All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S08E06.1080p.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY

[droning]

Look. What is that?

[Phil]
Is that another hot spot
right there?

-It's moving. It's moving.
-[Heather gasps] Oh, my God.

[Josh] On this episode
of Expedition X...

There's no doubt in my mind
it was a wild animal.

Some type of primate creature.

[Josh] My team tracks
a terrifying beast,

said to stalk
Florida's Everglades.

[Phil] Do you guys mind
going in there with us

and showing us
what direction it went?

I'd rather not.

They're crazy.

[Josh] They'll battle
the extreme wilderness...

There's a honeybee hive
right here.

Let's get out of here.

Go, go, go!

[groans]

[Josh] ...chasing
a horrifying monster
in size...

[Heather] I think
I've got a nest.

[Josh] ...and in stench.

Ugh.

Hoo.

[Josh] The dreaded Skunk Ape.

[Heather] I found something.

-[water splashing]
-[screaming]

Oh, [bleep].

Over a decade ago,
I investigated reports

of a monster
in the swamps of Florida,

and the... the sights
and the sounds and the smells

of that expedition
have stayed with me
ever since.

Wait a second. "Smells"?

-Yes.
-You forgot
your deodorant again.

Nope. It wasn't my smell.

It was the smell
of the creature
I was looking for,

known as the Skunk Ape.

And for good reason.

I've heard of this.

Kind of like, a hairy, smelly,
Bigfoot-like beast

that lives
in the swamps of Florida.

Like, a stinky swamp thing.

That's exactly right.
And we found really compelling
evidence that something

was living
out in those swamps.

But it was
ultimately inconclusive,

but I've kept tabs on the case
in the years since.

And now,
things are heating up.

There has been
a huge uptick in sightings
of the Skunk Ape,

and in fact, there have been
hundreds of sightings
of this creature

that date back
hundreds of years.

Stories of the Skunk Ape,
or Esti Capcaki,

go back centuries,

with the Seminole Tribe
telling of a foul-smelling
giant

stalking the murky wetlands
of modern day Florida.

The first documented sighting
comes in 1818,

when a man-sized monkey

reportedly pursues fishermen

along the edge
of the Everglades.

The 20th century brings
more disturbing incidents.

Reports of
slaughtered livestock,

monstrous howls.

Even two police officers
in 1974

confirming they sighted
a seven-foot monster

and opened fire.

In the years since,
hundreds of harrowing reports

have been corroborated
by photos and videos.

Two things are common
throughout all these reports.

The size,
usually seven feet tall,

with an estimated weight
of more than 400 pounds,

and the smell,

described as a revolting blend
of skunk,

wet dog and rotten eggs.

This year has seen
a record number of encounters.

Now, a construction worker
has reached out to me,

reporting his own terrifying
face-to-beast encounter.

Is the Florida Skunk Ape
truly stinking up
the Everglades?

So what do you think?
Does the Skunk Ape
pass the sniff test?

Well, listen.

Florida swamps and wetlands,

including
Everglades National Park,

make up millions
of acres of dangerous,
difficult-to-explore terrain.

But a seven-foot tall primate?

I mean, sure, they could be
seeing something real,

but it's...
it's more likely a...

An escaped exotic pet,

a... a circus bear.

-Go on.
-This is the usual
Phil Torres poo-poo platter

of crypted counter arguments.

[Phil] You're finally
learning my ways, Josh.

But here's the deal.

Scientists are still
actually making some pretty
remarkable discoveries

in the swamps of Florida,

including, just
a few years ago,

-the Siren reticulata.
-The what now?

You guys
didn't hear about this?

It's a giant
two-foot salamander

with these
teeny tiny front legs.

It was once considered a myth.

But it's real.

So, maybe the Skunk Ape
is real, too.

But, I doubt it.

Well, whether or not
you're right, Torres,

it sure feels like there
could be something out there.

And, Southern girl that I am,

I know the swamp
has a ton of wildlife.

Snakes, panthers, gators.

-This could be fun.
-Why not a Skunk Ape, too?

All right. The hunt is on.

Your mission is to get down
to the swamps of Florida
and investigate.

I want you to talk
to this construction worker

who claims
to have had a run-in
with the Skunk Ape.

And I am arranging
for a very special tracker
to join you.

His name is Whiskey.

That is not a nickname.

His actual name is Whiskey.

-Ooh, whiskey is exactly
what this adventure needs.
-Cheers to that.

And while you're gone,
I'm gonna go through our old
Skunk Ape case files

and see if there's anything
there that can help.

-Perfect.
-Sounds good.

All right.
Well, smell you later.

-Oh.
-Oh, man.

[Josh] Couldn't help.

-Oh.
-Terrible.

[Josh] The flight
from New York to Orlando
is about three hours.

Phil and Heather then drive
45 minutes east

to the edge
of the Canaveral Marshes
Conservation Area.

Here. I've arranged
for them to meet their new
investigation partner.

-[Heather] You are off
the grid out here.
-[Phil] Yeah.

[Heather] Is this
a good time to mention

that I'm absolutely
terrified of gators?

-What? Like...
-Yes, I am.

Like, what kind of terrified
are we talking about?

-On a scale of,
like, one to ten?
-Yeah.

[Heather] One hundred.
They're living dinosaurs.

I mean, technically,
birds are living dinosaurs,

so, like, you should
be afraid of a pigeon.

-Ha!
-Alligators,
other whole thing.

[Heather] Alligators
have a lot more teeth.

[Phil] I'll give you that.

[Heather] Okay.

This is where
Josh dropped the pin.

[Phil] Didn't Josh say
we were meeting with Whiskey?

[Heather] We are.

-[woman] Hi.
-Hi.

I'm Tiffany. This is Whiskey.

[Phil] Whiskey.

You're a dog.

Whiskey. That is so sweet.

-Look at you.
-[Heather] That is...

[Tiffany] He is a bloodhound
search and rescue dog.

We're part
of a volunteer team.

So if somebody
comes up missing,
we get called out

and find that person
that's missing, so...

[Heather] Can you tell me
a little bit about

what his search and rescue
technique looks like?

Um, it's off his scent.

So we get the scent article
from the person that's missing

and then he will find
the trail that we're tracking

and takes off after it.

So, hypothetically,
if we found a unique scent
in the forest

that we wanted to track
either where it came from

or where it went afterwards,
could Whiskey help us?

[Tiffany]
As long as you've got
the scent article,

he... he will be able
to help you.

Bloodhounds are bred
for tracking,

and that's actually
how they got their names.

They would hunt
the blood scent of the game.

Wow.

[Phil] While most humans
have around five million

scent receptors
in their noses,

bloodhounds have 300 million.

More than any other
breed of dog.

This allows them to track
smells over 100 miles.

Even if that scent
is over 10 days old.

What's the longest
he's tracked?

[Tiffany] Miles and miles.

I would probably run out
before he would.

As they get older,
the better they get.

If we were to put Whiskey
into action...

-Yes?
-...what does that look like?

It's a lot of fun,

and you better
be ready to run.
[laughs]

You're heading with them, bud.

[Phil] Come on.

[grunts]

[Heather] Good boy.

[Phil] You ready, bud?
Let's go.

[Phil] With our ace tracker
Whiskey along for the ride,

we set out
to meet two witnesses

who believe they've
had a recent encounter
with the Skunk Ape.

[Phil] Hey, Whiskey,
what's the smelliest thing
you've ever smelled?

You.

-Ha.
-[Heather laughing]

So funny.

[Heather laughing]

[Heather] We're meeting
with Frank Constantino

and his son-in-law,
Chris Smith.

[Frank] Hi.
Good to meet y'all.

[Heather] These two
construction workers claim
to have had a recent run-in

with a Skunk Ape-like creature
while out fishing.

I heard you had an encounter
somewhere around here?

Yeah, it's actually not
too far away from here.

I could take you
to the exact spot.

Are you going
to take us on that?

Absolutely.

I hope you brought
your mud boots with you.

-[Phil] We'll grab
and meet you on the boat?
-[Frank] Awesome.

[Heather]
Frank takes us on his airboat
up the St. John's River,

into the gator-infested waters
of the Canaveral Marshes.

Our airboat begins to slow
as we head deeper
into the swamp.

Far from any signs
of civilization.

[Frank] Okay, guys.
This is the spot right here
where we've seen it.

[Phil] Where?

[Frank]
See right back in there

-where that mound
is in the bushes?
-[Phil] Mm-hmm.

He was right on top
of that mound.

We were fishing,

and I shined up in there,

and I could see
a set of red eyes.

I thought it was an alligator.

The next thing you know,
these red eyes just stood up.

Six feet tall.

-Six feet tall?
-[Frank] Yeah.

-[Phil] That thing is...
-Was big.

I did not want
to get off the boat.

[Heather]
And then what happened?

[Frank]
It took off immediately.

It was like we spooked it.

[Heather] It was fast?

-Oh, yeah.
-Oh, yes. Real fast.

And when it took off,
did it go down on all fours
when it ran away?

No, it more, like,
leaped like this.

And then, after that,
you couldn't see it no more.

It was like,
gone off in the bushes.

[Frank] It was scary.
I mean, it was almost
demonic scary.

-This is just a mind-blower.
-[Phil] Hmm.

You see it down low
and you think alligator.

You see it stand up,

and the first thing
you must think is, what? Bear?

It wasn't like a bear's build.

It was skinnier.

And there's no animals
that illuminate red eyes,

other than an alligator.

And bears do not light up red.

Then what do you think it was?

The only thing I can think of
is a Skunk Ape.

Is that something you thought
could actually be out here?

I'm that guy
that teases people
when they tell me

-they see stuff like this.
-[Chris] Yes.

I mean, I've been
an avid woodsman since birth.

I've stepped on alligators.

And this freaked me out.

[Phil] Do you guys mind
going in there with us

and showing us
what direction it went?

I'd rather not.

I'll pick you up
in the morning.

-[Chris] Good luck.
-Okay.

Let's go, Whiskey.

They're crazy.

[Phil]
With Frank and Chris's warning
fresh in our minds,

we head into the thick brush
of the remote island,

leaving behind our only ride
out of here till morning.

We are in it now.

So we've gotta
look out for everything
from rattlesnakes to bears

to alligators.

Let's think about it.
If this is a primate
that we're going for,

let's look for recent trails,

look for recent branch breaks.

Some of the bigger apes,
like orangutans,

are known to make nests
that are made of branches
and leaves.

They can be on the ground.
They can be up in the trees.

And let's use our ears.

Let's listen for things
moving next to us.

[Heather] And don't forget,
they say it stinks
like a skunk.

Let's see if we can find
some scent article

we can get Whiskey on.

Um, it's off his scent.

don't get eaten by a gator.

Phil will take Whiskey
to search the perimeter
of the island,

while I head to the exact spot
where Frank had his sighting.

[Phil] Let's use that nose.
See what we can find.

[Heather] What?

I found something.

I'm over by the shore.

Look at this.

[Phil] Look at that.

I mean,
look at the size of this.

So it's about
five feet across,

I would say.
So, sizeable something
lying down here.

And, Phil, smell this.

-Ripe?
-That's ripe!

I mean, it's... it's...

Skunk-ish?

-A little more musky?
-Yeah.

-Not... Not enjoyable.
-[Heather] No.

[Phil]
And that was just where?

It was just sitting
right there.

It almost looks like something
hunkered down there
for the night.

So I guess the question is,
where did this thing go?

That's why we got Whiskey.

Whiskey's handler
instructed us that if we found
a scent article,

we should
have Whiskey sniff it,

and then give the command...

Find!

If a matching scent is nearby,

Whiskey will jump into action
and lead us to the source.

All right. We're moving.

[Whiskey barking]

[Heather]
He is walking with purpose.
He's sniffing.

[Phil] Oh, yeah.

-[Whiskey barking]
-I think he's got something.

[Heather] Oh, my God.

-[Whiskey barking]
-[Phil] Right here.

Heather...

What did we just find?

[Whiskey whining]

[Phil] That looks like a nest.

Good job, Whiskey.

-Good boy.
-[Heather] Good boy.

Talking about nests.

Bald eagles.

Actually, Florida has one
of the largest concentrations
of nesting bald eagles.

Bald eagles make
the biggest bird nest
in the entire world.

Could be up to 10 feet.

Although they're usually
way up higher in a tree.

Don't forget.

-The smell.
-Yeah.

This does not smell
like an eagle nest.

I think we gotta
get up into that tree

and figure out
who lives in this nest.

-Let's do it.
-[Phil] Okay.

If Whiskey's right,

this nest matches the scent
that Heather found.

I'll be looking
for any traces of food,
hairs, or scat

that could determine
what creature
we're looking at.

Show us your skills, Heather.

[both exclaiming]

This thing's rolling?

Yep. We're rolling.

[Phil] Okay.

I've never climbed
in snake boots before.
There's a first.

[Heather] Better snake boots
than snake bite.

[Phil] True.

As the sun
gets lower in the sky,

Heather will spot for me

as I climb to the nest
and take a look around.

-[Phil exhaling]
-[Heather] What are
you seeing?

[Phil] Oh, my God.

-[Heather] What is it?
-[Phil laughs]

[Phil] There's a bunch
of fronds laid flat,

and right in the middle...

we got fish scales,
some bones, some wings.

All these fronds
laid perfectly sideways here.

[Heather] So,
laid with design.

[Phil] Absolutely.
Something laid these up here.

Wow.

I've never seen
anything like this.

So these are gar fish.

The fish
look completely eaten.

Bird looks completely eaten.

You see any hairs?
Any evidence of anyone
that lives there?

[Phil] I'm looking close.

I just don't see
any right now.

This clearly gets used
by something,

and I think that something...
is probably big

and it smells.

So, this is our area.

I think this
should be the center
of our investigation tonight.

[Heather] Skunk Ape or not,
it's clear something powerful
constructed this tree nest.

And with night falling,

that something
could be returning home
from a day of hunting

and heading right towards us.

Not wanting to miss
any movement in the woods,

we set up motion-activated
trail cameras.

Now it's ready.

We have one facing inward.

Now we need
to set up a perimeter
that faces outward.

I want these game cams
to overlap by at least
10 yards.

I don't want anything
to slip through.

Okay. I'll cover,
starting over there,

working counterclockwise.
You start over there.

Sounds good.

Phil and I split up to place
several more trail cams

facing away from the nest.

Positioning them 10 yards
apart from each other

will create an overlapping
field of view.

This will ensure anything
moving into the perimeter
we've established

will be caught on camera.

Oh, okay.

Let's go walk
through a swamp at night.

-[water splashing]
-[Heather screaming]

Oh, [bleep].

You good?

There's a huge splash
over here.

[Phil] Right,
heading that way.

-You just hear a big splash?
-[Heather] Yeah.

-Like, this huge--
-[Phil] Did you see anything?

[Heather]
I didn't see anything.
But I heard it.

It was huge.

[Phil] Well,
there's only a few options

of what could be big
out here at night.

There's gators, there's bears,

or whatever Frank saw.

You have the FLIR?

I have the FLIR, yeah.

[device beeping]

[twigs breaking]

I heard some, like,
chuffing out there.

Did you hear that?
It was like...
[mimics chuffing]

Yeah.

-[twigs breaking]
-[Heather gasps]

More branches are breaking.

It's right that direction.

[twigs breaking]

I think we should get closer.

See for eye shine, okay?

[Heather] Eye shine.

-[Phil] Right back there.
Look, look, look.
-[Heather] What?

Right there. See that?

It's an area
of flattened grass.

[Heather]
It looks like some leftover
heat signature there.

[Phil] You see
how those are folded down?

-[Heather] Yeah.
-[Phil] Folded down
right there.

I'm gonna jump ahead
and see...

[Heather] Okay.

...if there's any hairs
or anything.

Show yourself.

-[twig breaks]
-Oh, my God!

[Heather gasps]
What the [bleep]?

[Phil] That was close.

It's really thick back here.
I can't see very far.

They must move quick.

I feel like we're pushing it
farther away

just by being out here.

The game cams are set up.

Let's let them do their job
and let's get out of here.

Okay.

[Heather] As the sun comes up,

we meet up with our witnesses
Frank and Chris,

who take us back
to safer ground
and wifi access

where we update Josh
on what we found so far.

Hey, Gates.

-Hey, Josh.
-Hey.

Sending you a shot of whiskey.

A shot of whiskey.
Oh, Whiskey!

Phil, you made it funny.

You know what's not a joke?

-The Skunk Ape.
-Really?

Was Whiskey able to track
something down?

Yeah. He picked up his scent.

We followed this trail,

and we ended up
at a giant tree,

where I think we found a nest.

A nest? Like, giant enough
for a Skunk Ape?

Listen,
my first impression was

this has to be the nest

of one of the larger
bird species around here.

But when I climbed up in it,

there was no bird poop
to be seen.

And the way that
the fronds were laid out

seemed like
a very intentional design, so.

Honestly, I don't know
what could've made it.

Okay, wow.

Well, while you've been
on the hunt,

I went back
through my old case files

from when I investigated
this story.

and I reconnected with someone
that I interviewed back then.

A guy named Dave Shealy.

And since that time,

he says that he has had
many more sightings
of the Skunk Ape

and says that
he captured this video.

Check it out.

[Heather] He's moving fast.

[Phil] Hmm.

I mean, it kind of looks
like a guy in a suit.

Dave is convinced that
that is a Skunk Ape.

And what's more,
he says he can prove it.

You've gotta meet this guy.

Well, Heather,
why don't you meet with him?

I wanna try to track down
a primatologist

and get an expert opinion
on the evidence

that we've gathered so far,

including this video.

Sounds like a plan.

I'll see you later,
alligators.

-[Heather] Dave.
-[David] Heather.

[Heather]
David Shealy and his family
have been gladesmen.

Essentially the taxis
of the Everglades

for four generations.

What a cool boat.

It's called a pole boat.

Some good transportation.

[Heather] He's dedicated
much of his life

to trying to prove skunk apes
are a very real part

of Florida's ecosystem.

I saw a really
compelling video.

Was that video taken here
on the property?

Yeah, I took the video
about two miles out back here
on the marsh.

A lot of people
discount it, but...

And when you get out there
and see the conditions, uh,

there's no doubt in my mind
it was a wild animal,

-some type
of primate creature.
-Oh, no way.

I'd love to take you out there
and show you that area

so you can see it
for yourself.

[Heather] I would love to go.

[David] Let's do that.
I, I welcome that.

[Phil]
With witness descriptions
of the Skunk Ape

suggesting it's some sort
of large primate,

I need to know
if an animal that big

could even survive
in the Everglades.

[Phil] Hey, Andrew.

Hey, Phil.
Nice to meet you, man.

[Phil] I'm meeting
with Dr. Andrew Zamora,

a biological anthropologist
specializing in primatology

at the Naples Zoo.

Someone recently saw
what they can only describe
as a Skunk Ape.

-So, I went to investigate it.
-Okay?

And what we found up in a tree

was something
I'm still trying
to figure out.

When I climbed up there,
right in the middle,

there was a gar.

-[Andrew chuckles] Oh, nice.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
-And...

-some wings from a dead bird.
-[Andrew] Mmm-hmm.

Does that look like something
an ape would do?

Uh, that does look
like something a great ape
could do.

It's a decent size nest.

They'll lay a cross hatch

of branches and leaves
on the ground.

They build a rim around that

and then they'll start
filling it with leaves
and twigs,

softer materials that's nice
and easy for them to sleep on.

But the fact that
you're finding a gar in there,

feathers and,
and bird remains...

Meat tends to not really be
a popular fare for primates,

especially your great apes.

That being said,

chimpanzees are pretty famous
for doing active hunting

from time to time.

Long tailed macaques
that actually forage
in the water.

So, it's definitely
not impossible.

One other thing
that stood out about this

-is that the base of the tree
smelled pretty awful.
-Mmm-hmm.

When it comes to primates,

do any of them
use scent markings for their,
their nests,

their home turf,
their territory?

Yeah, well, I mean,
you have a great example
right here.

These are our three
red ruffed lemur boys.

They rely on
scent based communication
quite a lot

to demarcate territories,
to communicate,

their age,
or reproductive status.

[Phil] Cool.

So, we've been collecting
some evidence.

Some of this is from, uh,
previous eyewitnesses.

If you see
something like this,

what's your gut say?

[Andrew]
It's quite difficult to tell.

But that arm motion
seems, like,

really exaggerated to me.

That definitely strikes me
as a bit curious.

So, you're a little
suspicious?

Great apes,

when you see them
walking bipedally,

which they will do
from time to time,

one, they have this kind of
bent knee gaits

and their knees
are also more out.

As a result, when they walk,

-they almost shuffle a bit
from side to side.
-[Phil] Mmm.

This animal or whatever it is,

you can definitely tell
it's walking with kind of that
human-like gait, right?

It's upright

and using its arms as,
as balances

much like we do.

It's definitely a little fishy
to me.

Don't grab this grass,

-because this
is called sawgrass.
-[Heather] Okay.

-Yeah.
-[David] It'll cut your hands.

Well, this is it.

This is the exact spot?

This is the spot
where I took the video.

It crossed from
the hammock over here

and ran across

and went into this hammock
over here.

[Heather] I'd love to do
an experiment myself

-and see if I can run
the exact same path.
-[David] Okay.

We'll just compare
the two videos.

All right, let's do it.

[Heather]
The supposed creature
in the video

had its arms held up,

like it was trying
to avoid getting cut

by the swamp's sharp sawgrass.

I'll aim to copy it exactly.

The marsh's muddy waters
are exhausting to run in,

and I barely complete
three quarters of the path
seen in the original video

before I'm unable to continue.

[breathing heavily]

And just keep in mind.

When it happened,
the water out here
was even higher.

And today, it's still,
you know, difficult.

[Heather] We compare
the two videos

and the results
are not even close.

The figure
covered the entire distance
in 26 seconds.

I've always been
a pretty good athlete,

but could only complete
three quarters

of the same distance

in one minute and 23 seconds.

There's no way a human being
can run that far,

that fast in this terrain.

In my mind,
all questions are put to bed.

If we wanted to find
the Skunk Ape,

what areas should we look in?

What should we be looking for?

This time of year,

skunk apes tend to get back
into swamps.

The water levels are falling,

uh, the pond apples are,
are starting to produce,

which is a major food source.

These would be the areas
I would be looking.

[Heather] David gives me
a set of coordinates

he believes offers
our best chance

at finding a Skunk Ape.

A remote patch of land
deep in the Florida marsh,

surrounded by water
and thick brush.

David believes it provides
the perfect ecosystem
for this potential creature.

It will be tough terrain
to get to.

So, I pick up Phil
in a vehicle built
for the task.

[Phil] What is this thing?

[Heather] This is
a swamp buggy.

They've been around
for 100 years.

They were specifically made
for the Everglades

as a way to transport people,

and obviously to stay away
from gators.

[Phil] It's hauling.

What is that?

-[Phil] On that tree?
-[Heather] Yeah.

[Phil] Whoa, okay.

What happened to this tree?

This is completely torn up
by something.

[buzzing]

Oh, [bleep].

Oh, geez, I just realized why.

What?

[grunts] I was just thinking.

This looks like a tree
that a bear tore up
to get to honeybees.

There's the honeybee hive
right here.

I'm gonna try to document it
before I get stung.

[Heather] Yeah,
you better hustle, Phil.

Get ready, set.

-[camera shutter clicks]
-[Phil] Got it.

-Okay. Let's get outta here.
-All right.

[Phil] Whoo!

Ooh, they're on to me.

Oh, [bleep].

Let's get it going.
Get it going.

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!

[engine sputtering]

Go, go, go! Ah!

-Go, go, go!
-[engine revs]

[Phil] Go, go!

Whoo! [sighs]

Keep going, keep going,
keep going.

They're onto us,
they're onto us.

[sighs] I hear one buzzing.

Is it in my hair?

-Yes. Yes.
-Okay.

-I got hit once.
-[buzzing]

[Heather] Oof.

Even while getting stung
by a bee,

you still got the shot.

[Phil] Anything for science,
you know?

We pushed deeper
into the marsh,

eventually reaching
the coordinates

David Shealy gave us.

We park the swamp buggy
and continue on foot

to avoid alerting
any creatures.

-[Phil] After you.
-[Heather] Thank you, sir.

[Phil] As the sun sets,

we throw on our waders,
grab our gear

and continue on foot.

[crickets chirping]

[Heather] Gosh,
that is a bright, full moon.

[Phil]
You know what they say about
skunk apes on a full moon?

[Heather] What?

-[Phil] That's when
they're at their stinkiest.
-Oh, Lord.

[Phil] Wait till you get
a sniff of what I got.

-You ready for this?
-[Heather] I'm not sure.

[Phil] So...

Can you hold my jars?

-I have...
-[Heather] It's leaking.
What is this?

We have skunk,

we have boar glands,

and we have bear scent marks.

Are you trying to out skunk
the Skunk Ape though?

100% that's what
I'm trying to do.

So, my plan involves this.

It is a laser guided
slingshot.

[Heather] Laser guided?

[Phil] It was the only one
they had in the store.

Each of these
wooden balls in here?

-[Heather] Yeah?
-I've been soaking it
for about 48 hours.

I'm using the slingshot

to launch
animal scented objects
in multiple directions.

Different reactions
can be triggered in primates

by presenting them
with different scents,

particularly if the scent
arrives suddenly,

like the slingshot
will ensure.

I wanna see what's coming
towards us.

-So, let me get my FLIR out.
-[Phil] Okay.

[Heather] You got that for me?
Thank you.

We are recording.

[Phil] Okay.

Time to get out
these stinky wooden balls.

I'm gonna start with bear.

-Yeah, up close. Come on.
-Ugh.

[clears throat]

It is not pleasant.

I'm guessing
bear scent will trigger

an aggressive behavior
in apes.

Let's see what response
we get here.

Looks like we got some
good distance right there.

Bear scent. Ready to launch.

Okay, there's one.

Now we got skunk.

[Heather] Oof.

[Phil] If what we're tracking

marks its territory
with a scent similar to skunk,

I'm hoping launching
this skunk smell

will trigger
a territorial response.

Stink bomb away.

[Heather] Nice.

[Phil softly] Okay.

And finally, wild boar.

Uh-oh.

The idea here is four
could serve two purposes.

One, could be prey item,

and two,
boar eat about everything.

So, definitely,
it could be some competition.

I'm gonna shoot this
in a slightly different
direction.

-[Heather] Okay.
-[Phil] Keep each one
at space.

[whispering]
Okay, let's hunker down
and just see what comes.

[Heather]
Nothing on the camera yet.

[Phil speaking softly]
Let's give it a second.

[twig snaps]

[Phil] Ooh.

That was a big branch
falling down.

[whispers] You shot a ball
in that direction.

[thwack]

[whispers]

Oh, my God.

[thwack]

[Phil whispering]

Can you see it?
Up in the trees, up there?

Lower, a little bit lower.

[thwack]

-[gasps]
-There, again.
That sounds like a knock.

Like, it's just,

someone just banging a stick
against something.

[Heather] Oh, my gosh.

[Phil speaking]

I can't see anything
past 40 feet on this.

'Cause it's so thick
and heavy, this brush.

[Phil] Yeah.

I think you need to put
the thermal drone
up in the air.

-Okay. I'll get it out.
-Okay.

[beeping]

Right, you hold that.

Looks like we have
a little break in the canopy
right here.

-So, you wanna stand
underneath that.
-Yeah.

-[Phil] You ready?
-[Heather] Yeah.

In three, two, one.

[drone whirrs]

-At least we know
that we're lighting up.
-[Heather] Yeah.

We're definitely
showing up on there.

[Phil] I'm gonna push
to the direction

of what we just heard.

That just looks like treetops.

[Heather]
I don't see anything.

[Phil] Swing back around
a little bit.

Let's keep pushing.

[Heather] Look. What is that?

[Phil] It's another hot spot
right there.

-It's moving. It's moving.
-[Heather gasps]

Oh, my God.

Heather and Phil's
search for the Skunk Ape
was almost illegal.

It all starts in 1974,

when Palm Beach County
deputies report shooting

at a monstrous,
ape-like creature
that gets away.

It seems this story
then opened some
very swampy floodgates.

The police
were suddenly inundated

with claims of a giant,
red furred ape

breaking into homes,
feeding on livestock,

and even stalking people.

Locals became so enraged,

that posses formed
to start stalking

this so called monster back.

Concern for the Skunk Ape

ultimately reached
such a peak,

that in 1977,

Florida State representative
Hugh Paul Nuckolls

proposed a bill
to make it illegal to possess,
harm or molest

any humanoid animal

popularly known
as the Skunk Ape.

The bill never became law,

but if there are
any skunk apes out there,

you clearly had a friend
in representative Nuckolls.

[Phil] Let's follow it.

Maybe we can get signs
of whatever it is.

Okay.

[Phil] It's going quick.

[Heather]
I'm right behind you.

[Phil] It's still going.
It's still going.

[Heather] It's moving fast.

[Phil] Keep going,
keep going, keep going.

Okay, we're getting close.
We're getting close.

I'm gonna keep
the drone following.

[whispering] Stop right here.
Stop right here.

Hang on.

I'm not seeing it right now.

It was right over here.

I don't get it,
it just disappeared.

[Heather] Yeah, it's gone.

That thing was moving.

[Phil whispers]
I think it was moving.

I cannot find it.

We don't know where it is,
but we know where it's been.

We can backtrack
along this path,

the exact same way
that it came

and we can try
to find evidence of it.

Should we spread out
a little bit?

I think
that's our best chance.

Why don't you start
on that side of it's trail,

move slowly,

and I'm gonna find a place
to land this drone.

But let's stay
within shouting distance.

It's gonna be tough
to find any traces of it.

I'm getting this feeling
where he could be
right above us

at any moment.

[Heather] What is that?

Look at those ferns
lying on the ground like that.

Phil, come here.

You got something?

[Heather] I think
I've got a nest.

[Phil] Up in a tree?

[Heather] No, on the ground.

-This?
-[Heather] Yeah.

[Phil] Whoa!

Okay. Okay.

I mean,
look at this indent
right here.

Something has spent
a lot of time on the ground.

Well, my first instinct
is I gotta wonder.

Could this just be
a hunter's blind?

They would be
really well camouflaged.

I almost walked
right by this thing.

[Heather] I mean,
in the path we took,

we are in the middle
of nowhere.

Think about what we did
to get out here.

Wait, wait, wait. [sniffs]

Ugh.

Oh!

-[Heather] That is awful.
-That is ripe.

But that just came on
all of a sudden.

What does that mean?

[Phil whispers]
I don't know what that means.

That was not a nice smell.

I'm gonna get
some photos of this thing.

-Oh, Heather.
-[Heather] What do you have?

-[Phil] I found hairs.
-[Heather gasps] No.

[Phil] Yes.

Look at this right-- Oh.

Holy [bleep].

It's like that damn thing
is booby trapped.

It really did just fall
right when you picked that up.

[Phil] Okay.

But at least we got the hairs.

Okay, I'm gonna bag these.

Actually, can you come here?
Can you help me?

-[Heather] Yeah.
-[Phil] Hold this.

[Heather softly] Okay.

[Phil] Okay.
Got a bag right here.

That is so weird.

Okay.

Well...

Figure out what this was,

whether it was a person,
or something else.

[Josh] My team braved
the Florida Everglades,

investigating the potent
legend of the Skunk Ape.

We sent
the hairs Phil gathered
for DNA analysis.

And while it wasn't
an ideal sample,

they said it was most likely
a match for human.

Phil counts that as a win.

But Heather argues that

this doesn't necessarily
rule out the Skunk Ape.

Because human and ape DNA
match by a staggering 98.8%.

-This wasn't the only
intriguing evidence...
-[Whiskey barks]

[Josh] ...my team uncovered.

[Phil] I think
he's got something.

[Josh] Images of these
so called nests

discovered by
our four-legged friend
Whiskey,

were analyzed
by wildlife experts.

[man] This is crazy.

[Josh] They confirmed
it was not constructed
by a large bird.

And just like our expert
from the Naples Zoo indicated,

fascinatingly,
it does appear similar

to nests constructed
by large primates.

That does look like something
a great ape could do.

[Josh] However,
analysis of the video

of the supposed cryptid
crossing the swamp

alongside Heather's
expert reenactment

was inconclusive.

Although the figure moves
much faster than Heather,

under detailed analysis,

its gait does appear
distinctly human.

Far from this being
a super speeding cryptid,

this really could just be
a person in a suit.

And Heather may simply need
to work on her cardio.

[Heather] I'm exhausted.

[Josh]
It's our final video evidence
that is the most remarkable.

The heat seeking drone
clearly shows Phil and Heather

on the trail
of a very fast bipedal figure.

[Heather] It's moving fast.

[Phil] Keep going, keep going.

[Josh]
We estimated they tracked it
for about 400 meters.

After analyzing
the exact route
and speed of this figure,

we determined
it cleared 400 meters

in around 40 seconds.

The fastest track athletes

can travel 400 meters
in about 43 seconds.

But crucially,
that is on flat ground.

Not sodden swamp.

Which begs the question.

If this fast bipedal figure
is not likely human,

what is it?

While we certainly haven't
found definitive proof,

it does seem
there's enough evidence

to ensure the Skunk Ape
will be a part of Florida lore

for years to come,

casting a long shadow
and an even longer stench.