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It sounds big and it sounds angry.

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Oh! Everybody back, back, back, back.

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Oh!

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On this episode of Expedition X, my team heads deep into the Louisiana bayou on the hunt

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for a legendary swamp monster.

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I've seen the eyes, bright red.

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It stood up about seven foot tall.

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Oh! It's moving.

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Is that coming towards us?

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Look at the eyes back there.

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Shhh, shhh, shhh.

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It's one eye.

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Two.

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Oh!

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

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We got movie day. Are we getting a sub?

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No sub to your teacher. You're stuck with me, but it is movie day.

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Alright, this is a very intriguing old film that was sent to me by a woman named Dana Holyfield from Louisiana.

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She claims it shows, are you ready for it?

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Ready.

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A terrifying monster.

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Dude, you get the weirdest fan mail.

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I do, you have no idea, but I have to say this is very cool footage.

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Philly ready to believe in monsters?

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Play the film and then we'll see.

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Okay, here we go.

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You installed the clapper in here?

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Just watch the movie.

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Okay, so we're out in the swamps now.

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Get ready.

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Yes, we see like a hunting blind or a platform there.

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Okay, here we go.

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

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Look at that!

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Look at that!

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Yeah, that looks like Bigfoot.

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

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I mean that legitimately looks like Bigfoot.

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That's what Dana thinks.

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This has really become a family mystery for her.

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This footage was shot by her grandfather who spent his whole life trying to figure out exactly what that is.

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New Orleans has a rich history of folklore and mysticism from voodoo to vampires.

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But for the folks living on the edge of the swamp,

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one legend has eclipsed all others, the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

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The first known sighting is in 1963 by Harlan Ford.

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

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with large amber colored eyes covered in long matted hair.

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He's so terrified and awestruck by the encounter

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that he spends more than a decade relentlessly searching the swamp.

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

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Harlan makes a plaster cast of an 11.5 inch three-toed footprint.

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Ford contacts the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

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

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

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

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

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But for unknown reasons, he keeps it to himself.

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It isn't until 2006 when his granddaughter Dana Holyfield

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

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when Harlan's old eight millimeter film reels are discovered.

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

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I mean, all of this sounds pretty compelling,

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so at least worth going out there and researching it.

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What I would love to see is those plaster casts.

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

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

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

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the imagination can take you to some pretty wild places.

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

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

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

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

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Could this just be man in suit?

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I mean, that is a possibility, right?

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But you got to remember, Harlan never used this to profit off of it in any way, shape, or form,

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

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Right, that's the part of this that's very compelling.

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

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a la Swamp Squatch, right?

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It's a good name.

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It's a good name.

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It is a good name.

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Or, I mean, who knows?

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Maybe it's a werewolf.

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

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Don't laugh, because there is southern folklore around the Louisiana area about a rugeroo,

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and it's basically a werewolf, a giant, hairy man beast.

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

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I'm sending you to the bayou.

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

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Sounds good.

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Alright, time to figure out what is lurking in the Honey Island Swamps.

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Good luck.

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It's a three and a half hour flight from New York to New Orleans,

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a city swirling with centuries of multicultural influences.

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And from there, it's a 40 minute drive north to the Pearl River Wildlife Area.

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This is looking pretty swampy.

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

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I've arranged a meeting for Jess and Phil with Dana at her family's old hunting camp.

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But to get there, they'll need to adopt a more swamp friendly form of transport.

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Alright, you ready?

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Oh yes.

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You know why they call it Honey Island?

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Why?

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Because apparently it's full of bees.

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Awesome.

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There are no roads out here, so the only way people find each other is by coordinates.

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GPS says we go left here.

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We're meeting with Dana Holyfield,

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whose grandfather captured purported video of the Honey Island Swamp monster back in the 1970s.

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Hello. How are you?

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Since then, Dana's been on the front line of the monster hunt.

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Did your grandfather dedicate decades of his life to tracking this thing down?

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Yes, he did.

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Why do you think he did that?

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

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

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And then finding the tracks in the same area,

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

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Why do you think he never went public with it?

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Probably because when he first talked about this years ago,

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he said people come out of the woodwork like monster hunters wanting to go in and shoot it.

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And he was afraid people were going to kill each other by accident trying to hunt it down.

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So what did this thing look like?

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

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Big amber color eyes just looking at him.

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The body was covered in long, dingy hair.

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

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He had broad shoulders and long arms.

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

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What made you pick up your grandfather's mantle?

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Did you have an experience at all?

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I've had some experiences out here.

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I grew up in this swamp.

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There's all kinds of wildlife being out here all the time.

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You hear things.

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Sometimes I'd hear this thing screaming out.

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

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Could it be like a bear or something like that?

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They do have black bear that you see out here occasionally.

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Black panthers.

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There's theories that it could have been from a circus train that had wrecked out here in the 40s.

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Maybe something got off.

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

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any clue that would help us track wherever this is down?

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It could feed on wild hogs.

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There were some wild hogs that had been killed in the arid.

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They found these tracks, but had their throats ripped out,

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blood was all splattered all over the place.

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This was the original, one of the originals that my grandfather made.

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And then we found those a couple years back.

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Wow.

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Look at these.

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Those are really clear cut, good sets.

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And really consistent that whatever this is, it seems like the same species with the three main clawed toes.

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And then this looks like a little dew claw.

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Do you mind if I take a 3D scan?

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Go ahead.

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I'm using a LiDAR scanner to create 3D models of these plaster casts.

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We'll have these digital replicas handy as we venture further into the swamp.

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Got it.

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What do you think it is?

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

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

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

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So then where do you recommend we start our investigation?

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Y'all need to go meet with MK Davis.

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He thought it was a hoax until he had his own evidence out there.

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Do you have some coordinates you can give me?

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Yeah, I do.

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We make our way to MK Davis, a local investigator

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who actually spent years attempting to disprove Harland's evidence.

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MK?

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Yes.

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Nice to see you.

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Dana sent us.

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Thank you, sir.

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

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I do.

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So you've been looking into this for decades?

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

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And then I came across this track, and there it is.

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It's a big three-toed track, the same kind of track that Harland Ford casted all those years ago.

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

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It can't be, you know, because no one set me up.

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No one knew I was coming.

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

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Well, I don't have any choice.

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

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What other kind of evidence have you gotten?

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I've got a thermal video.

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Really?

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You have a thermal video of this thing?

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I do. I have a thermal video.

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Can we see it?

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Sure. Let me go get it.

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Awesome.

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All right.

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All right.

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Okay.

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That's a pretty big heat signature.

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Right there would be his head.

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Uh-huh.

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And then the rear is down.

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It's actually behind some vegetation.

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About how far away?

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It's hiding.

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I don't know for sure, but it was across a body of water.

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It was a pretty good way.

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

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Right, right.

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We stayed there for 30 minutes.

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It just stood there and watched.

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So this is your most recent evidence?

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It's the most recent.

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Can we get the GPS coordinates to that?

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You most certainly can.

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I'll get them for you.

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Perfect.

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Remember now, if you can see what it does to pigs and hogs,

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and don't eat them, it just kills them.

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Be careful.

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We will.

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Make a wind.

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Yeah.

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It's going to be a two-mile hike on foot to the location

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where MK had his encounter.

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Remote wetlands like these are home to many dangerous animals.

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

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for any large predators in the area.

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I think based on everything we've heard,

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what people are seeing and they describe as the Honey Island

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monster, it climbs, it swims, it stands upright,

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rips apart, boars, throats.

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We easy find.

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Look for dead boars.

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Dead boars also?

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Let's look for live boars, because they can be 300 pounds

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around here.

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I don't want to find live boars.

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

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All right.

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According to his GPS coordinates, we are right about there.

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

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

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

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This creature has eluded search parties for decades.

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

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space ten yards apart surrounding the coordinates of the site.

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Anything moving into or out of this area?

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We'll catch it on film.

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Okay.

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On to the next.

254
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:11,000
All right.

255
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:19,000
All right.

256
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,000
Here, this looks like a good spot.

257
00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:28,000
Oh, f***.

258
00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:34,000
Phil, you copy?

259
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,000
Yeah, what's up, Jess?

260
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,000
I just found some prints right by the water's edge.

261
00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,000
I mean, I think this thing just ran by.

262
00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,000
Any way.

263
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,000
Jess.

264
00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,000
Right here.

265
00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:47,000
I just found some prints.

266
00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,000
Look, look, look, look.

267
00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:50,000
Look at that.

268
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:56,000
So there's these right here.

269
00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,000
Then over here, there's like more like a three-toed track.

270
00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,000
That is really interesting.

271
00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,000
It does look like three.

272
00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,000
This is the first ones I found.

273
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,000
And they do look fresh.

274
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:11,000
Do you have your LiDAR?

275
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,000
I'm a LiDAR.

276
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,000
You want to scan them?

277
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:14,000
We should absolutely scan them.

278
00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:19,000
It's clear from these tracks that whatever made them is big and went inland.

279
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,000
It must have just passed through here,

280
00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000
close to where MK had his most recent sighting.

281
00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:28,000
If whatever made this track is walking inland,

282
00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,000
why don't we go in there and try to draw it out?

283
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,000
Our plan is to use a game caller to mimic animal sounds

284
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,000
that will hopefully lure whatever this is into the open.

285
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,000
Yeah.

286
00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:41,000
Look how big that thing is.

287
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:42,000
Jess, we have seen very many.

288
00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,000
Oh, God, it's moving!

289
00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:44,000
Oh, God!

290
00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,000
Jesus, I hate spiders.

291
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:47,000
All right.

292
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:51,000
Your spider screaming is going to scare anything around here.

293
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:52,000
Or it's going to draw it in.

294
00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:53,000
Well, maybe that too.

295
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,000
It's going to be like wounded woman, let's go rip her throat out.

296
00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:57,000
That is possible.

297
00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000
Then I don't have to worry about spiders anymore.

298
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,000
Because you'll be dead?

299
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:01,000
Yeah.

300
00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,000
Looks like over here to the right might have a clearing.

301
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:12,000
What do you think?

302
00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:13,000
Please, count.

303
00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000
Yeah, set up the blinds here.

304
00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,000
Yeah.

305
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,000
We begin setting up hunting blinds to help camouflage our location.

306
00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,000
Surrounding us is our perimeter of game cameras,

307
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,000
which are tethered to my phone,

308
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:28,000
so if anything goes off, I'll receive an alert.

309
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:30,000
All right, so how about this?

310
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,000
Why don't you take the game caller and go put it

311
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,000
by one of the cameras just a little bit further away.

312
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,000
I can then watch with the night vision goggles.

313
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,000
Make sure we have good line of sight from here.

314
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:42,000
Uh-huh.

315
00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:43,000
That way when we set that thing off,

316
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:44,000
at least whatever comes out of the woods,

317
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:48,000
we'll have a running start to potentially get away if we need to.

318
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:49,000
Yeah.

319
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,000
Jess, how's this right here?

320
00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,000
That's actually perfect.

321
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,000
I have a straight line of sight to you.

322
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,000
Do you want to do a test on the game caller

323
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,000
to make sure it has range all the way out here?

324
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:15,000
All right, you ready?

325
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:16,000
Let her in.

326
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,000
Did you just hear Bobcat?

327
00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:28,000
Yes, I did.

328
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,000
Absolutely terrifying.

329
00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,000
All right, we got good range out here.

330
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,000
We're going to turn the volume up all the way.

331
00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:35,000
Head back.

332
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,000
Copy.

333
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,000
Here's my question.

334
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,000
Yeah?

335
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:46,000
How do you know what a Bobcat in heat sounds like?

336
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,000
Who doesn't know what a Bobcat in heat sounds like?

337
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:49,000
Jess, come on.

338
00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:50,000
That's so weird.

339
00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,000
I think we got ourselves a monster trap.

340
00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,000
Okay, you ready?

341
00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,000
Yeah.

342
00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:00,000
What are you choosing?

343
00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:02,000
Deer.

344
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,000
Yeah, that's what deer sounds like.

345
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,000
Okay, you getting anything out there?

346
00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:22,000
Nothing yet.

347
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:23,000
Why are you checking behind us?

348
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,000
I'm just a little nervous.

349
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,000
All right, you ready for some howling?

350
00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:32,000
Yeah.

351
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,000
It is eerie, not much that sounds like coyotes.

352
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:47,000
My heart is racing.

353
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:48,000
Oh my gosh.

354
00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,000
I thought that might have been, like, a face.

355
00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:57,000
We got to hit, we got to hit.

356
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,000
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

357
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,000
Look at the eyes back there.

358
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,000
This one eye?

359
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,000
Two.

360
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,000
What is happening, Elena?

361
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:16,000
Is that a pig?

362
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:17,000
That's a big one.

363
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,000
She looks mad.

364
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,000
You know the bad thing about there being baby boars out there?

365
00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,000
Extra aggressive momma pains?

366
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,000
Ah, the bear spray.

367
00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,000
Oh, would a bear spray work on a boar?

368
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,000
I mean, I guess pepper spray is pepper spray.

369
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,000
Oh yeah, no one wants it in their eyes.

370
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,000
Okay, I'm going to try something else.

371
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:54,000
That was a growl.

372
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:55,000
I just heard an owl.

373
00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,000
I didn't press a button.

374
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,000
Is that direction actually?

375
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:02,000
I did hear that.

376
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:04,000
Got another hit?

377
00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:07,000
That's the same camera.

378
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,000
It's just a lot of dust in the air.

379
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:16,000
It sounds like footsteps.

380
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,000
That sounds like she's just getting killed.

381
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:25,000
Those guys look terrified.

382
00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,000
I mean, is something haunting them right now?

383
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,000
Those boars are 200 pounds,

384
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,000
and they're running from something.

385
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:35,000
Something's sneaking up behind us.

386
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,000
Oh, everybody back, back, back, back.

387
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,000
Everybody back, back, back, back.

388
00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,000
My heart is racing.

389
00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,000
Whatever we just heard, it is now and over there.

390
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,000
I mean, we've got to go over there.

391
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:04,000
Get the bear spray.

392
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,000
Got the spray.

393
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:10,000
Yeah, I'm not really feeling too terribly safe right now.

394
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,000
I'm just going to try and get the bear spray.

395
00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,000
I'm just going to try and get the bear spray.

396
00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,000
It's just a bird.

397
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,000
Alright, let's keep moving.

398
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:25,000
Keep moving right now.

399
00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:27,000
There's the camera right here.

400
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,000
Looking for any evidence of what was running back here.

401
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,000
Those boars were running from something.

402
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,000
Yeah, they're definitely a pissed off.

403
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,000
There's something definitely out here.

404
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,000
I just don't know what it is.

405
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:52,000
I got a hair.

406
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,000
I got a hair?

407
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,000
Where's he?

408
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,000
Looks like a hair fall, cool to me.

409
00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,000
Let me see. Where'd you go?

410
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:00,000
Oh, yeah.

411
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,000
First I thought it was part of the plant,

412
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,000
but you can see at the end there where it knows.

413
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,000
Oh, that does look like a follicle.

414
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,000
I would say 90% chance it's going to be from those boars out here.

415
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:13,000
Yeah.

416
00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,000
But there's a 10% chance it's something else.

417
00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,000
I'm willing to roll the dice on that.

418
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:22,000
Whatever was chasing the hogs seems to have disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

419
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,000
There's a chance we got something.

420
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,000
But we recovered a hair which could shine a light on its true identity.

421
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,000
While we send the sample off to the lab,

422
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,000
we leave our game cameras running all night,

423
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,000
in case there's more activity in the area.

424
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,000
We missed a call from Josh while we were out in the swamp,

425
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:41,000
so we're connecting to see what he's got for us.

426
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,000
Let's give Josh a call.

427
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:45,000
Hey, Josh.

428
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,000
Hey, Josh.

429
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,000
How are my two swamp rats doing?

430
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:49,000
Damp.

431
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,000
Sweaty.

432
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:51,000
Sounds about right.

433
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,000
Okay, so what's the update? How's it going?

434
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000
Good. We had a really good night.

435
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,000
We got some interesting responses off of the game caller.

436
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,000
And we also saw a large animal track that we used to see.

437
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,000
A 3D scan of could be something.

438
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,000
I'm not saying monster.

439
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:06,000
I'm saying monster.

440
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,000
But, you know, we got the renderings.

441
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:11,000
We can compare it to the other casts that exist.

442
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,000
So on the off chance that it's not a monster,

443
00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,000
any other ideas on what it might be?

444
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000
Dana said that there was a theory that there was a circus train derailment

445
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,000
that happened in the early 20th century,

446
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,000
where a bunch of primates were released.

447
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,000
Which sounds farfetched, but it's not totally unprecedented.

448
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,000
For example, there's a lot of stuff that's been done,

449
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,000
that escaped from a roadside zoo back in the 1940s.

450
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,000
All right, well, definitely something worth looking into then.

451
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,000
Yes, I do want to follow through with this possible primate theory.

452
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,000
So I set up a meeting with Margaret Bealer.

453
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,000
She's a professor over at Tulane,

454
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,000
and she specializes in the study of primates.

455
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:46,000
Maybe she could tell us if it's Nan, Monkey, or other.

456
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,000
That sounds great.

457
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,000
And I'll keep doing some digging on this end,

458
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,000
see if there's anything else I can dig up on an animal escape.

459
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,000
And you know, Jess, one thing that you see in the game caller,

460
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,000
is this idea that maybe the Honey Island Swamp Monster

461
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:02,000
could be related to the Rugeroo legend, this Cajun werewolf story.

462
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,000
I've done a little research,

463
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:06,000
and there are some intriguing similarities here.

464
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,000
Both of these stories come from the same area,

465
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,000
and they have similar descriptions, right?

466
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,000
Both tall, both hairy, and apparently both very stinky.

467
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,000
I wonder if they're related to Phil then,

468
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,000
because he's a stinky boy.

469
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,000
It's not that bad, is it?

470
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:21,000
Yeah, you are.

471
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,000
I do think it's worth looking into

472
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,000
whether there could be a connection between these legends.

473
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,000
I've been reading up on the Rugeroo,

474
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,000
and I found a recent account from an eyewitness

475
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:34,000
who claims to have had a terrifying encounter with this creature.

476
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,000
His name is Roy Verrett,

477
00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:39,000
and Jess, I've arranged for you to meet him at a museum in the city.

478
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,000
So go and talk to him, see if you can learn more about his encounter

479
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,000
and more about the legend,

480
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,000
while Phil goes and talks to the professor at Tulane.

481
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,000
Perfect, got it.

482
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,000
We'll do that.

483
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,000
All right, good luck, and hey Phil, don't forget to shower.

484
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:52,000
Right.

485
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:53,000
See you.

486
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:54,000
On it.

487
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:55,000
Bye, Josh.

488
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,000
See you.

489
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,000
I'm meeting Roy at a paranormal museum in New Orleans

490
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,000
to see if his report of the Rugeroo has any ties

491
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,000
to our search for the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

492
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,000
Oh, and a small side note,

493
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,000
the museum is reportedly haunted.

494
00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:11,000
Hey, Roy.

495
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:12,000
Hi, Jess.

496
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:13,000
How you doing?

497
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:14,000
Hi, nice to meet you.

498
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:15,000
I'm Roy.

499
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:16,000
I'm Roy.

500
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,000
Hi, Jess.

501
00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,000
How you doing?

502
00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:19,000
Hi, nice to meet you.

503
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,000
Hi.

504
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:21,000
So Josh told me you have quite the story to share.

505
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:22,000
Oh, yes.

506
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:23,000
You want to check it out?

507
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:24,000
Yeah, absolutely.

508
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,000
Here it is.

509
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:39,000
Different images of what people think they've seen.

510
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:45,000
Honey Island Swamp Monster, this is a werewolf type thing, Rugeroo.

511
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:46,000
So then what's your theory?

512
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,000
Do you think that the Honey Island Swamp Monster and the Rugeroo

513
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,000
are related, or do you think they're two separate beasts?

514
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,000
And I believe it's the same thing.

515
00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,000
I believe it's an actual animal.

516
00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,000
Just undiscovered it.

517
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:01,000
It's actually a physical being that's walking around out there.

518
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,000
We don't know what that is.

519
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:04,000
Yes.

520
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,000
So then tell me what was your experience?

521
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,000
The whole area where we stayed at, everybody's, lives off the land,

522
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,000
trapping, hunting and all that stuff.

523
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,000
Behind the houses, it just opened marsh for miles.

524
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,000
I was hunting rabbits.

525
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:31,000
And there was this just loud roar, growl.

526
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,000
It did mix between a bear and a lion.

527
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:43,000
I never heard anything like this before.

528
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,000
As I was coming down the corner, I see now eyes shining.

529
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,000
It was a bright red.

530
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:52,000
And it stood up.

531
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,000
It stood up about seven foot tall.

532
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,000
I didn't know whether to crawl out my skin.

533
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,000
There was no way I was taking a chance, taking a shot at that.

534
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,000
I was going to just piss it off.

535
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:13,000
And at this point, I realized, okay, I don't know what this is.

536
00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,000
I'm not sticking around to find out.

537
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:18,000
Interesting.

538
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,000
Maybe when people stumble upon it, it gets startled,

539
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:24,000
and it kind of stands its ground because of its territory,

540
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,000
or something like that.

541
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:26,000
That's a good possibility.

542
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,000
So you're a 100% a believer?

543
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:29,000
I'm 100% a believer, yes.

544
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:30,000
Yeah.

545
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:31,000
There ain't no doubt.

546
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,000
No doubt in your mind that this is not a hoax.

547
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:34,000
You're talking about a hoax.

548
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:35,000
Yeah.

549
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:36,000
What's that?

550
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,000
You mean something that's been designed to some unexplained creature?

551
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,000
Something unexplained creature that was huge.

552
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,000
Had to be even with the sound.

553
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,000
You didn't put your eyes on it, you knew that animal was huge.

554
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,000
I mean, who's most talking about it?

555
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,000
Roy's account of the Rugeroo sounds like it could be one

556
00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,000
and the same as the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

557
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,000
Both are huge, hairy swamp-dwelling creatures.

558
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,000
cryptid monster.

559
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,000
Given his description of its unique roar,

560
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,000
I want to see about replicating the sound he described.

561
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:14,000
If it's a real creature, maybe we can use that to lure it out of hiding.

562
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,000
Do you remember where you had these sightings?

563
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,000
Would you be able to give me the coordinates?

564
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:19,000
Sure.

565
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:20,000
Fantastic.

566
00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:27,000
I want to delve further into the taxonomy of what could be the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

567
00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:31,000
So I'm heading to Tulane University to meet with Professor Margaret Bueller.

568
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,000
She has extensive field experience studying primates

569
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,000
and offered to take a look at some of the evidence we've collected.

570
00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:40,000
Hey Margaret.

571
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:41,000
Hello.

572
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,000
Hey, good to see you.

573
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,000
Good to see you too.

574
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:45,000
Thanks for taking the time to meet.

575
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:46,000
You bet.

576
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:50,000
So as you know, we are here looking at the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

577
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,000
We've talked to some people that think they have evidence of it

578
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,000
and I really want to get your take on it considering

579
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:59,000
how much experience you have in the field looking at primates in the wild.

580
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,000
Sure.

581
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:06,000
Okay, so these are original casts that people have made

582
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,000
that they say are from the Swamp Monster.

583
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:18,000
I'm noticing here kind of the deepest part of this footprint is along both edges.

584
00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,000
It does not seem to have an arch,

585
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:27,000
which is something you'll see in things that are more adapted for bipedal movement.

586
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:31,000
So it does look like this has claws,

587
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:35,000
which is not a standard trait for a primate.

588
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:40,000
My instincts would lean towards this being something more quadrupedal.

589
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,000
It could be an alligator.

590
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:46,000
They do have four digits on their back feet and five on the front.

591
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:50,000
I think we'd just need more samples to know for sure.

592
00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:54,000
So the majority of these traits that you're seeing in this,

593
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,000
A, do not tell you that it's bipedal.

594
00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:58,000
They do not.

595
00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,000
It does not seem to be.

596
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,000
And B, it's not quite indicating primate.

597
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:03,000
Yes.

598
00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:11,000
I say it's very unlikely to see if a primate were to make this kind of impression.

599
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:18,000
So let me show you footage from people who claim that they have seen this thing.

600
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,000
This is taken back in the 70s, so the footage is a little grainy,

601
00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:26,000
but at one point you see something that is undeniably a little strange.

602
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,000
So right here we can definitely see bipedal motion.

603
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,000
It looks like they're upper limbs swinging back and forth.

604
00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:42,000
But the most likely bipedal primate that it would be would be a human like you and I.

605
00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,000
Any other thing it could possibly be?

606
00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:49,000
Because one of the theories that is out here is some people say in the early 1900s

607
00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:52,000
there was a train crash and some circus animals escaped.

608
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:58,000
Do you think it is possible that something could be surviving out here in the Louisiana swamps?

609
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:04,000
I think primates, if released, could absolutely live in the swamps in Louisiana.

610
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,000
It's kind of subtropical here.

611
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,000
It doesn't get too cold.

612
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,000
There's plenty of water, plenty of food.

613
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,000
They could absolutely survive.

614
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,000
After speaking with Margaret, it's clear that we're dealing with some conflicting information

615
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,000
between the prints, video and witness accounts.

616
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,000
So I want to download with Jess.

617
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,000
So yeah, I met up with Roy.

618
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:34,000
His description matches almost perfectly with what Dana and MK told us.

619
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:38,000
Seven feet tall, covered in fur, all of it just seems to match up.

620
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:42,000
But what about this lead on it possibly being the Rugeroo?

621
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,000
I think the Rugeroo is based in Lord.

622
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:52,000
I think that what we're actually dealing with is just sightings of the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

623
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:53,000
Okay.

624
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,000
I think there's something out there.

625
00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,000
We're heading to the location where Roy had his run in.

626
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,000
From his account, it sounds like he may have caught the creature off guard,

627
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,000
so I want to travel by stealth and see if it's still in the area.

628
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,000
Sorry to keep harping on this.

629
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,000
Did you set up the water transport for us again?

630
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,000
Yes, I set up the water transport again.

631
00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,000
Easy as fun as last time.

632
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:21,000
It is exactly what we needed to be considering what we're trying to do.

633
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:22,000
So...

634
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,000
Okay, now I'm worried.

635
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:24,000
You should be.

636
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,000
I hope you haven't been skipping Arm Day.

637
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:31,000
That's right.

638
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:32,000
A rowboat.

639
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:34,000
This is it.

640
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,000
Well, we're not going to be able to cover a lot of ground on this thing tonight.

641
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,000
So that's true, but hear me out.

642
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:45,000
This is the same type of boat that Roy was using when he ended up sneaking up on the monster,

643
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,000
so I kind of just want to replicate that.

644
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,000
Okay, so slow, but stealthy.

645
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:51,000
I got thermal drone.

646
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:52,000
Yeah.

647
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:55,000
So we can at least survey a big area from the air.

648
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:56,000
Okay.

649
00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,000
I brought out the game callers, and I got the FLIRs,

650
00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:03,000
so that anything that you see above, I can see from maybe the shoreline.

651
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:04,000
Sounds good.

652
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:05,000
Sweet.

653
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:06,000
Okay.

654
00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:07,000
All right.

655
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,000
Let me get in here.

656
00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:09,000
Watch your step.

657
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,000
Yes, Phillip.

658
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,000
Come on.

659
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,000
You don't have a trouble when she's my full name, Phillip.

660
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:17,000
God.

661
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:19,000
Let's watch.

662
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:38,000
You know, maybe if two people were paddling, like one on each side, this would get somewhere.

663
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,000
We need someone to work the flashlight.

664
00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:47,000
As the sun sets, we're making our way down the Pearl River,

665
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:53,000
scouring the shoreline where Roy had his sighting looking for any pops of color on the thermal cam.

666
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,000
Get out the FLIR.

667
00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:58,000
Yeah.

668
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:01,000
All right, we're recording.

669
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,000
Has visibility on that?

670
00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,000
Visibility's pretty good, actually.

671
00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,000
I mean, I'm catching all the trees.

672
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,000
Everything's showing up cold, though.

673
00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:12,000
See what I'm talking about?

674
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,000
If there was a mammal out there, it would light up.

675
00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,000
It would absolutely light up.

676
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,000
Don't forget, we gotta be looking close to the ground,

677
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,000
because it hunkers down,

678
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,000
or up in the trees, or if it stands up.

679
00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:25,000
So we gotta be looking everywhere.

680
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,000
Pretty much.

681
00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:31,000
Roy said that the Swamp Monster sounds like a mix between a bear and a lion.

682
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,000
So I created a file which blends those two growls,

683
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,000
and I'm going to play it through the game caller.

684
00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,000
If there are any monsters in the area,

685
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,000
and they hear a call that resembles one of their own,

686
00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,000
maybe they'll come investigate.

687
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:43,000
You ready?

688
00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:45,000
I'm ready. Give it a root.

689
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:46,000
Here we go.

690
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:55,000
That is a sound I would not want to hear if I were alone in these swamps.

691
00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:09,000
Oh, look at that.

692
00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:10,000
Did you see that?

693
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:11,000
What is it?

694
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:12,000
I don't know.

695
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:13,000
What are you doing over there?

696
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,000
Shoot, I think we lost it.

697
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:27,000
I feel like now's the perfect time to fly the thermal drone.

698
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,000
So we can get a bird's eye view of what's happening around here.

699
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:31,000
Maybe something got close,

700
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,000
but we're not able to pick it up on shore.

701
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:34,000
Maybe it's the swamps.

702
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:36,000
But we're not able to pick it up on shore.

703
00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:38,000
Maybe it's just into the woods here.

704
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,000
I adjust them up.

705
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:47,000
Okay.

706
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,000
There's the river right here.

707
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:49,000
Okay.

708
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:50,000
So the river's a little bit warmer,

709
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,000
so we're looking for hotspots in this area.

710
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:54,000
So it's the green, just trees?

711
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,000
Yeah, that's trees.

712
00:34:56,000 --> 00:35:00,000
Can you fly over that area that I got that hit?

713
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:01,000
I'm heading in right now.

714
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,000
See if I can pick it up again.

715
00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,000
I think I'm just...

716
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:10,000
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

717
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:11,000
What is that?

718
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:13,000
Oh, right there.

719
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:14,000
See that?

720
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,000
Yeah.

721
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,000
Oh, it's moving.

722
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:17,000
Oh, yeah.

723
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:18,000
Wait, here's the river.

724
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:20,000
So is that coming towards us?

725
00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:21,000
Oh, my God.

726
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,000
Garou, French for werewolf.

727
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,000
Settlers brought the story to Louisiana,

728
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,000
where it blended with local lore

729
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:40,000
to create a terrifying monster.

730
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,000
A red-eyed, seven-foot-tall wolf

731
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,000
with a distinctly awful smell.

732
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,000
Now, there's huge variation

733
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,000
on how you actually become a rugerou.

734
00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,000
Some say Catholics who skip Lent

735
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,000
for seven years will turn into one.

736
00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,000
Others say direct eye contact with a rugerou

737
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,000
will cause you to transform into one.

738
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:04,000
But perhaps the most interesting superstition of all

739
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,000
is how you're supposed to protect yourself from it.

740
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:11,000
Just lay exactly 13 objects in front of your home

741
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,000
and the creature will never enter.

742
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,000
Why?

743
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,000
Because legend says the beast can't count above 12.

744
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:21,000
Yep, you can literally do a number on the rugerou.

745
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,000
Look how close they are.

746
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:28,000
What is it?

747
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,000
It's a pretty big heat signature.

748
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,000
Look at the shape.

749
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:35,000
That looks like how a person would run from the top down.

750
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:36,000
It's 3 a.m.

751
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:40,000
There's no way a person would be out here other than us.

752
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,000
Now it looks like it's down on all fours.

753
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,000
Look, it's right under this tree.

754
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:46,000
Where is that? Where is that?

755
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:47,000
Okay, I think...

756
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:48,000
Over there?

757
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:49,000
Yeah.

758
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,000
This is about 50 meters in, Jess.

759
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:52,000
You see the big tree in the back?

760
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:53,000
Yeah.

761
00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:55,000
I mean, I'm not picking up anything from here,

762
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,000
so I think we should dock and go in there.

763
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,000
Okay. Jess, you watch the show on.

764
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:01,000
I'm gonna bring this back.

765
00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,000
Okay.

766
00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:06,000
Got it.

767
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,000
Landed.

768
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:08,000
Done.

769
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,000
Gotta be ready for anything, my bad.

770
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:17,000
Let's go.

771
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:23,000
Watch your step here.

772
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:24,000
Watch your step here.

773
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:25,000
Yeah, I see it.

774
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:28,000
Oh, God, it smells terrible.

775
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,000
It smells so bad.

776
00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:33,000
This way?

777
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,000
Yeah, I think it's this way.

778
00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:38,000
Okay, slow down.

779
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:41,000
Wow.

780
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:44,000
Damn, so...

781
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,000
The last known location I had it.

782
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:52,000
I was sliding up ahead, and it was right under here.

783
00:37:58,000 --> 00:37:59,000
Hold it, Jess.

784
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:02,000
Oh, look at those.

785
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,000
We got them.

786
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:04,000
This is a spine.

787
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:05,000
What do you think that is?

788
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,000
Could be a scapula.

789
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:10,000
Could the creature have eaten that?

790
00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:13,000
They do look old.

791
00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:17,000
I don't think there's any way we're gonna be able to catch up with that thing.

792
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:19,000
We had it.

793
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,000
We saw it on the thermal.

794
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,000
It was right back there.

795
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,000
And we know it was here just minutes ago.

796
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:31,000
But it was a little bit quick.

797
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,000
I've got a few hits on the FLIR.

798
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,000
You've got excellent drone footage.

799
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:37,000
We've got that hair we can get analyzed.

800
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,000
And the camera traps are still up.

801
00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,000
And the camera traps are still up.

802
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,000
So I say we gather all that stuff together, get it analyzed,

803
00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:45,000
try to figure out what this is.

804
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:50,000
Because to me, it all says there is something that people are definitely seeing out in the swamp

805
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,000
that is the honey on the swamp monster.

806
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:56,000
To me, the evidence doesn't stack up to tell me that there's anything

807
00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:00,000
more extraordinary than the known nature that is here.

808
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:04,000
But it also doesn't say that something extraordinary could be out here.

809
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:07,000
We won't know until it's analyzed.

810
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:08,000
That's all I'm saying.

811
00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:09,000
That's true.

812
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,000
Oh, you want else the true guess?

813
00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:11,000
What?

814
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:12,000
Your own back.

815
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:19,000
My team dove into the Louisiana Bayou intent on solving the mystery of the Honey Island swamp monster.

816
00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,000
Let's get out there.

817
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:29,000
Now, as we analyze the evidence, we're hoping to separate fact from fiction in this decade's old mystery.

818
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,000
Okay, go, go, go.

819
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:33,000
Look at those.

820
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:37,000
First, given the size and spread of its claw marks,

821
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:42,000
Jess's animal prints are likely from an alligator, not a seven-foot monster.

822
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:45,000
And our trailcams captured mostly wandering raccoons,

823
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,000
along with some behemoth wild hogs.

824
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:53,000
Whatever spooked those hogs might have been a formidable predator,

825
00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:58,000
but a black bear or coyote seemed like the most realistic possibilities.

826
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:00,000
Sounds like she's just getting killed.

827
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,000
But neither walk on two feet for long periods,

828
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,000
and Harlan's film clearly depicts a bipedal creature.

829
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:10,000
After running a DNA analysis of the hair Phil recovered from the swamp,

830
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:11,000
I got a hair.

831
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:15,000
the results came back 100% Sue's scrofa,

832
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,000
or for those who don't speak Latin, wild hog.

833
00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:23,000
We know that large primates could survive in these sprawling swamps.

834
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:25,000
It's kind of sub-tropical here.

835
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,000
Plenty of water, plenty of food.

836
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:29,000
But after scouring area archives,

837
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:34,000
we didn't find any circus-trained derailments near Honey Island from the 1940s,

838
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:39,000
though plenty of other exotic pets could very well have escaped in recent years.

839
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,000
Oh, look at that. Did you see that?

840
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:48,000
Could the figure we caught lurking in the underbrush be the Honey Island swamp monster?

841
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,000
There? Yeah.

842
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:52,000
It's moving. Oh, yeah.

843
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,000
Even with this substantial footage,

844
00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:57,000
a lack of any physical evidence muddies the waters,

845
00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:01,000
making it impossible to determine whether this is a known animal

846
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:03,000
or perhaps something more monstrous.

847
00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:07,000
And the fact that he never released or even discussed with his family,

848
00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:14,000
this first-hand evidence depicting the very animal he spent a decade searching for is inconceivable.

849
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:17,000
It suggests that he may have had a reason to not show it at all.

850
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,000
Until more evidence comes to light,

851
00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:25,000
there's no way to prove that the many wild sightings are anything more than the stuff of Louisiana legend.

852
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:31,000
For more information on Expedition X, head to Discovery.com.