All language subtitles for Mythical.Beasts.2018.S01E10.720p.WEB.H264-JFF_track3_[eng]

Narrator: THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.

A MYTHICAL BEAST
IN THE MODERN WORLD.

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER DATES BACK
TO A MYTH THAT'S CENTURIES OLD.

IT WAS TERRIFYING.
IT COULD EAT YOU,

IT COULD DRAG YOU TO YOUR DEATH.

[ ROARS ]

IT'S TRULY A MONSTER.

Narrator: WHAT IS REALLY
IN THESE WATERS?

THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT
MAYBE IT IS STILL OUT THERE.

IT'S JUST REAL ENOUGH
TO KEEP THE HOPE ALIVE.

Narrator: NOW INVESTIGATORS USE
THE LATEST SCIENCE

TO UNRAVEL
THIS LAST GREAT MONSTER MYSTERY.

COULD THE CREATURE BE
A LIVING FOSSIL...

A SURVIVOR FROM THE AGE
OF THE DINOSAURS?

Brusatte: THESE WERE NOT
SWEET LITTLE ANIMALS.

THEY WERE EVERY BIT AS FEROCIOUS
AS A T. REX.

Narrator: OR DOES ANOTHER BEAST
LURK IN THIS LAKE?

Dr. Reidenberg: SO, IF YOU SAW
THIS IN LOCH NESS,

YOU MIGHT THINK YOU WERE LOOKING
AT AN ALLIGATOR.

Narrator: THE HUNT FOR THE TRUTH
BEHIND THIS MONSTER

WILL REVEAL OUR DEEPEST FEARS...

MYTH-MAKING IS NOT UNIQUE
TO THE ANCIENT WORLD.

IT IS STILL HAPPENING
ALL THE TIME.

Narrator:
...AND THE INCREDIBLE SECRET

AT THE BOTTOM OF LOCH NESS.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

IN THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND,

THERE'S A LAKE
THAT'S THOUGHT TO BE HOME

TO A HUGE AND TERRIFYING
CREATURE...

♪♪

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.

Kerr: EVERYONE REALLY HAS HEARD
OF LOCH NESS.

IT IS UP THERE
IN THE TOP FIVE MONSTER MYTHS.

♪♪

WE HAVE THIS VERY KIND OF
TOURIST-FRIENDLY IMAGE

OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER,
BUT IN ORIGIN,

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
WAS SOMETHING

THAT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE SCARY.

Narrator: KNOWN AS NESSIE,

THIS LEGENDARY BEAST
BAFFLES MODERN SCIENCE.

WHAT COULD EXPLAIN
NEARLY 3,000 SIGHTINGS HERE?

THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF PEOPLE

WHO BELIEVE
THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

IS AN ACTUAL LIVING BEING
THAT YOU CAN GO TO SCOTLAND,

AND IF YOU HANG OUT LONG ENOUGH
ALONG THE SHORE,

SOONER OR LATER, YOU'LL SEE
THIS THING COME CRUISING BY.

♪♪

Narrator: COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST
DR. JOY REIDENBERG

IS AN EXPERT ON MARINE BIOLOGY.

SHE'S ON A MISSION TO FIND OUT
ONCE AND FOR ALL

IF A REAL BEAST LIES BEHIND
THE LOCH NESS STORIES.

Dr. Reidenberg: THERE ARE LOTS
OF WATER MONSTERS IN MYTHOLOGY.

IN FACT, SOME OF THEM,
WE THINK WE UNDERSTAND.

THE PROBLEM WITH LOCH NESS
IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN ANIMAL

THAT WE CAN PIN IT ON.

Narrator: SO JOY TURNS
TO WHAT WE DO KNOW --

THE FIRST EVER RECORDED SIGHTING
OF A TERRIFYING MONSTER HERE.

IN THE 6th CENTURY,
A CHRISTIAN SAINT CALLED COLUMBA

TRAVELED TO SCOTLAND
WITH HIS FOLLOWERS.

NEAR THE RIVER NESS,

THEY WITNESSED THE BURIAL
OF A MAN.

THE LOCALS CLAIMED
A GIANT WATER BEAST

MAULED HIS BODY AND DROWNED HIM.

AS COLUMBA'S MEN LOOKED
FOR A WAY TO CROSS THE RIVER,

THE BEAST REAPPEARED.

COLUMBA MADE
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS

TO PROTECT HIS DISCIPLE...

[ BEAST ROARS ]

...AND MANAGED TO REPEL
THE MONSTER,

FORCING IT TO RETREAT BACK

INTO THE DEPTHS
OF THE RIVER NESS.

♪♪

THE BEST ACCOUNT WE HAVE
OF AN ACTUAL INTERACTION

WITH THE BEAST IS SAINT COLUMBA.

BUT IT DOESN'T GIVE US
ANY EVIDENCE

OF WHAT THE BEAST LOOKED LIKE.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT SHAPE,
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT SIZE,

WE DON'T EVEN KNOW
IF IT HAS TEETH.

Narrator: WHAT KIND OF MONSTER
COULD DRAG A MAN TO HIS DEATH?

JOY EXAMINES THE EARLIEST PHOTOS
OF WHAT MAY BE THE BEAST.

IN THE 1930s, THERE WAS
A SUDDEN EXPLOSION OF SIGHTINGS.

ONE PERSON DESCRIBES SEEING
A LONG-NECKED CREATURE

WITH A PONDEROUS BODY.

NEWSPAPERS DUBBED IT
A PLESIOSAUR,

AN AQUATIC REPTILE SUPPOSEDLY
EXTINCT FOR 66 MILLION YEARS.

THERE'S THIS ONE OVER HERE
THAT SHOWS SOMETHING

SWIMMING IN THE WATER
TOWARDS THE CASTLE.

AND YOU LOOK AT THIS ONE
OVER HERE,

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING
SPLASHING IN THE WATER

THAT HAS A SNAKE-LIKE TAIL
TO IT.

Narrator: MOST OF THE IMAGES
ARE BLURRY.

SOME ARE ALMOST TOO GOOD
TO BE TRUE.

IT LOOKS AN AWFUL LOT
LIKE A LONG-NECKED DINOSAUR

THAT I USED TO PLAY WITH
AS A KID.

Narrator: SO, COULD A PLESIOSAUR
REALLY BE HIDING IN THIS LAKE?

♪♪

[ MAN SCREAMING ]

Dr. Reidenberg:
STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED,

AND WE HAVE TO KEEP
AN OPEN MIND,

BECAUSE THERE ARE, AFTER ALL,
LOTS OF STORIES OF SIGHTINGS.

♪♪

Narrator: TODAY, THERE'S ONLY
ONE PLACE IN SCOTLAND

WHERE YOU'RE GUARANTEED TO FIND
A PLESIOSAUR --

THE HUNTERIAN MUSEUM IN GLASGOW.

♪♪

Dr. Reidenberg:
THIS IS OUR PRIME SUSPECT.

THIS IS A PRETTY
IMPRESSIVE-LOOKING ANIMAL.

WE'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING
THAT'S ROUGHLY THE SIZE

OF A KILLER WHALE.

Narrator: THESE HUGE
MARINE ANIMALS

WERE NOT QUITE AS AGILE

AS PEOPLE IMAGINED THEM
IN THE 1930s.

BUT AS AN AIR-BREATHING REPTILE,

A PLESIOSAUR COULD HAVE RAISED
ITS HEAD ABOVE THE WAVES.

Dr. Reidenberg: IT COULD LIFT
ITS HEAD A LITTLE BIT

BUT NOT ALL THE WAY UP
LIKE A SWAN.

THIS NECK HAS ALL THESE
SPINY PROCESSES STICKING UP.

THESE WOULD HAVE LIMITED HOW FAR
BACK IT COULD PULL ITS NECK,

BECAUSE ONCE THE PROCESSES
TOUCH EACH OTHER,

THAT'S THE LIMIT
OF HOW FAR IT CAN GO.

Narrator: THE PLESIOSAUR
WAS FEROCIOUS...

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

...JUST LIKE THE ORIGINAL BEAST
IN THE LEGEND OF SAINT COLUMBA.

THIS IS A PREDATOR.

THIS ANIMAL WAS
NOT EATING PLANTS.

THESE TEETH ARE GRASPING TEETH,

AND THEY'RE TO GRAB
SLIPPERY THINGS, LIKE FISH,

AND HOLD IT IN PLACE.

IT REMINDS ME A LOT
OF THE HEAD OF A CROCODILE.

Narrator: TO JOY, THE SHAPE
OF THE PREDATOR'S HEAD

SUGGESTS THAT IT COULD EVEN
AMBUSH PREY LIKE A CROCODILE.

IT'S REALLY ARROWHEAD-SHAPED,

WHICH MEANS IT COULD SNUG
THAT HEAD IN

RIGHT AGAINST THE SHORELINE.

IT WOULD BE UNDER THE WATER
AND THEN -- SURPRISE! --

THIS MOUTH COMES UP
WITH THESE TEETH

AND JUST GRABS WHATEVER'S
WALKING ALONG THE SHORELINE.

THAT'S A PRETTY SCARY THING
TO ENCOUNTER.

Narrator: THE PLESIOSAUR TICKS
MANY BOXES,

BUT COULD ONE STILL BE ALIVE
TODAY?

IN HER LABORATORY, JOY EXAMINES
ONE TYPE OF SEA CREATURE

THAT PREDATES THE DINOSAURS.

Dr. Reidenberg: WE'RE LOOKING
AT A BEARSDEN SHARK.

IT'S A FOSSIL THAT WAS FOUND
NEAR GLASGOW IN SCOTLAND.

TESTS SHOW THAT THIS FOSSIL
IS 330 MILLION YEARS OLD,

AND YET, MODERN SHARKS
LOOK REMARKABLY LIKE THIS.

Narrator: SHARKS HAVE SURVIVED
FOR MORE THAN 400 MILLION YEARS.

TODAY'S SPECIES ARE SMALLER,

BUT THEY SHARE THE SAME BASIC
DESIGN AS THEIR ANCESTORS.

Dr. Reidenberg:
THIS IS A DOGFISH,

A RELATIVELY SMALL MODERN SHARK.

AND IF WE LOOK AT THE TAIL,
WHAT YOU NOTICE

IS THAT THE SKELETON
GOES INTO THE TOP PART.

IT DOESN'T FORK AND GO
INTO BOTH PARTS

OR STOP
AND JUST HAVE RAYS.

AND LOOK -- THE BEARSDEN SHARK
HAS THE SAME THING,

AND THAT'S UNIQUE TO THESE FISH.

Narrator: ALL SPECIES THAT HAVE
SURVIVED FROM THE ERA

OF THE DINOSAURS OR EARLIER

HAVE EVOLVED AND CHANGED.

BUT SOME ARE STILL
ALMOST INDISTINGUISHABLE

FROM THEIR PREHISTORIC COUSINS.

THIS FISH, CALLED A COELACANTH,

ACTUALLY EVOLVED HUNDREDS
OF MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,

LONG BEFORE DINOSAURS.

THIS FISH WAS THOUGHT
TO BE EXTINCT.

IT WAS ONLY KNOWN FROM FOSSILS.

♪♪

Narrator: COELACANTHS LIVED
ALONGSIDE PLESIOSAURS

UNTIL ABOUT 66 MILLION YEARS AGO
WHEN BOTH DIED OUT,

OR SO IT SEEMED.

IN 1938,
A SOUTH AFRICAN FISHERMAN

CAUGHT A LIVING COELACANTH.

AND IN THE 1990s,

ANOTHER ONE EVEN SHOWED UP
AT AN INDONESIAN FISH MARKET.

IT TURNS OUT THAT,
AGAINST ALL THE ODDS,

A FEW COELACANTH SURVIVED,

HIDING IN THE DARK DEPTHS
OF THE OCEAN.

COULD A PLESIOSAUR NESSIE
HAVE DONE THE SAME?

Dr. Reidenberg:
SOMETIMES WE CAN BE WRONG.

SOMETHING WE THOUGHT WAS
AN EXTINCT ANIMAL

WE ONLY KNEW FROM FOSSILS
IS STILL ALIVE TODAY,

RELATIVELY UNCHANGED,
IN THE SAME BODY FORM.

Narrator: IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE.

IS A PREHISTORIC RELIC
REALLY HIDING

IN THIS REMOTE CORNER
OF SCOTLAND?

THE HUNT
FOR THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

LEADS ACROSS THE WATER
TO A REAL LIVE DINOSAUR ISLAND.

[ MUFFLED SCREAM ]

[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]

♪♪

Narrator: THE HUNT IS ON
FOR THE TRUTH

BEHIND THE MYTH
OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.

A PLESIOSAUR SEEMS TO MATCH
SOME OF THE PHOTOS AND ACCOUNTS.

COULD THIS CREATURE
FROM THE AGE OF THE DINOSAURS

BE LURKING IN THESE WATERS?

MOST OF THE MODERN
MYTHICAL BEASTS

HAVE WAYS THAT BELIEVERS TRY
TO CONNECT THEM TO THE PAST.

THERE ARE THOSE THAT BELIEVE
THAT BIGFOOT OR SASQUATCH

OR THE YETI ARE THESE KIND OF
SURVIVING POPULATIONS

OF CREATURES.

THIS NOTION THAT THERE'S, LIKE,
A RELIC FROM PREHISTORY

THAT IS STILL OUT THERE
SOMEWHERE

POINTS TO THE FACT
THAT OUR WORLD

IS STILL NOT
COMPLETELY EXPLAINABLE.

♪♪

Narrator: COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST
JOY REIDENBERG INVESTIGATES

HOW A PLESIOSAUR MIGHT HAVE
MADE IT INTO THE MODERN WORLD.

Dr. Reidenberg: FOR A PLESIOSAUR
TO BE ALIVE TODAY,

IT WOULD HAVE TO OVERCOME
A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES.

IT'S EITHER IMMORTAL,

OR THERE'S A WHOLE FAMILY OF
THEM LIVING IN HERE UNDETECTED,

AND THEN, OF COURSE, IT WOULD
HAVE TO HAVE FOUND A WAY

INTO THIS LAKE FROM THE OCEAN.

IF THAT ALL HAPPENED,
THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.

Narrator: THE FIRST QUESTION
TO ANSWER IS,

DID PLESIOSAURS EVER LIVE
IN THE SEAS AROUND SCOTLAND?

A CLUE LIES IN THE WINDSWEPT
ISLAND OF SKYE.

THE BEACHES HERE ARE A PARADISE
FOR FOSSIL HUNTERS.

PALEONTOLOGIST STEVE BRUSATTE
EXPLORES THIS LOST WORLD.

Brusatte: IF WE GO BACK
TO ABOUT 170 MILLION YEARS AGO,

SCOTLAND WAS VERY DIFFERENT.

THIS WAS A SUBTROPICAL WORLD
KIND OF LIKE FLORIDA

OR PARTS OF SPAIN ARE TODAY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
DISCOVERED PLESIOSAUR REMAINS

ON SKYE IN THE 1990s.

IN FRONT OF ME HERE ARE
A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FOSSILS,

AND SOME OF THESE
ARE PLESIOSAURS.

AND SO SOME OF THESE, OF COURSE,
COME FROM THE ISLE OF SKYE.

THIS IS ONE HERE, AND THIS
IS THE TOOTH OF A PLESIOSAUR

THAT WOULD GRAB
AND PUNCTURE FISH.

Narrator: PLESIOSAURS WERE SOME
OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PREDATORS

ON THE PLANET.

PLESIOSAURS LIVED
ALL OVER THE WORLD.

WE FIND THEIR FOSSILS
PRETTY MUCH ON EVERY CONTINENT.

THEY RANGED IN SIZE
FROM LITTLE ONES

THAT WERE NOT REALLY MUCH BIGGER
THAN ME

ALL THE WAY UP TO MONSTERS

THAT WOULD HAVE TERRORIZED
THE OCEANS.

A LOT OF THEM WOULD'VE BEEN
AS FEROCIOUS AS A T. REX.

Narrator: BUT NO MATTER
HOW HARD THEY LOOK,

PALEONTOLOGISTS LIKE STEVE CAN'T
FIND ANY PLESIOSAUR FOSSILS

LATER THAN THE EVENT
THAT WIPED OUT THE DINOSAURS.

LONG BEFORE LOCH NESS
WAS FORMED,

A COMET
ALMOST THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN

HIT THE GULF OF MEXICO.

CASCADES OF VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
AND FIRES

THREW UP MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF ASH,

BLOTTING OUT THE SUN.

IT TURNED THE EARTH
INTO AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND.

MOST PLANTS DIED,
AND THE FOOD CHAIN BROKE DOWN.

FOR APEX PREDATORS
LIKE PLESIOSAURS,

IT WAS CATASTROPHIC.

WITHOUT FISH, THEY WERE DOOMED.

WE SEE THE FOSSILS
OF PLESIOSAURS AND DINOSAURS

AND LOTS OF OTHER CREATURES
DISAPPEAR

BASICALLY RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT
THE ASTEROID HIT.

♪♪

AS SCIENTISTS, WE NEVER LIKE
TO SAY ANYTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE,

BUT I AM 99.99999999
INFINITELY PERCENT SURE

THAT PLESIOSAURS
DID NOT SURVIVE THAT EXTINCTION

AND DO NOT LIVE ON
IN THE WORLD TODAY.

Narrator: THE FOSSIL EVIDENCE
TELLS US

THAT THE CONVENTIONAL PLESIOSAUR
DEFINITELY BECAME EXTINCT.

BUT THOSE WHO BELIEVE
IN THE NESSIE PLESIOSAUR THEORY

INSIST THAT A LONE FAMILY
OF THESE CREATURES

COULD'VE SWUM INTO THE LOCH
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

THE EARLY HISTORY OF THIS LAKE
IS STILL A MYSTERY.

LEGEND HAS IT THAT THIS PLACE
WAS ONCE A LUSH VALLEY.

AT THE BOTTOM
WAS A MAGICAL WELL,

FULL OF WATER
THAT COULD CURE ALL ILLS.

ONE DAY, A WOMAN LEFT IT
UNCOVERED

WHEN SHE HEARD HER CHILD CRYING.

WATER ROSE FROM THE WELL,

FLOODING THE VALLEY
AND CREATING LOCH NESS.

NESSIE HUNTERS TELL
A VERY DIFFERENT STORY.

AFTER THE LAST ICE AGE,

THE SEA COVERED
MUCH OF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS.

AS THE LAND ROSE
AND THE WATERS RECEDED,

A FAMILY OF PLESIOSAURS
SUPPOSEDLY BECAME TRAPPED

IN LOCH NESS.

A RIVER STILL CONNECTS LOCH NESS
TO THE SEA,

SO COULD IT BE TRUE?

JOY REIDENBERG WANTS TO TAKE
A CLOSER LOOK

AT THE MONSTER'S
SUPPOSED HABITAT.

-GOOD TO SEE YOU.
-GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOO.

WELCOME ABOARD.
THANK YOU.

OH, IT'S EXCITING
TO BE HERE.

Narrator: SHE JOINS BIOLOGIST
ERIC VERSPOOR

TO FIND OUT IF A FAMILY
OF PLESIOSAURS

COULD BE TRAPPED HERE.

IT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL SEA.

HOW BIG
IS THIS BODY OF WATER?

IT'S MASSIVE.

YOU COULD CONSIDER IT
A SEA.

IT'S GOT AS MUCH WATER
IN IT

AS ALL THE OTHER LAKES
IN THE WHOLE OF THE U.K.

Narrator: THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM
IN HERE

FOR A BIG REPTILE TO HIDE.

BUT IS THERE ENOUGH FOOD
FOR ONE?

Dr. Reidenberg: WHENEVER I SEE
REALLY DARK WATER,

I THINK OF THE WATER
NEAR WHERE I LIVE,

LONG ISLAND SOUND,
OFF OF NEW YORK.

-YEAH.
-AND IT'S SO FILLED WITH LIFE.

Narrator: ALL LIVING CREATURES
IN THE LOCH DEPEND ON SUNLIGHT.

ERIC IS GOING TO TEST THE WATER
WITH A REFLECTOR

TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH PENETRATES
THE DEPTHS.

AND YOU CAN SEE,
YEAH, IT'S PRETTY ORANGE.

AT JUST 10 FEET DOWN,
THE DISK DISAPPEARS FROM SIGHT.

SO, THERE WE ARE AT 4 METERS --
GONE.

FISH EAT PLANTLIKE ORGANISMS
CALLED ALGAE,

WHICH NEED LIGHT TO GROW.

BUT THE LOCH IS FULL OF PEAT,
WHICH MAKES IT MURKY.

SO IF YOU'RE REALLY
AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT,

IT'S GONNA FEEL LIKE
NIGHTTIME.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

THE BOTTOM OF LOCH NESS
IS A DARK WORLD.

FEWER ALGAE MEAN FEWER FISH.

IT'S ONE OF THE LEAST PRODUCTIVE
LOCHS IN SCOTLAND.

JUST A WILD GUESS,
BUT YOU MIGHT EXPECT

THAT YOU WOULD HAVE IN THE ORDER
OF 20,000 TO 40,000 FISH.

MOST OF THEM
ARE VERY SMALL FISH.

Dr. Reidenberg: SO THIS LAKE
REALLY COULDN'T SUPPORT

AN EVEN BIGGER PREDATOR OF,
LET'S SAY,

THE SIZE
OF A PLESIOSAUR?

[ BOTH LAUGH ]

BOTTOM LINE IS, THERE WOULDN'T
BE A SUSTAINABLE POPULATION

OF ANY LARGER CREATURE
IN HERE.

THERE'S MORE FOOD IN THE RIVERS
THEMSELVES,

AND THERE'S FAR MORE FOOD
IN THE MORAY FIRTH.

AH, SO THAT'S WHERE WE SHOULD BE
LOOKING FOR NESSIE.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

THE LOCH DOESN'T HAVE
ENOUGH FISH

TO SUSTAIN EVEN A SINGLE
TRAPPED PLESIOSAUR.

JOY SUSPECTS THAT
THE LIVING-FOSSIL THEORY

HAS MORE TO DO WITH PEOPLE
THAN MONSTERS.

Dr. Reidenberg:
WHAT WAS HAPPENING HERE
THAT MADE US THINK

IT WAS A PLESIOSAUR?

PERHAPS IT WAS BECAUSE,
THE TURN OF THE 19th

INTO THE 20th CENTURY SAW
THE DISCOVERY

OF LOTS OF BIG DINOSAURS.

THAT CAPTURED
EVERYONE'S IMAGINATION,

AND PERHAPS THEY WANTED
THEIR OWN DINOSAUR RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: BUT COULD
A SMALLER PREDATOR

BE SWIMMING
IN AND OUT OF THE LAKE?

JOY NEEDS TO LOOK
FOR A NEW SUSPECT.

SOME PHOTOS APPEAR TO SHOW
A SHADOWY, SERPENT-LIKE CREATURE

WITH SEVERAL HUMPS.

IF YOU SEE
THE LOCH NESS MONSTER,

YOU USUALLY ONLY SEE
THE HEAD POKING OUT

OR MAYBE A LITTLE BIT
OF ITS BACK WITH A HUMP OR TWO,

MAYBE THE TAIL
FLOUNDERING AROUND.

BUT YOU NEVER REALLY GET TO SEE
THE ENTIRE CREATURE.

THERE ARE MANY OTHER
STRANGE BEASTS

IN THE SURROUNDING RIVERS.

COULD A SILENT MONSTER
BE CREEPING

INTO THIS MYSTERIOUS LAKE?

♪♪

Narrator: THE LOCH NESS MONSTER,
A CENTURIES OLD MYSTERY.

MODERN SCIENCE HAS PROVED
THAT THE MOST FAMOUS CANDIDATE,

A PLESIOSAUR, DIED OUT
WITH THE DINOSAURS.

♪♪

BUT DID ANOTHER ANIMAL
INSPIRE THE MYTH?

Kerr: THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IS
LIKELY BASED ON REAL CREATURES.

WE OFTEN FIND A HINT OF TRUTH
IN OUR MONSTER STORIES,

AND THEN OUR IMAGINATION
AND CREATIVITY GO TO WORK,

AND WE GET THESE AMAZING BEASTS.

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

Narrator: COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST
DR. JOY REIDENBERG

CASTS HER NET WIDER
TO LOOK AT THE SUSPECTS.

MOST SCOTTISH RIVER FISH
ARE TOO SMALL

TO BE MISTAKEN FOR A BEAST.

BUT ONE CAN GROW
TO MONSTROUS PROPORTIONS.

SO, WE'RE LOOKING AT A FISH --
A REALLY, REALLY BIG FISH.

THIS IS CALLED A STURGEON,
AND IT'S A VERY PRIMITIVE FISH.

THIS ONE'S ABOUT 6 FEET LONG,

BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY SMALL
FOR A STURGEON.

THE LONGEST RECORDED STURGEON
IS OVER 15 FEET LONG.

Narrator: IN 1932,

ONE WOMAN TOLD OF
A LONG CROCODILE-LIKE CREATURE.

60 YEARS LATER,
ANOTHER EYEWITNESS SAW

A SIMILAR BEAST
WITH A SCALY-PATTERNED BACK.

WAS THIS, IN FACT,
A GIANT STURGEON?

THE SCALES OF THESE FISH

ARE MADE OF THE SAME
HARD MATERIAL AS A CROC.

THESE ARE MODIFIED SCALES
CALLED SCOOTS,

AND THEY'RE BASICALLY ARMOR.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE THE HEAD
IS ALL ARMORED LIKE THIS,

AND THEN THERE ARE THESE LITTLE
BONY PLATES ALL ALONG THE BACK,

AND THEY'RE ALSO ALL ALONG
THE SIDE HERE,

AND THESE ARE SOLID.

HEAR THAT?

[ TAPPING ]

Narrator:
STURGEONS CAN BE DANGEROUS.

THEY'VE BEEN KNOWN TO LEAP OUT
OF THE WATER, INJURING HUMANS.

THEY DON'T HAVE ANY TEETH
THAT THEY CAN HURT YOU WITH,

BUT THESE ARMOR PLATES ARE
VERY ROUGH AND VERY POINTY.

IF ONE WERE TO KNOCK INTO YOU,

IT'D BE KIND OF LIKE
BEING HIT BY A CLUB.

Narrator: IF AN OVERSIZED
STURGEON SWAM INTO THE LOCH,

IT COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN
FOR A REPTILIAN BEAST.

THIS FISH HAS A GAS BLADDER,
WHICH IS A BUOYANCY DEVICE,

AND OCCASIONALLY, IT MAY NEED
TO GO BACK UP TO THE SURFACE

TO GET MORE AIR
INTO THAT GAS BLADDER.

SO IF YOU SAW THIS,
YOU MIGHT ASSUME

THAT THIS WAS SOME
KIND OF PLESIOSAUR-LIKE

OR DINOSAUR-LIKE ANIMAL
SWIMMING IN THE LAKE.

IT IS CONCEIVABLE
THAT A RIVER FISH LIKE THIS

COULD END UP IN LOCH NESS.

Narrator: THE PREHISTORIC
STURGEON FITS SOME ACCOUNTS.

IT COULD EVEN BE THE LARGE BEAST
IN THE STORY OF SAINT COLUMBA.

BUT COULD MORE THAN ONE ANIMAL
EXPLAIN

WHY THERE ARE SO MANY
DIFFERENT REPORTS AND IMAGES?

SOME PHOTOS SHOW WHAT LOOKS LIKE
A HUGE MULTI-HUMPED SERPENT.

ONE MAN EVEN CLAIMED HE SAW
AN ANIMAL WRIGGLING

THROUGH THE WATER IN THE 1800s.

SOME OF THESE IMAGES HAVE NEVER
BEEN COMPLETELY EXPLAINED.

COULD NESSIE'S HUMPS BE
THE COILS OF A GIANT SNAKE?

WHEN WE THINK OF
A WATER SERPENT,

WE USUALLY THINK OF SNAKES,
SUCH AS THIS ONE HERE.

THIS IS A KINGSNAKE.

EXCEPT THAT WE DON'T KNOW
OF ANY SNAKES

THAT ARE SWIMMING IN LOCH NESS.

SO WHAT IT'S MORE LIKELY TO BE
IS SOMETHING THAT IS A FISH,

AN EEL-LIKE BODY SHAPE,
SUCH AS THIS.

THIS IS A LAMPREY.

AND LAMPREYS DO LIVE IN THE LAKE

OR IN THE RIVERS
NEXT TO THE LAKE.

Narrator: LAMPREYS AND EELS LOVE
SLOW-FLOWING DARK WATER.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT
THE APPEARANCE OF A LAMPREY

THAT EVOKES AN IMAGE OF A SNAKE.

IT'S SHINY, IT'S SMOOTH,
IT'S DARK,

IT SLIPS THROUGH YOUR FINGERS
WHEN YOU TRY AND HOLD ON TO IT.

THAT IS NOT
AN APPEALING, CUDDLY ANIMAL.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE
WOULD BE AFRAID TO HOLD.

Narrator: A LAMPREY
IS FAR TOO SMALL

TO BE A MYTHICAL
SERPENT MONSTER.

BUT ONE SPECIES OF SCOTTISH EEL
CAN GROW UP TO 5 FEET LONG.

WHAT'S MORE, THE HUMBLE SERPENT
HAS INSPIRED

MANY TERRIFYING LAKE MONSTERS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.

IN GREEK MYTH, THE HYDRA WAS A
POISONOUS SNAKE WITH MANY HEADS.

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
ISN'T KIND OF ON ITS OWN.

WATER MONSTERS ARE ACTUALLY
QUITE POPULAR MYTHICAL BEASTS.

THE HYDRA LIVED IN A LAKE
IN ANCIENT GREECE.

THE SNAKE APPEARS
IN HUMAN MYTHOLOGY AS A BEAST,

AS AN ANIMAL, EITHER IN THE FORM
OF A SERPENT --

GARDEN OF EDEN --

OR AS A SERPENT/DRAGON
WITH A SERPENT-TYPE FACE,

LIKE A HYDRA WITH MANY HEADS.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER THE
SNAKE LIVES ON LAND OR IN SEA.

IT'S SOMETHING DANGEROUS.

IT'S SOMETHING OTHERWORLDLY.

Narrator:
TALES OF WATER SERPENTS

MAY HAVE HELPED INSPIRE THE
INCREDIBLE STORIES AT LOCH NESS.

BUT THEY CAN'T EXPLAIN
THE PHOTOS OF GIANT HUMPS

TAKEN IN THE 20th CENTURY.

COULD NESSIE BE
A STRAY SERPENT-LIKE BEAST

FROM THE COLD, DARK WATERS
OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN?

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: THE HUNT IS ON
FOR THE REAL LOCH NESS MONSTER.

THE PREHISTORIC STURGEON
MIGHT EXPLAIN REPORTS

OF A LARGE, SCALY BEAST.

BUT SOME PHOTOS PURPORT
TO SHOW A MULTI-HUMPED NESSIE.

THEY'VE DEFIED ATTEMPTS
TO DEBUNK THEM.

LOCH NESS IS ONLY A FEW MILES
FROM THE SEA.

COULD A LOST SEA CREATURE
EXPLAIN THE STORIES

OF A MONSTROUS SERPENT?

PEOPLE LIVING IN NORTHERN EUROPE
HAD A HABIT

OF TRANSFORMING
UNKNOWN OCEAN CREATURES

INTO MYTHICAL BEASTS.

THEY MISTOOK THE FINS
OF KILLER WHALES

FOR THE TIP
OF THE DEADLY ZIPHIUS,

A BEAST THAT CAN SINK BIG SHIPS.

THEY RECAST
THE SNAKELIKE OARFISH

AS A MONSTROUS
KILLER SEA SERPENT...

...AND TURN THE TUSK
OF THE NARWHAL PORPOISE

INTO THE PRICELESS HORN
OF A UNICORN.

A SEA MONSTER LENDED
MANY DIFFERENT QUALITIES

OF MANY DIFFERENT CREATURES
YOU'LL SEE IN THE SEA.

WE REALLY DON'T KNOW
THE COMPLETE

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF THE SEA.

THERE'S A CREATURE CALLED
AN OARFISH

WHICH IS EXTREMELY
WEIRD-LOOKING.

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, ONE WILL
SHOW UP ON A BEACH SOMEWHERE,

AND IT JUST FREAKS PEOPLE OUT

BECAUSE THEY THINK
THIS IS A MONSTER.

"IT'S A MONSTER!
LOOK!

WHO'S EVER SEEN THIS BEFORE?!"

Narrator: IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY
THAT A GIANT OARFISH

COULD BE SLIPPING IN AND OUT
OF THIS LOCH UNDETECTED.

THE WATER IS NOT SALTY ENOUGH

FOR THESE WEIRD
OCEAN-DWELLING FISH.

BUT JOY WANTS TO FIND OUT
IF ANOTHER LOST ANIMAL

COULD SOMEHOW LOOK LIKE
A LEGENDARY SEA SERPENT.

SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SEEN
ONE HUMP OR TWO HUMPS

COMING OUT OF THE WATER.

AND AS FAR AS WE KNOW,
THERE ISN'T ANYTHING

THAT SWIMS THAT WAY IN A LAKE.

BUT WE'RE NOT FAR
FROM THE OCEAN,

AND I'M WONDERING IF SOME OF
THE THINGS WE MAY SEE OUT HERE

MIGHT'VE INSPIRED FOLKS
AROUND THE LOCH

TO THINK THAT THERE WAS
A LIVING ANIMAL

THAT WAS MAKING THOSE HUMPS.

[ ENGINE STARTS ]

Narrator: JOY HEADS OUT TOWARDS
THE NORTH SEA.

SHE SUSPECTS THAT A SEA MAMMAL

COULD BE CREATING THE ILLUSION
OF A SERPENTINE BEAST.

Dr. Reidenberg:
THE SEAGULLS ARE PICKING FISH
OUT OF A GROUP THAT'S IN THERE,

AND THAT'S WHERE I SAW
A FIN.

JOY THINKS SHE'S SEEN
A DOLPHIN FEEDING

ALONGSIDE A FLOCK
OF SEAGULLS,

BUT WHATEVER IT IS DISAPPEARS.

SO SHE HEADS
INTO DEEPER WATER.

ARE THEY FEEDING
ON THE SAME FISH AS DOLPHINS?

SO THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE
TO CHECK OUT.

SUDDENLY,
THERE IS MOVEMENT IN THE WATER.

THIS TIME,
IT'S A HERD OF SEALS.

RIGHT. YOU'RE DEAD ON.

YOU SEE THE SEAL?
IT'S LIKE AT 12 O'CLOCK.

JOY IS INTRIGUED BY THE WAY
THESE ANIMALS DIVE.

BACK ON LAND,
JOY EXAMINES HER PHOTOS.

THE SEALS LOOK LIKE HUMPS
AS THEY DIVE INTO THE WATER.

OF ALL THE MARINE MAMMALS
THAT ARC THROUGH THE WATER,

THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE A SERPENT,

SEALS ARE PROBABLY THE BEST BET,

BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE
ANY PROJECTIONS

STICKING OUT OF THEIR BACK.

Narrator: SEALS ARE KNOWN
TO SNEAK INTO THE RIVER NESS.

JOY THINKS THAT A GROUP OF THEM
COULD MIMIC THE APPEARANCE

OF A SINGLE CREATURE WITH HUMPS.

Dr. Reidenberg:
USUALLY, I ONLY CAUGHT ONE
AT A TIME ON THE CAMERA HERE,

BUT IN THE DISTANCE, I COULD SEE
A FEW MORE OF THEM

ARCING AT THE SAME TIME.

SO IF YOU IMAGINE SEEING THAT
FROM FAR AWAY,

IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE IT WAS
ONE LONG SNAKELIKE ANIMAL

MAKING EACH ONE OF THOSE ARCS.

AND SO YOU'D END UP WITH
A SERIES OF HUMPS ALL IN A ROW.

NOT TOO DIFFERENT FROM
SOME OF THE REPORTED SIGHTINGS

OF OUR LOCH NESS MONSTER.

Narrator: CENTURIES AGO,
THE PEOPLE OF LOCH NESS

WOULD'VE KNOWN LITTLE
ABOUT SEA MAMMALS.

THEIR INFORMATION
CAME FROM A BIBLE

OR STORIES OF SAINTS
DRIVING OUT MONSTERS.

Nubia: SO THE IDEA OF NESSIE,

THE REPTILE THAT LURKS
IN THE DARK,

IS CONNECTED TO A NOTION ABOUT
THE SERPENT, EVEN THE DEVIL.

AND IT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK
TO BABYLONIAN STORIES.

SO THERE'S THIS IDEA
THAT THE BLACKNESS AND THE EVIL

ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER.

Dr. Reidenberg:
IF YOU SEE SEALS IN THE OCEAN,

YOU WOULDN'T THINK ANYTHING
WEIRD IS HAPPENING THERE.

BUT IF YOU SEE SOMETHING
THAT'S OUT OF CONTEXT --

SEALS IN A LAKE --

IT MIGHT START PLAYING TRICKS
ON YOUR MIND,

PARTICULARLY IF YOU START
COMBINING IT WITH LOCAL STORIES.

Narrator: SEALS MIGHT EXPLAIN
SOME OF THE SIGHTINGS,

BUT THEY CAN'T EXPLAIN PHOTOS
LIKE THIS ONE

THAT APPEAR TO SHOW HUGE HUMPS.

IF THEY ARE GENUINE, COULD IT BE
THAT THE WATERS OF THE LOCH

ARE ALSO CREATING THE ILLUSION
OF A CREATURE?

IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT OUR PERCEPTIONS

OF THERE BEING A BEAST IS
ENTIRELY A TRICK OF THE LIGHT --

OUR IMAGINATION EXPANDED
THROUGH A DESIRE

TO SEE SOMETHING FABULOUS

WHEN, IN FACT,
IT'S A NATURAL PHENOMENON.

Narrator: NOW THIS HUGE
ARTIFICIAL WAVE TANK

COULD AT LAST CRACK THE SECRET
OF LOCH NESS.

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

♪♪

Narrator: COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST
JOY REIDENBERG IS ON THE HUNT

FOR THE TRUTH
BEHIND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.

A NUMBER OF CREATURES
COULD EXPLAIN

THE HUNDREDS OF SIGHTINGS.

BUT FOR JOY, SO FAR,
NONE COVERS ALL BASES.

Dr. Reidenberg: THE PROBLEM
WITH THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

IS THAT THE DESCRIPTIONS
ARE ALL VERY DIFFERENT.

SO MAYBE IT'S NOT AN ANIMAL.

MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE
ENVIRONMENT OF THE LAKE ITSELF

THAT EXPLAINS THESE SIGHTINGS.

Narrator: SOME OF THE REPORTS
ARE HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS.

BUT CAN THOUSANDS OF SIGHTINGS

REALLY BE DISMISSED
AS PRACTICAL JOKES?

SOME SKEPTICS BELIEVE
THAT WEIRD WAVE FORMATIONS

COULD ALSO LEAD PEOPLE TO SEE
A MONSTER THAT ISN'T THERE.

SCIENTIST GARETH WILLIAMS
WANTS TO FIND OUT

IF WAVES COULD LOOK LIKE
THE HUMPS OF A SERPENT.

Williams: WE'VE HAD THOUSANDS
OF EYEWITNESSES,

AND I THINK THE NATURE
OF THE MYSTERY

REALLY IS THE RANGE OF
POSSIBILITY OF THINGS

THAT THEY COULD'VE SEEN.

I BELIEVE MOST PEOPLE REPORT IT
IN ALL HONESTY,

AND WE HAVE TO TAKE
THOSE REPORTS SERIOUSLY.

Narrator: HE INVESTIGATES
AT THIS HUGE

ARTIFICIAL WAVE TANK
AT PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY

IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND.

Williams:
THIS IS OUR OCEAN BASIN.

SO WE'VE GOT
FOUR HYDRAULIC JACKS

THAT LIFT OUR FLOOR
UP AND DOWN.

SO THE WHOLE FLOOR
GOES UP AND DOWN.

THE WHOLE FLOOR
COMES UP AND DOWN.

THIS WAVE MACHINE WILL TRY
TO REPLICATE THE WAKE OF A BOAT.

LOCH NESS MAY LOOK EMPTY,
BUT IT'S A BUSY HIGHWAY.

IN THE CONTROL ROOM,
ENGINEER MARTIN HAHN

FIRES UP THE MACHINE.

PADDLES SET OFF A SERIES
OF GENTLE RIPPLES.

SUDDENLY, A BIGGER WAVE APPEARS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM.

THAT'S THE WAVE APPEARING NOW,
JUST COMING UP FROM NOWHERE.

Narrator: THIS IS WHAT'S KNOWN
AS A FOCUSED WAVE.

IT MAY NOT LOOK
BIG AND IMPRESSIVE,

BUT IT CAN APPEAR
COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE.

ON THE LOCH, THIS COULD HAPPEN

WHEN THE WIND WHIPS UP
FAST WAVES

AND THEY CATCH UP
WITH THE BOW WAVE OF A SHIP.

THE WAVES COMBINE AND FORM
LARGE CRESTS

THAT COULD BE MISTAKEN
FOR MONSTER HUMPS

RISING OUT OF THE WATER

AND DISAPPEARING AGAIN.

♪♪

SO, WE SHOULD HAVE A WAVE.
THERE IT IS.

SO, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT
FROM THE SHORE

AND IT WAS SOME DISTANCE OUT
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOCH,

IT WOULD LOOK LIKE
SOMETHING VERY SOLID.

Narrator: THE WAVES WOULD BE
IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT

ON THE LOCH.

COULD THEY EXPLAIN GHOSTLY HUMPS
THAT RISE FROM THE WATER

AND THEN VANISH?

IF YOU'RE WALKING ALONG THE SIDE
OF THE LOCH,

WALKING YOUR DOG,
CHATTING TO SOMEBODY,

SOMETHING CATCHES YOUR EYE,
YOU TURN AROUND,

AND YOU SEE SOMETHING,
LIKE, ALONG THE WATER,

BEHAVING PECULIARLY,

YOU COULD WELL BE FOOLED
INTO THINKING

THAT IT WAS
SOMETHING ANIMATE.

Narrator: ANOTHER THEORY
SUGGESTS THAT THE LAKE'S

UNUSUAL GEOGRAPHY COULD ALSO
CREATE STRANGE WAVES.

LOCH NESS IS OVER 23 MILES LONG
BUT VERY NARROW.

AND THE BANKS ARE STEEP
AND ROCKY.

SO WHEN WAVES FROM BOATS
HIT THE SIDES,

THEY CAN BE REFLECTED
BACK INWARDS.

AS THEY COLLIDE,
THEY COULD APPEAR TO STAND STILL

AND LOOK LIKE A PROCESSION
OF SOLID HUMPS.

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS COULD BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY SIGHTINGS.

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

IF THERE'S NOTHING
OUT OF THE ORDINARY HERE,

WHY IS THE MYTH OF THE MONSTER
SO UNSHAKABLE?

NO OTHER LOCH IN SCOTLAND
HAS SUCH AN ICONIC LEGEND.

♪♪

BUT AN ALMOST IDENTICAL SERPENT
IS SAID TO LURK IN ICELAND.

COULD THE ORIGINS
OF BOTH MONSTERS

LIE IN OUR DEEPEST,
DARKEST FEARS?

[ MAN SCREAMS ]

♪♪

Narrator: LOCH NESS IN SCOTLAND

IS FINALLY REVEALING
ITS DARKEST SECRETS.

MANY DIFFERENT CREATURES
MAY BE BEHIND

THE THOUSANDS OF SIGHTINGS.

BUT IF THERE IS NOTHING UNUSUAL
HERE,

HOW DID THE MYTH BEGIN?

Li: IN CELTIC MYTHOLOGY,
THERE'S A LONG TRADITION

OF SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
LIVING IN LAKES.

SO IT'S NOT JUST LOCH NESS.

WHY WOULD HUMAN BEINGS
CREATE MONSTERS, DRAGONS, BEASTS

OF THE WATERS, LEVIATHANS
IN THE LURKING DEPTHS?

Narrator: THE FINAL PIECE
IN THE PUZZLE

LIES HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY
WITH ANOTHER LEGENDARY BEAST.

BENEATH THE SNOW-CAPPED
MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN ICELAND

SITS LAKE LAGARFLJOT.

ACCORDING TO LOCAL LEGEND,

IT'S HOME
TO A FEROCIOUS WATER SERPENT.

THE TALE TELLS OF A YOUNG GIRL

WHO RECEIVES A GOLD RING
FROM HER MOTHER.

SHE PUTS IT IN A BOX
WITH A TINY SERPENT

THAT CAN MAGICALLY
MULTIPLY GOLD.

THE SERPENT GROWS QUICKLY.

IT GETS SO LARGE THAT THE GIRL
THROWS IT INTO THE LAKE.

BUT EVEN THE ICY WATERS
CAN'T STOP IT.

IT GROWS INTO A MONSTER
THAT TERRORIZES THE LOCALS.

[ CREATURE ROARS, MAN SCREAMS ]

EVENTUALLY, IT STRETCHES
FOR MILES,

WITH HUMPS SO BIG,
A BOAT CAN PASS UNDER THEM.

ICELANDER STEFAN SVEINSSON
INVESTIGATES

LAGARFLJOT'S
MYSTERIOUS RESIDENT.

[ CREATURE ROARS, MAN SCREAMS ]

REPORTS OF A LAKE SERPENT HERE
GO BACK NEARLY 700 YEARS.

EARLY MAPS EVEN WARN TRAVELERS
ABOUT IT.

YOU CAN SEE HERE
THAT THE LAKE LAGARFLJOT

IS ACTUALLY REPRESENTED
QUITE WELL.

AND AN INSCRIPTION IN LATIN
STATES THAT, IN THIS LAKE,

THERE IS A HUGE MONSTER,
DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE,

AND IS OFTEN SEEN
AHEAD OF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS.

SO THIS IS VERY MUCH IN LINE
WITH THE LEGENDS OF THE TIME,

THAT THE MONSTER OF THE LAKE
WOULD SHOW ITSELF

AHEAD OF VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
OR DEATHS OF PEOPLE OF NOTE.

Narrator:
THE MONSTER IS TERRIFYING.

BUT LIKE NESSIE,

THERE'S NO HARD PROOF
THAT IT EXISTS.

SO WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE
CONVINCED IT'S REAL?

STEFAN.

STEFAN HEADS OUT
ONTO THE LAKE.

HE THINKS THE ICELANDIC LEGEND
MAY HAVE STARTED

AS A PRACTICAL WARNING
ABOUT THESE WATERS.

Sveinsson: THE MONSTER ITSELF
CAN REPRESENT

HOW YOU HAVE TO RESPECT NATURE.

IT IS A DANGEROUS BODY
OF WATER,

AND IT HAS CLAIMED A FEW HUNDRED
LIVES THROUGHOUT THE CENTURY.

Narrator: THE MURKINESS
OF THESE WATERS

ALSO MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW
FOR SURE WHAT'S IN THEM.

THERE'S ALMOST NO VISIBILITY
IN THE WATER.

AND IF YOU WOULD DROP SOMETHING
IN THE WATER...

IT WILL DISAPPEAR
ALMOST INSTANTLY.

VISIBILITY IS A FEW CENTIMETERS,
AT BEST.

YOU CAN'T REALLY TELL
WHAT'S UNDERNEATH.

YOU KIND OF JUST HAVE
THE FEELING OF VASTNESS.

WHERE YOU LIVE
IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT,

ENVIRONMENT SHAPES THE STORIES

AND THE MYTHS THAT YOU TELL.

Kamil: I THINK FOR THINGS
LIKE THE SEA,

WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE
TO THE BOTTOM OF IT

OR A DENSE FOREST WHERE YOU
CAN'T SEE ALL THE WAY IN,

IT'S VERY NATURAL TO WANT TO
SPECULATE ABOUT WHAT'S IN THERE,

ABOUT WHAT COULD BE IN THERE.

Narrator: A FEAR OF WILD PLACES
IS AT THE HEART OF THIS MYTH.

I THINK MOST ICELANDERS
LIKE TO LEAVE

A LITTLE DOUBT
WITH EVERYTHING.

WE DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE
IN ALL OF OUR FOLK STORIES

OR IN THE MONSTERS
OR IN THE ELVES,

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK UPON THIS HUGE
BODY OF WATER LIKE THE LAKE,

WHO ARE YOU TO SAY THAT
THERE'S NOT A MONSTER IN THERE?

Narrator: JOY REIDENBERG THINKS
THESE SAME PRIMAL FEARS

COULD ALSO EXPLAIN THE RISE
OF THE LOCH NESS MYTH

AND ITS CONTINUING POPULARITY.

Dr. Reidenberg: THERE'S
SOMETHING VERY MYSTERIOUS

ABOUT DEEP, DARK WATERS
THAT WE CAN'T SEE INTO.

THEY REALLY ARE
THE UNCHARTED FRONTIER.

BIG, SCARY AQUATIC BEASTS
ARE REALLY NOT NEW IN MYTHOLOGY.

BUT I THINK EACH GROUP OF PEOPLE
REPACKAGED IT FOR THEIR TIME,

DEPENDING ON WHAT WAS POPULAR.

Li: PUBLIC IMAGINATION STILL HAS
A HUGE APPETITE FOR MONSTERS.

I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT MOVIES
LIKE "JURASSIC PARK"

OR EVEN "KING KONG,"
THEY'RE ALL ABOUT THESE, LIKE,

HUGE CREATURES FROM THE PAST

THAT ARE STILL LIVING
IN OUR WORLD TODAY.

Narrator: THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
EXISTS IN A TWILIGHT WORLD

BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION.

MYTH-MAKING IS NOT UNIQUE
TO THE ANCIENT WORLD.

IT IS STILL HAPPENING
ALL THE TIME.

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
IS A MODERN FAIRY TALE,

A MODERN STORY
THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE TOLD.

I THINK IT'S IN EVERY HUMAN
THE DESIRE TO EXPLORE

AND TO HOLD ON TO THAT HOPE
THAT MAYBE YOU'RE THE ONE

THAT CAN MAKE
THE NEXT BIG DISCOVERY.

Narrator: THIS FAMOUS
MYTHICAL BEAST

IS THE CREATION
OF OUR DEEPEST, DARKEST FEARS

AND OUR DESIRE TO LIVE
IN A WORLD FULL OF MONSTERS.

PERHAPS THE ANSWER IS THAT
PEOPLE JUST LOVE A GOOD STORY.

THEY LOVE A MYSTERY.

SOMETHING THAT CAN SCARE THEM
JUST A LITTLE BIT.

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪