River Monsters
Encyclopedia
River Monsters is a documentary
television series that airs on Animal Planet
, hosted by Jeremy Wade
and produced by Icon Films
of Bristol
, UK. The first season aired from 5 April to 17 May 2009. A second season began airing on 25 April 2010. The third season began on 10 April 2011.
After the show garnered high viewers and good ratings in the third season, on 9 June 2011, Animal Planet
renewed the show for a fourth season, to be premiered in spring 2012.
Jeremy Wade to explore freshwater mysteries and local folklore, possibly debunk these myths and track down these harrowing tales. The show has taken viewers to Germany
, Australia
, India
, Brazil
, Ethiopia
, Uganda
, South Africa
, The Republic of Congo, Alaska
, Florida
and Texas
.
In the first season, Wade's weekly quest had him in search of Piranha
, Goonch catfish
(during his investigation of the Kali River goonch attacks
)
, Alligator gar
, Wels catfish
, Bull shark
, Piraiba/Candiru
, and Arapaima
, all supposedly deadly creatures shrouded with mystery. The show also focuses on explaining the creature's feeding habits.
Rebroadcasts of the episodes with captions showing behind the scenes commentary from the host about the particular episode can also be seen on both Animal Planet and Discovery Channel, these episodes going by the title "River Monsters: Unhooked".
on 28 March 2010. The new season will consist of 7 episodes and will take viewers to the Congo river and other new locations. In the episode, "Death Ray", Wade catches a pregnant female Giant freshwater stingray which gives birth while it was being examined by Wade & a team of biologists. This season features the sturgeon, Wade's biggest catch yet.
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
television series that airs on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
, hosted by Jeremy Wade
Jeremy Wade
Jeremy John Wade is a British biologist, television presenter, extreme angler and writer specializing in travel and natural history. He is best known for his television series River Monsters, produced by Icon Films...
and produced by Icon Films
Icon Films
Icon Films is an award winning British independent television production company that produces factual programmes for broadcast by networks both in the UK and US...
of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, UK. The first season aired from 5 April to 17 May 2009. A second season began airing on 25 April 2010. The third season began on 10 April 2011.
After the show garnered high viewers and good ratings in the third season, on 9 June 2011, Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
renewed the show for a fourth season, to be premiered in spring 2012.
Show Information
River Monsters travels worldwide with host, biologist and extreme anglerAngler
Angler may refer to:* A fisherman who uses the fishing technique of angling*Angler * The angler, Lophius piscatorius, a monkfish* More generally, any anglerfish in the order Lophiiformes* Angler , a Marvel Comics supervillain...
Jeremy Wade to explore freshwater mysteries and local folklore, possibly debunk these myths and track down these harrowing tales. The show has taken viewers to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, The Republic of Congo, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
In the first season, Wade's weekly quest had him in search of Piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
, Goonch catfish
Bagarius yarrelli
Giant Devil Catfish, Goonch, Pla Kaey, Sand Shark is a fish in genus Bagarius found in southern Asia and southeastern Asia.-Distribution and habitat:Widely distributed in southern and southeastern Asia ....
(during his investigation of the Kali River goonch attacks
Kali River goonch attacks
The Kali River goonch attacks were a series of fatal attacks on humans believed to be perpetrated by man-eating goonch catfish in three villages on the banks of the Kali River in India and Nepal, between 1998 and 2007...
)
, Alligator gar
Alligator gar
The Alligator Gar , Atractosteus spatula, is a primitive ray-finned fish. Unlike other Gars, the mature Alligator Gar possesses a dual row of large teeth in the upper jaw. Its name derives from the alligator-like appearance of these teeth along with the fish's elongated snout...
, Wels catfish
Wels catfish
The wels catfish , also called sheatfish, is a large catfish found in wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, and near the Baltic and Caspian Seas. It is a scaleless fresh and brackish water fish recognizable by its broad, flat head and wide mouth...
, Bull shark
Bull shark
The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as Zambezi shark or unofficially known as Zambi in Africa and Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a shark common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers...
, Piraiba/Candiru
Candirú
Candiru or candirú , also known as cañero, toothpick fish, or vampire fish, are a number of genera of parasitic freshwater catfish in the family Trichomycteridae; all are native to the Amazon River...
, and Arapaima
Arapaima
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is a South American tropical freshwater fish. It is a living fossil and one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.-Anatomy and morphology:...
, all supposedly deadly creatures shrouded with mystery. The show also focuses on explaining the creature's feeding habits.
Rebroadcasts of the episodes with captions showing behind the scenes commentary from the host about the particular episode can also be seen on both Animal Planet and Discovery Channel, these episodes going by the title "River Monsters: Unhooked".
Second Season
The second season of River Monsters began airing on 25 April 2010, although the first episode ("Demon Fish") appeared on the Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
on 28 March 2010. The new season will consist of 7 episodes and will take viewers to the Congo river and other new locations. In the episode, "Death Ray", Wade catches a pregnant female Giant freshwater stingray which gives birth while it was being examined by Wade & a team of biologists. This season features the sturgeon, Wade's biggest catch yet.
Episodes
Note that the air dates listed here are for the original Animal Planet premier of each episode, not their Discovery Channel debut.Season 1: 2009
| No. in series |
Title | Original air date | Unhooked air date |
|---|
Season 2: 2010
| No. in series |
Title | Original air date | Unhooked air date |
|---|
Season 3: 2011
| No. in series |
Title | Original air date | Unhooked air date |
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The Lost Reels
| No. in series |
Title | Original air date | Unhooked air date |
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Specials
| Title | Original air date |
|---|