.

All right, so how about this?

Why don't you take
the game caller and go put it

by one of the cameras
just a little bit
further away.

I can then watch
with the night vision goggles.

-Okay. Make sure we have good
line of sight from here?
-Uh-huh.

That way,
when we set that thing off,

at least whatever
comes out of the woods,

we'll have a running start
to potentially get away
if we need to.

Yeah.

Jess, how's this right here?

[Jessica]
That's actually perfect.

Like, I have a straight
line of sight to you.

Do you wanna do a test
on the game caller

to make sure it has range
all the way out here?

All right. You ready?

[Phil] Let her rip.

[yowling playing
on game caller]

[yowling playing
on game caller]

[Phil speaking on radio]

[laughing] Yes, I did.

[Phil] Absolutely terrifying.

All right. We got
good range out here.

I'm gonna turn the volume up
all the way, head back.

Copy.

-Here's my question.
-Yeah.

How do you know
what a bobcat in heat
sounds like?

Who doesn't know
what a bobcat in heat
sounds like?

-Jess, come on.
-I don't, it's so weird.

[Phil] I think we
got ourselves a monster trap.

-Okay, ready?
-[Jessica] Yeah,
what are you choosing?

Deer.

[deer sounds playing
on game caller]

[deer sounds playing
on game caller]

Yeah, that's what
deer sound like.

[deer sounds playing
on game caller]

[deer sounds playing
on game caller]

Okay, you getting
anything out there?

Nothing yet. Let me
check behind us. I just--

A little nervous.

[deer sounds playing
on game caller]

[Phil] All right,
you ready for some howling?

Yeah.

[howling playing
on game caller]

[howling playing
on game caller]

It is eerie how much
this sounds like coyotes.

[howling playing
on game caller]

-[Phil exhales]
My heart is racing--
-[Jessica exclaims]

Oh, my gosh.

I just thought that
that might have been a face.

[Phil] We got a hit,
we got a hit.

Whoa, whoa.

[growling]

[Phil] Look at the eyes
back there.

That's one eye.

[Jessica and Phil] Two.

[Phil] What is happening
over here?

-[grunting]
-[Phil] Oh.

[Jessica] Is that a pig?

[Phil] That's a big mama.

She looks mad.

[grunting]

You know the bad thing
about there being baby boars
out there?

Extra aggressive mama pigs?

I have the bear spray.

Oh. Would a bear spray
work on a boar?

-I mean, I guess pepper spray
is pepper spray.
-Oh, yeah.

No one wants it in their eyes.

Okay, I'm gonna
try something else.

[distant growling]

[Phil] That was a growl.

I just heard a growl,
I didn't press a button.

It's that direction, actually.

[distant growl]

[Jessica] I did hear that.

[Phil] Got another hit.

This is the same camera.

It's just a lot
of dust in the air.

[footsteps receding]

Sounds like footsteps.

[boar squealing]

[Jessica] That sounds like
somebody's getting killed.

Those guys look terrified.

I mean, is something
hunting them right now?

Those boars
are 200 pounds each.

So if they're
running from something...

-[footsteps approaching]
-[Jessica] Something's
sneaking up behind us.

[loud grunt]

[Phil] Oh!

All right. Everybody
back, back.

[Phil exhales]
My heart is racing.

Whatever we just heard,
it is howling over there.

-I mean, we gotta
go over there.
-[Phil] Yeah.

Get the bear spray.

I got the spray.

[Jessica] Yeah,
I'm not feeling too
terribly safe right now.

[boar squealing distantly]

[chirping]

[Phil] It's just a bird.

[chirps]

All right, let's keep moving.

-Keep moving.
-[Jessica] Yeah. Go.

Here's the camera right here.

Hopefully with evidence
of what was back here.

Those boars were
running from something.

[Jessica] Yeah, they were
definitely pissed off.

Something's definitely
in here, I just don't know
what it is.

[Phil] I got a hair.

[Jessica] You got a hair?

Let me see.

[Phil] It looks like
a hair follicle to me.

-[Jessica] Let me see.
-Check this out.

[Jessica] Oh, yeah.

At first I thought
it was part of the plant,

but you could see at the end
there where it narrows?

[Jessica] Yeah. Oh, that
does look like a follicle.

I would say 90 percent chance
this is gonna be from those
boars out here.

[Jessica] Yeah.

But there's that 10 percent
chance it's something else.

[Jessica] I'm willing
to roll the dice on that.

[Phil] Whatever
was chasing the hogs

seems to have disappeared
as quickly as it arrived.

There's a chance
we got something.

But we recovered a hair
which could shine a light
on its true identity.

While we send the sample
off to the lab,

we leave our game cameras
running all night

in case there is more activity
in the area.

We missed a call from Josh

while we were
out in the swamp,

so we're connecting to see
what he's got for us.

Let's give Josh a call.

[both] Hey, Josh.

How are my
two swamp rats doing?

-Damp.
-Sweaty.

[chuckles] Sounds about right.

Okay, so what's the update?
How's it going?

Good. We had
a really good night.

We got some
interesting responses
off of the game caller.

And we also saw
a large animal track
that we did a 3D scan of.

Could be something.
I'm not saying monster--

I'm saying monster.

[Phil] But you know,
we got the renderings

so we can compare it
to the other casts that exist.

[Josh] So on the off chance
that it's not a monster,

any other ideas
on what it might be?

Dana said that
there's a theory that there
was a circus train derailment

that happened
in the early 20th century,

where a bunch
of primates were released.

Which sounds farfetched,

but it's not
totally unprecedented.

For example,
there's a troop
of vervet monkeys

that live in Florida now
that escaped from a roadside
zoo back in the 1940s.

All right, well,
definitely something
worth looking into then.

Yes. I do want to
follow through with this
possible primate theory,

so I set up a meeting
with Margaret Buehler.

She's a professor
over at Tulane,

and she specializes
in the study of primates.

Maybe she could tell us
if it's man, monkey, or other.

That sounds great
and I'll keep doing
some digging on this end,

see if there's anything else
I can dig up on
an animal escape.

You know Jess,
one thing that you said
that really stuck with me

is this idea that maybe
the Honey Island Swamp Monster

could be related
to the rougarou legend,
this Cajun werewolf story.

I've done a little research
and there are some intriguing
similarities here.

Both of these stories
come from the same area

and they have similar
descriptions, right?

Both tall, both hairy,
and apparently,
both very stinky.

Huh, I wonder if
they're related to Phil then,
'cause he's a stinky boy.

-It's not that bad, is it?
-Yeah, you are.

I do think it's worth
looking into

whether there
could be a connection
between these legends.

I've been reading up
on the rougarou,

and I found a recent
account from an eyewitness

who claims to have had
a terrifying encounter
with this creature.

His name is Roy Verrett,

and Jess, I've arranged
for you to meet him
at a museum in the city.

So go and talk to him,
see if you can learn more
about his encounter

and more about the legend
while Phil goes and talks
to the professor at Tulane.

Perfect. Got it. Will do.

All right. Good luck.

And hey, Phil,
don't forget to shower.

-Right. On it.
-Ew.

-Bye, Josh.
-See you.

[Jessica] I'm meeting Roy
at a paranormal museum
in New Orleans

to see if his report
of the rougarou has any ties

to our search for the
Honey Island Swamp Monster.

Oh, and a small sidenote,

the museum
is reportedly haunted.

-Hey, Roy.
-Hi, Jessica, how you doing?

-Hi, nice to meet you.
-Hi.

[Jessica] So Josh told me

you have quite the story
to share.

Oh, yes.

-You wanna check it out?
-Yeah, absolutely.

[Roy] Here it is.

The different images
of what people think
they've seen.

Honey Island Swamp Monster.

This is a werewolf-type
thing. Rougarou.

[Jessica] So then
what's your theory?

Do you think that the
Honey Island Swamp Monster
and the rougarou are related

or do you think that they're
two separate beasts?

[Roy] I believe
it's the same thing.

I believe
it's an actual animal.

Just undiscovered.

It's actually a physical being
that's walking around
out there,

it's just we don't know
what that is.

Yes.

So, then, tell me.
What was your experience?

The whole area
where we stayed,
everybody lives off the land.

Trapping, hunting,
and all that stuff.

Behind the house,
it's just open marsh
for miles.

I was hunting rabbits.

And there was this
loud roar-growl.

[monster growling]

[Roy] It'd be a mix between
a bear and a lion.

[monster growling]

[Roy] I'd never heard
anything like this before.

[Jessica] Mm-hmm.

[Roy] As I was coming
around the corner,

I seen the eyes, shining.

It was a bright red.

And it stood up.
It stood up about 7-foot tall.

[growling]

[Roy] I didn't know whether
to crawl out of my skin.

There was no way
I was taking a chance
taking a shot at that.

All it was gonna do
is piss it off.

And at this point, I realize,
"Okay, I don't know
what this is."

I'm not sticking around
to find out.

Interesting. Maybe when people
stumble upon it,

it gets startled
and it kind of
stands its ground

because of its territory
or something like that.

It's a good possibility.

So you're 100 percent
a believer.

-I'm a 100 percent
believer, yes.
-[Jessica] Yeah?

Ain't no doubt.

No doubt in your mind
that this is not a hoax,

you've ran into some
unexplained creature.

Unexplained creature
that was huge.

Had to be...
even with the sound.

If you didn't
put your eyes on it,

you knew that
that animal was huge.

I mean, I'm getting
goosebumps talking about it.

[Jessica] Roy's account
of the rougarou sounds like
it could be one and the same

as the Honey Island
Swamp Monster.

Both are huge, hairy
swamp-dwelling creatures.

Are they tied
to the same old legends

or do they have roots stemming
from an actual unidentified
cryptid monster?

Given his description
of its unique roar,

I want to see about
replicating the sound
he described.

If it's a real creature,
maybe we can use that
to lure it out of hiding.

Do you remember
where you had these sightings?

Would you be able to give me
the coordinates?

-Sure.
-Fantastic.

[Phil] I want to delve further
into the taxonomy

of what could be
the Honey Island
Swamp Monster.

So I'm heading
to Tulane University

to meet with Professor
Margaret Buehler.

She has extensive
field experience
studying primates

and offered to take a look
at some of the evidence
we've collected.

Hey, Margaret.

-Hello.
-[Phil] Hey.

-Good to see you.
-Good to see you, too.

[Phil] Thanks
for taking the time to meet.

You bet.

So, as you know, we are here
looking at the Honey Island
Swamp Monster.

We've talked to some people
that think they have evidence
of it,

and I really want to get
your take on it

considering how much
experience you have
in the field

-looking at primates
in the wild.
-Sure.

[Phil] Okay. So these
are original casts
that people have made

-that they say are from
the swamp monster.
-Oh. Whoa.

I'm noticing here,
kind of the deepest part
of this footprint

is along both edges.

Um, it does not seem
to have an arch,

which is something you'll see
in things that are more
adapted for bipedal movement.

-So it does look like
this has claws.
-[Phil] Mm-hmm.

Which is not a standard trait
for a primate.

My instincts would lean
toward this being something
more quadrupedal.

It could be an alligator.

They do have four digits
on their back feet
and five on the front.

I think we just need more
samples to know for sure.

So the majority
of these traits that you're
seeing in this,

A, do not tell you
that it's bipedal.

They do not.
Does not seem to be.

And B, it's not
quite indicating primate.

Yes. I'd say
it's very unlikely to see

if a primate were to make
this kind of impression.

[Phil] So, let me show you
footage from people
who claimed

that they have seen
this thing.

This was taken back in '70s,

so the footage
is a little grainy,

but at one point,
you see something that is
undeniably a little strange.

[Margaret] So, right here,
we can definitely see
bipedal motion.

Looks like their upper limbs
swinging back and forth.

But the most likely
bipedal primate
that it would be,

would be a human.

-Yeah.
-[Margaret] Like you and I.

Any other thing
it could possibly be?

Because one of the theories
that is out here

is some people say
in the early 1900s,

there was a train crash
and some circus animals
escaped.

Do you think it is possible
that something could be
surviving out here

in the Louisiana swamps?

I think primates, if released,
could absolutely live
in the swamps in Louisiana.

Okay.

It's kind of subtropical here,
it doesn't get too cold,

there's plenty of water,
plenty of food, they can
absolutely survive.

[Phil] After speaking
with Margaret,

it's clear
that we're dealing with
some conflicting information

between the prints, video,
and witness accounts.

So I want to download
with Jess.

So, yeah, I met up with Roy.
His description matches
almost perfectly

with what Dana
and M.K. told us.

7-feet tall, covered in fur,

all of it just seems
to match up.

Well, what about
this lead on it possibly
being the rougarou?

I think the rougarou
is based in lore.

I think that what
we're actually dealing with

is just sightings
of the Honey Island
Swamp Monster.

Okay.

I think there's
something out there.

[Jessica] We're heading
to the location where Roy
had his run-in.

From his account,
it sounds like he may have
caught the creature off-guard,

so I wanna travel by stealth
and see if it's still
in the area.

Sorry to keep harping on this.

Did you set up the
water transport for us again?

Yes, I set up
the water transport again.

[Phil] Is it as fun
as last time?

It is exactly
what we need it to be

considering what we're
trying to do.

-So...
-Okay, now I'm worried.

You should be.

Hope you haven't been
skipping arm day.

Huh.

[Jessica] That's right.
A rowboat.

This is it.

Well, we're not gonna be
covering a lot of ground
in this thing tonight.

So that's true,
but hear me out.

This is the same type of boat
that Roy was using

when he ended up sneaking up
on the monster,

so I kind of just wanna
replicate that.

Okay, so, slow but stealthy.

-I got a thermal drone...
-Yeah.

...um, so we can at least
survey a big area from here.

Okay, I brought out
the game callers

and I got the FLIR,
so that anything
that you see above,

I can see
from maybe the shoreline.

-Sounds good.
-Sweet.

-Okay.
-[Jessica] All right.

Let me get in here.

-[Phil] Watch your
step in there.
-[Jessica] Jesus, Phillip!

[clears throat]

[Jessica] Come on!

You know I'm in trouble
when she uses
my full name, Phillip.

[Jessica] God.

[Phil] Let's launch.

[Phil] You know, maybe
with two people paddling,
like one on each side,

this would get somewhere.

[Jessica] We need someone
to work the flashlight.

[Phil sighs]

[Phil] As the sun sets,
we're making our way down
the Pearl River

scouring the shoreline
where Roy had his sighting,

looking for any pops of color
on the thermal cam.

-Got the FLIR?
-[Phil] Yeah.

[groans]

All right, we're recording.

[Phil] How's
the visibility on that?

[Jessica] Visibility's
pretty good, actually.

I mean,
I'm catching all the trees,

-everything's showing up
cold, though.
-Oh, yeah.

[Jessica] See what
I'm talking about?

If there is a mammal
out there, it would light up.

[Jessica] It would
absolutely light up.

Don't forget, we gotta be
looking close to the ground

'cause it hunkers down,
or up in the trees,
or if it stands up.

-So we gotta be
looking everywhere.
-[Jessica] Pretty much.

[Jessica] Roy said that
the swamp monster sounds like

a mix between
a bear and a lion.

So I created a file
which blends those two growls,

and I'm going to play it
through the game caller.

If there are any monsters
in the area,

and they hear a call
that resembles
one of their own,

maybe it'll come investigate.

-You ready?
-I'm ready.

-Give it a rip.
-[Jessica] Okay.

Here we go.

[growl playing on game caller]

That is a sound
I would not wanna hear

if I were alone
in these swamps.

[Jessica] Mm-mm.

[growl playing on game caller]

[growl playing on game caller]

-[Jessica] Oh! Look at that.
Did you see that?
-[Phil] Oh yeah. What's...

-[Phil] What is it?
-[Jessica] I don't know.
Right over there.

[clicks tongue] Shoot,
I think we lost it.

[Phil] I feel like
now's the perfect time
to fly the thermal drone.

So we can get a birds-eye view
of what's happening
around here.

Maybe something got close
but we're not able
to pick it up on shore,

maybe it's just
into the woods here.

-All right, Jess, I'm up.
-[Jessica] Okay.

-[Phil] That's the
river right here.
-[Jess] Okay.

So the river's
a little bit warmer,

so we're looking for
hot spots in this area.

[Jessica] So what's the green,
just trees?

Yeah, that's trees.

[Jessica] Can you fly over
that area that I got that hit?

Heading in right now.

[Jessica] I'll see if I can
pick it up again.

Hang on, Jess. Whoa, whoa.

-What'd you get?
-[Phil] What is that?

-[Jessica] Oh, right there!
-You see that?

-[Jessica] Yeah.
-[Phil] Whoa, it's moving.

[Jessica] Oh, yeah.
Wait, here's the river...

Is that coming towards us?

[Phil] Oh, my God.

Stories of the rougarou
date all the way back
to medieval France,

where it was called
the loup-garou,
French for werewolf.

Settlers brought the story
to Louisiana where it blended
with local lore

to create
a terrifying monster.

A red-eyed 7-foot tall wolf
with a distinctly awful smell.

Now, there's huge variation
on how you actually become
a rougarou.

Some say Catholics
who skip Lent for seven years
will turn into one.

Others say direct eye-contact
with a rougarou will cause you
to transform into one.

But perhaps the most
interesting superstition
of all

is how you're supposed
to protect yourself from it.

Just lay exactly 13 objects
in front of your home,

and the creature
will never enter.

Why? Because legend
says the beast can't count
above 12.

Yep. You can literally
do a number on the rougarou.

-[Jessica] Look
how close it is.
-[Phil] What is it?

It's a pretty big
heat signature.

But look at the shape.

[Jessica] That looks
how a person would run
from the top-down.

[Phil] It's00 a.m.,
there's no way a person would
be out here other than us.

Now it looks like
it down on all fours.

It's right under this tree.

Where is it? Okay, yeah.

-I think...
-[Jessica] Over there?

[Phil] Yeah.

It's about 50 meters in, Jess.

-You see the big tree
in the back?
-[Jessica] Yeah.

I mean, I'm not picking up
anything from here,

so I think we should dock
and go in there.

Okay. Jess,
you watch the shoreline,
I'm gonna bring this back.

[Jessica] Okay.

All right.
Got it, landed. Done.

[Phil] Gotta be ready
for anything up ahead.

[Jessica] Okay.

Let's go.

[Phil] Watch your step here.

[Jessica] Yeah, I see it.

-[Phil] Oh, God.
It smells terrible.
-[Jessica] It smells so bad.

-This way?
-[Phil] Yeah,
I think it's this way.

[Jessica] Slow down.

[Phil] Wow.

Okay, so, the last
known location I had.

I was flying up ahead,
and it was right under here.

-[Phil] Hold it. Jess--
-[Jessica exclaims]

Oh, look at those!

-[Phil] We got bones.
-[Jessica] Oh,
this is a spine!

-[Phil] Vertebrae, scapula.
-[Jessica] What do you think
that is?

Could the creature
have eaten that?

[Phil] They do look old.

I don't think there's any way
we're gonna be able
to catch up with that thing.

[exhales] We had it. [bleep]

We saw it on the thermal.
It was right back there.

And we know it was here
just minutes ago.

But it's moving quick.

I've got a few hits
on the FLIR,

you've got excellent
drone footage.

We've got that hair
we can get analyzed.

And the camera traps
are still up.

And the camera traps
are still up.

So I say we gather
all that stuff together
and get it analyzed,

try to figure out
what this is.

Because to me,
it all says there is something

that people are
definitely seeing
out in the swamp

that is the Honey Island
Swamp Monster.

To me, the evidence
doesn't stack up to tell me

that there's anything
more extraordinary than
the known nature that is here.

But it also doesn't say
that something extraordinary
couldn't be out here.

We won't know
until it's analyzed
is all I'm saying.

That's true. Oh, you know
what else is true, Jess?

-[Jessica] What?
-You're rowing back.

[Josh] My team dove
into the Louisiana Bayou

intent on solving
the mystery of the
Honey Island Swamp Monster.

[Phil] Let's get out there.

[Josh] Now, as we
analyze the evidence,

we're hoping to separate
fact from fiction in this
decades old mystery.

Look, look.

[Phil] Oh, look at those.

[Josh] First, given the size
and spread of its claw marks,

Jess' animal prints
are likely from an alligator,
not a 7-foot monster.

And our trail cams
captured mostly
wandering raccoons,

along with some
behemoth wild hogs.

[grunting]

[Josh] Whatever spooked
those hogs might have been
a formidable predator.

But a black bear or coyote
seemed like the most
realistic possibilities.

Sounds like somebody's
getting killed.

[Josh] But neither walk
on two feet for long periods,

and Harlan's film clearly
depicts a bipedal creature.

After running a DNA analysis
of the hair Phil recovered
from the swamp...

[Phil] I got a hair.

[Josh] The results came back
100 percentSus scrofa,

or for those who
don't speak Latin, wild hog.

We know that large primates
could survive in these
sprawling swamps.

[Margaret] It's kind of
subtropical here.

Plenty of water,
plenty of food.

[Josh] But after scouring
area archives,

we didn't find any
circus train derailments near
Honey Island from the 1940s.

Though plenty of other
exotic pets could very well
have escaped in recent years.

[Jessica] Oh! Look at that.
Did you see that?

[Josh] Could the figure
we caught lurking
in the underbrush

be the Honey Island
Swamp Monster?

-There it is. Yeah!
-Oh!

-It's moving. It's moving.
-[Jessica] Oh, yeah.

[Josh] Even with
this substantial footage,

a lack of any
physical evidence
muddies the waters,

making it impossible
to determine whether
this is a known animal

or perhaps something
more monstrous.

And the fact that he never
released or even discussed
with his family

this first-hand evidence
depicting the very animal

he spent
a decade searching for
is inconceivable.

It suggests that he may
have had a reason
to not show it at all.

Until more evidence
comes to light,

there's no way to prove
that the many wild sightings

are anything more
than the stuff
of Louisiana legends.

For more information
on Expedition X,

head to
discovery.com/ExpeditionX.