1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 I 2 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,000 It caused a well sort of sympathy to walk across his skin 3 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,400 He's had swelling and fever and weakness and finally succumbed to the bite 4 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:45,000 There are some of their highly venomous a healthy adult could be killed by a few bites 5 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:53,640 I'd never seen one that big before look like a snake at first it was a centipede 6 00:00:53,640 --> 00:01:02,320 It's pretty amazing to think of 10 foot long centipede, but they definitely existed 7 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:09,920 You know who knows what's out there in the tropical rainforest 8 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:21,080 Their creatures science refuses to recognize 9 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:26,240 But new technology makes us question what is real 10 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:29,680 If our eyes see it 11 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,280 If our cameras capture it 12 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,320 And to a realm where fact fiction 13 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:44,680 Science meets legend 14 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:47,920 Nightmares come to life 15 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:53,640 Oh 16 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,040 Lost tapes death crawler 17 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,520 In 18 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:38,680 2002 entomologist Karen Urco and her husband Jonah spent the summer documenting various insect life off the coasts of Central and South America 19 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:48,720 But when they found themselves stranded on a seemingly idyllic shore their research trip took a terrifying and deadly turn 20 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:51,720 These are their tapes 21 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:06,320 We've encountered some engine trouble while circling the island I've radioed for help 22 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,480 But I'm not really sure that this thing is working. I'm not getting an answer 23 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,720 So meanwhile Jonah's trying to get that engine going again 24 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,360 Jonah you okay, what how's it going? 25 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:23,880 It's fine it's good 26 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,320 It's good take a while. Okay, should I 27 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:32,520 Should I go exploring for a little bit? Yes knock yourself out 28 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:40,760 Listen for the radio 29 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,680 Okay, I love you I won't be long 30 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:48,040 Alrighty off we go then 31 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:56,540 While Jonah worked to fix the boats engine Karen headed for the island interior to explore the local insect population 32 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,880 And the unwalkings dick found in this part of the world 33 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:10,720 Beautiful 34 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:13,400 Fantastic example of a rooster tarantula 35 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:18,840 This place is a treasure trove 36 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:27,160 Well literally centipede means 100 legs and although it's kind of grossly descriptive 37 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:32,920 It's inaccurate. They can have anywhere from 15 to 173 legs 38 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:39,800 Centipedes are fairly simple animals. There's basically two main segments of the body 39 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,520 There's the head and then there's the trunk 40 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,960 the head has the eyes and the mouth parts and 41 00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:48,360 The trunk has all of the legs 42 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:54,640 So the trunk is basically the largest part of the body that's much of repeated segments each segment has two legs 43 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:03,480 The centipede bites using two fangs underneath its head and these two fangs are actually modified 44 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:08,440 Legs that have venom ducks in them people have described getting bitten by a centipede 45 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:13,320 one gentleman described it as being burnt with a lit cigar 46 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,200 Sometimes centipede bites on humans could be as painful as a gunshot wound or having your bone broken 47 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:25,480 This is 48 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,800 Parasites to be living 49 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,160 Oh gross 50 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:44,760 Oh my god 51 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:57,640 Oh my god a video camera 52 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:13,640 I can just get this 53 00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:20,280 Centipedes hunt for their prey 54 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:22,920 They actually can't see very well 55 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,520 So they use their legs and antennae to kind of scan the substrate for potential prey items 56 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,240 And if you see a centipede walking 57 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,240 You'll see its head kind of move quickly back and forth and that's kind of its scanning motion 58 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:41,560 When a centipede attacks its prey item, it'll grab onto the the prey using the robe legs just behind the fangs 59 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:47,560 And then it'll actually puncture the prey item using these two fangs in kind of a pinching motion 60 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:53,560 And it'll immediately inject the venom after which the prey item usually dies pretty much immediately and then the centipede will 61 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,200 Eat it right away 62 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:03,480 Generally centipedes, especially hunting centipedes can be pretty fast the fastest centipedes actually tend to have fewer legs 63 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:08,120 Um, so the more legs the centipede has typically the slower it will move 64 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,400 And the fastest of the centipedes actually have incredibly long legs 65 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:16,680 But almost like long whisks, so they have longer legs and get more leverage and move incredibly fast 66 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:24,600 They can strike and move quickly say if you disturb the nest of a really truly giant centipede 67 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,960 Say one that allegedly attains the length of two or three feet 68 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:31,080 Uh, you'd probably have a hard time getting away 69 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:35,560 Okay, come back with me this way. You won't believe it. I was just looking through the brush and all of a sudden this 70 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,760 This cloth was hanging from a tree and then I see this boot 71 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:46,440 Like how old not that old there was a camera attached to it. Come on. Come on. Did you check the camera? Yeah 72 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:49,800 Yeah, I took the camera. I put it back at base, but 73 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:52,840 It's just nothing but bone 74 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:59,960 Keep up with me. Oh wait. Just not gonna believe this. Hey, hey, honey. Wait a second. I got some I got a thorn in my shoe 75 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,120 Wait a sec. I got something in my shoe. Just give me two seconds 76 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:17,880 Oh, I just got bit. I'm some sort of a huge insect 77 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,080 Help me 78 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,200 I got you 79 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,360 Let's get a closer look at that, honey 80 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:45,240 What did you say you thought it was again? It was like a three-foot centipede. That's not even possible 81 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:52,840 Well, your shirt wasn't not a snake or a rodent of some sort 82 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:02,920 Oh my god 83 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:08,440 A centipede bite will leave a pattern very similar to a spider bite. Basically, there's two puncture wounds one for each fang 84 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:13,880 There's many cases where a centipede will bite, you know, a person that's handling it several times in a row 85 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:16,360 So you can actually get a series of double puncture wounds 86 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:23,400 There are some records of centipedes actually leaving a mark on human skin because 87 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:26,200 legs actually have knife-like extensions 88 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,400 Um that will create a brace of marks on your skin 89 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:36,920 They also have these glands called repugnatorial glands that secrete 90 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:42,040 Hydrocyanic acid and that acid can get into the wounds caused by uh, 91 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:44,040 the abrasions from the centipede's legs 92 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:47,960 Look at the marking on the wounds. It's a centipede 93 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:52,440 It's fine. Hey, it's fine 94 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,080 Let's go clean it up 95 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:57,960 I'll get the motor face and we're out of here. Okay? 96 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:20,360 Jonah's not doing so well. He's got a bad fever 97 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,520 Whatever bit him must have injected some sort of toxin 98 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,000 Oh god, it's getting worse 99 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,520 What the hell is that? 100 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:48,680 Oh my god 101 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:52,680 Oh 102 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:58,200 Oh my god, what the hell is this place? 103 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:01,880 In this camera 104 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:15,800 Well, I don't want you to go one of the two but fast 105 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:16,600 Yes, my general 106 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,600 Look, it's in this direction. It's fine 107 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:19,400 Okay 108 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:20,520 This is the last time 109 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:21,400 Oh, what the hell? 110 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:22,520 Hurry up 111 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:29,960 There, right there 112 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,000 Pedro, give me the medicine box please 113 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:43,000 Easy, easy 114 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:44,120 It won't hurt you 115 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:44,920 Remember this 116 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:46,040 It's okay Carlos 117 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:47,240 Grab your leg, Pedro 118 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:49,960 Don't worry, it's okay 119 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:55,960 Hold the stick 120 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:57,560 Are you okay? 121 00:11:57,560 --> 00:11:58,600 Hold it, yes 122 00:11:58,600 --> 00:11:59,720 Good general 123 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:00,600 There it goes 124 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:10,600 The soldiers are all over the place 125 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:11,800 Let them go 126 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:12,760 All over the place 127 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:14,120 Don't put anything on the ground 128 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:14,920 Watch out 129 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:15,880 No 130 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:19,640 Go! 131 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:52,020 Arthur Plurra were a primitive group of centipede-like animals that grew up to 132 00:12:52,020 --> 00:12:56,560 six to ten feet long. These days it's very very unlikely you're gonna get 133 00:12:56,560 --> 00:13:01,340 something six to ten feet long. The average accepted size with the North 134 00:13:01,340 --> 00:13:05,940 American centipede is seven to eight inches as an adult and we know that 135 00:13:05,940 --> 00:13:11,800 that's quite common I was finding in my house. I was living up in the foothills 136 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:17,320 of the Ozarks and noticed what looked like a snake at first and it was a 137 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:23,000 centipede and he was probably 14, 15 inches long and I've seen a lot of them 138 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:27,760 around here and most of them are six, seven, maybe eight inches. I'd never seen one 139 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:34,200 that big before. Skollopender Gigantia is by far the largest centipede on record 140 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:38,880 and there's actually one case of the species from Venezuela that's 18 inches 141 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:44,080 long and there are records of those eating things like lizards, mice and 142 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:49,040 small birds so definitely the largest centipedes will eat vertebrates. There's 143 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:53,160 this case of a young girl being killed by a single bite from a Skollopendra. 144 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:56,700 It's certainly not out of the question to have something that might be two or 145 00:13:56,700 --> 00:14:03,120 three feet long. There are scientists out coming the world to survey 146 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:08,760 biodiversity so it's very unlikely today that there are gigantic centipedes 147 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:13,400 that we haven't discovered but you have to admit that we do discover animals 148 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,680 that we didn't think existed all the time. Who knows what's out there in the 149 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,840 tropical rainforests. I mean that's what kind of keeps us going as entomologists. 150 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:26,680 Finding is really kind of bizarre or extreme example. 151 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:36,520 In order to treat her husband's infected wounds, Karen headed into the 152 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:41,160 centipede infested jungle desperately searching for the medical kit she saw on 153 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,160 the survey team's tape. 154 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:00,160 Oh god, I thought I heard something over there. 155 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,160 It's got to be around here somewhere. 156 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,160 Come on please, go hard. It's got to be around here somewhere. 157 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,160 Oh thank god. 158 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,160 This is it. 159 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,160 Where's that medical kit? 160 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:20,160 Here it is. 161 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:32,160 There it is. 162 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,160 There it is. 163 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,160 Okay, that's it. 164 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:13,160 Jonah, Jonah baby wake up, wake up guess what? I found the campsite. 165 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:17,160 I found the campsite and the medical kit. 166 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:32,160 Jonah, come on. 167 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:47,160 Jonah we gotta get out of here, they're all around us. 168 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,160 Get to the boat, we gotta get to the boat. 169 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:53,160 Okay come on, get your way. 170 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:56,160 Come on baby, just a little bit further. The boat's right over here. 171 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:58,160 Okay, we gotta get you over. 172 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,160 Oh god, we're just, the job's gonna stop. 173 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,160 It's a, we're starting. 174 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,160 Come on, come on. Oh god. 175 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,160 No, go. 176 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:16,160 Stop. 177 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,160 Come on, come on. 178 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,160 Get to the boat, no, no. 179 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:40,160 Examination of the footage shows that Karen and Jonah were able to escape their island terror, however briefly, 180 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:45,160 as evidenced by this final segment shot aboard their drifting skiff. 181 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,160 How are you feeling now? 182 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,160 Much better, thanks to you. 183 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,160 I got you all fixed up. 184 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:56,160 I'm sure it did. 185 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:58,160 Anywhere's better than there. 186 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:02,160 Uh, we'll hit land by a marty. 187 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,160 And then no more new species for me. 188 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:16,160 Several weeks later, the boat containing two decomposed bodies washed up on the Florida coastline. 189 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:20,160 The remains were covered with puncture wounds and bite marks. 190 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:25,160 Unidentifiable tracks in the sand led from the boat to nearby dense foliage. 191 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:30,160 The exact location of the island of the giant centipedes remains a mystery. 192 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:39,160 But the horrifying images captured on these videotapes and the fact that the creatures that killed Karen and Jonah Urco were never found, 193 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,160 leaves us with a frightening proposition. 194 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,160 Do they live among us?