MonsterQuest Marathon
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 25th, 2009
Updated…the Marathon continues on Monday…
Over Memorial Day weekend, 2009, History is running a MonsterQuest Marathon. The two-day festival is of this year’s episodes.
All the times below are Eastern, so check your local listings.
MonsterQuest: Ohio Grassman
Airs on Sunday May 24 08:00 AM
Just miles from the industrial cities of Ohio, there is a bogeyman that has terrified local children for over a century. According to stories and sightings, the Grassman is similar to a Bigfoot, but builds strange nests and has been known to attack. Can science help explain this creature? Is a primate skull, a strange print and a new video the first direct proof behind the legendary Grassman? We’ll sift through the existing evidence and take to the skies in a search for what is stalking Ohio.
MonsterQuest: Isle of the Lost Tiger
Airs on Sunday May 24 09:00 AM
A remote island off the coast of Australia was once home to a real monster with vampire-like tendencies. The Tasmanian Tiger, which was known for its massive jaws and sharp incisors, stalked livestock and terrified the human inhabitants of the island before a bounty brought about the Tiger’s extinction almost eighty years ago. But if the eyewitness stories and scientific breakthroughs are correct, this creature may be on the verge of making a comeback. Across Tasmania there have been over 350 sightings of this monster, including reports from experienced biologists and outdoorsmen. Meanwhile, in an Australian laboratory, one scientist is using a preserved strand of DNA in an attempt to resurrect the tiger. Now, the MonsterQuest science and expedition teams will seek to find the ultimate proof that the Tasmanian Tiger could be alive and stalking the subtropical forests of this distant island.
MonsterQuest: Gators in the Sewers
Airs on Sunday May 24 08:00 PM
What if one of the most famous and terrifying urban legends was not a legend but a frightening fact? History tells us that Alligators lurking around in the sewers of New York City is based in truth. In the mid 1930s three teenagers pulled an eight-foot alligator from a storm drain. Reports persisted until a skeptical Superintendant of Sewers, Teddy May, was forced to investigate for himself. What May found shocked even him–swarms of alligators alive beneath the busy main street of America’s biggest city. Crews were sent in to kill the deadly reptiles, but the stories of the gators in the sewers lived on. Experts, however, are divided over whether it is scientifically possible for alligators to continue to exist in the sewers, so a MonsterQuest team sets out to search for modern evidence of these monsters and prove that they could not only survive but also thrive.
MonsterQuest: Monster Close Encounters
Airs on Sunday May 24 09:00 PM
The most compelling evidence for the creature known as Bigfoot may be the increasing close encounters that are frightening witnesses in rural America. Historic stories have told of violent interactions that range from objects being thrown to frightening abductions by hairy beasts. As extraordinary as these stories sound, people continue to recount physical interactions with creatures that they cannot explain. Witnesses from Minnesota and Washington State have all had frightening run-ins with the monsters while driving; another witness in rural Indiana talks with terror of the night that he was grabbed by something very powerful out in a forest. MonsterQuest will investigate whether witness are seeing known animal or the same Bigfoot creature that has been spoken of throughout history. MonsterQuest employs polygraph examinations, DNA analysis and bite force tests to discover what monster is turning up its aggression.
MonsterQuest: Snowbeast Slaughter
Airs on Sunday May 24 10:00 PM
High in the rugged wilderness of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains a large hairy creature is said to be preying on the elk and frightening residents. The stories date back centuries with the earliest settlers describing terrifying encounters with a large beast whose scream bellows across the hills. Even today ranchers and hikers report a monster they can’t explain that may be attacking their horses. MonsterQuest will sift through the evidence and determine what may be killing the elk. The aerial search ascends to 11,000 ft in search of fresh evidence that could lead to the creature; as the ground team scales the side of Pikes Peak to hunt for the legendary Snowbeast.
MonsterQuest: Mega Jaws
Airs on Sunday May 24 11:00 PM
Sharks have terrified people for centuries and deep within the forbidding waters of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula may lurk a mammoth sixty foot monster. Could it be a new giant species or some living relic, hidden in the sea? In prehistoric times, huge carnivorous sharks, more than twice the size of a great white, ruled the waves. Marine experts claim these giants went extinct, but evidence may challenge that. Meanwhile, frightened Mexican fisherman talk of being stalked by a “Black Demon”; and sailors report close collisions with a shark unlike anything that they have encountered before. In a search for answers, MonsterQuest uses a combined air and sea search for this monster shark that may be prowling the last unexplored frontier of our planet.
MonsterQuest: Gators in the Sewers
Airs on Monday May 25 12:00 AM
What if one of the most famous and terrifying urban legends was not a legend but a frightening fact? History tells us that Alligators lurking around in the sewers of New York City is based in truth. In the mid 1930s three teenagers pulled an eight-foot alligator from a storm drain. Reports persisted until a skeptical Superintendant of Sewers, Teddy May, was forced to investigate for himself. What May found shocked even him–swarms of alligators alive beneath the busy main street of America’s biggest city. Crews were sent in to kill the deadly reptiles, but the stories of the gators in the sewers lived on. Experts, however, are divided over whether it is scientifically possible for alligators to continue to exist in the sewers, so a MonsterQuest team sets out to search for modern evidence of these monsters and prove that they could not only survive but also thrive.
MonsterQuest: Sasquatch Attack II
Airs on Monday May 25 01:00 PM
Something has been attacking a remote cabin in Northern Ontario, Canada–it may have left behind a blood trail. DNA analysis suggests that the creature is a non-human primate. A follow up test will confirm or deny this, and the results could change history. Meanwhile, a new expedition, outfitted with the most advanced surveillance and detection equipment, will set up camp at the cabin and wait for the creature’s imminent return. Scientists will be brought in to tell viewers what the evidence reveals.
MonsterQuest: Cattle Killers
Airs on Monday May 25 02:00 PM
Something mysterious and violent is killing cattle of the North American plains, but what is behind these gruesome attacks: satanic cults, an unknown predator, or something previously unknown to man? For forty years, there have been thousands of cases of cattle found mutilated under abnormal circumstances; these livestock are found dead, often with their blood drained and organs or body parts removed from their bodies. Abnormally high radiation levels have been detected in the soil near the dead animals when they are found, and the deaths often do not match the pattern of known scavengers. With no apparent footprints or tracks leading to or from the carcasses and strange circles near the site, the mystery only deepens. A MonsterQuest team will gather samples and head to a laboratory to scientifically analyze the most compelling evidence.
MonsterQuest: Monster Spiders
Airs on Monday May 25 03:00 PM
Join an expedition into the wilderness of South America on the hunt for a monster-sized predatory spider. In the forests of Venezuela there are reports of spiders big enough to hunt and eat a small dog, and villagers build their huts in such a way as to keep giant spiders out. In 2006 an American soldier in Iraq was photographed with what appeared to be a three foot long arachnid. Watch as experts investigate the validity of these and other strange sightings, and examine man’s fear of spiders.
MonsterQuest: Giant Bear Attack
Airs on Monday May 25 04:00 PM
Are big bears are getting more assertive and aggressive? In pre-historic times, giant bears weighed up to a ton and stalked early man. Listen as witnesses describe horrific bear attacks and take a look at unusual bear remains. The team journeys from Alaska to New Jersey to learn about bear activity and if hybridization or the next step in bear evolution could produce another crop of giant bears?
MonsterQuest: Boneless Horror
Airs on Monday May 25 05:00 PM
Throughout history there have been sightings of a massive Octopus big enough to attack and sink boats. Could such a creature really exist? Our divers probe the depths of the North Pacific where the world’s largest known species of octopus lives. Could these octopuses be a food source for a monster? The investigation will use various underwater camera systems, including a tiny camera small enough to probe inside octopus lairs. Deep waters, rough currents, freezing temperatures and the prospect of encountering a 20-ton boneless horror make this a dangerous expedition.
MonsterQuest: Sea Monsters
Airs on Monday May 25 06:00 PM
Mariners have long told stories of frightening beasts that stalk the coast of Florida, but new video could prove that old sailors were seeing real sea monsters. A forked tail, ferocious teeth and a large body were all characteristics of the historic sea monsters. Now, one Florida man says that not only has he witnessed these creatures on countless occasions, but he also has hours of video proof. Experts are divided over the controversial evidence that shows tantalizing glimpses of these strange sea creatures. One marine biologist claims it is a disfigured known species, another expert says it is a seal thought long extinct, and still others maintain that it is something altogether unheard of. Whatever monster lurks here, close to innocent vacationers, MonsterQuest will investigate.
MonsterQuest: Sasquatch Attack II
Airs on Monday May 25 07:00 PM
Something has been attacking a remote cabin in Northern Ontario, Canada–it may have left behind a blood trail. DNA analysis suggests that the creature is a non-human primate. A follow up test will confirm or deny this, and the results could change history. Meanwhile, a new expedition, outfitted with the most advanced surveillance and detection equipment, will set up camp at the cabin and wait for the creature’s imminent return. Scientists will be brought in to tell viewers what the evidence reveals.
History broadcasts The Link at 9:00 PM May 25th.
Please, today…
Thank You.
- Similar Phenomena:
I was going to write and ask you yesterday if you knew about this MonsterQuest Marathon… and just as I started to go to my computer to write to you, I looked up… and there you were, on the screen. LOL! So, thanks for the reminder today.
I watched three of em over the last day.
My summary:
Voice on walkie-talkie: I got nothing.
Another voice on walkie-talkie: I got nothing also but with dramatic music!
Narrator: The best view of the monster may come from our animators.
Witness: Yeah! That’s what it looked like!
Narrator: Case closed —or is it?
I watched several episodes of the marathon over the weekend. For me, the most intriguing one was the MonsterQuest: Sea Monsters spot.
I’ve lived in Florida in several places and have seen numerous manatees in the wild. They are very sluggish creatures and I can’t picture one flipping around and moving the way the creature in their footage moved.
I hope they do a follow-up on this one. I was also glad to see that they did their best to keep the location a secret (but have to wonder just how long it will *stay* secret).
Curt
Mating manatees tend to move around, flip about, and swim in a more animated way than how most people recall the slow moving animals.
i have a few problems with monster quest for some reason when some one tells them a story they go a search for it #1 these people are telling them how strong and fast these creatures are but they still go and look to see for themselves when they do not have any idea what these things can do to them or what they are really dealing with, #2 they always telling the person who saw the creature that it was mistaken identity and then leave because they did not see the creature for themselves where they searched, #3 they want to take photos and find out what it is even though it would be exciting to find out it isn’t meant for them to find them not only that they will never find or capture these unique creatures they can be killed and i think they are asking for a death wish to go out and thing nothing will happen. Me and a friend of mind personally had a very bad experience that we do not talk about and keep it to ourselves because we do not want to remember that day i wish they would just stop trying to find something that will kill them it is for their own good
I happened to like the “New York ” one. The only thing that I didn’t like was that Steve Kulls guy, he seemed to be a camera and glory hound. I see that Becky Sawyer was in that as well, I wonder what ever happened to her? Most likely she got the heck away from people that can’t seem to keep their head above the scum line.
Wherever you are Becky…….you will never be forgotten !
Loren Coleman wrote: “Mating manatees tend to move around, flip about, and swim in a more animated way than how most people recall the slow moving animals.”
I admit that I have only seen manatees when they were probably in their most placid state, i.e., where they were feeding in a leisurely manner. I suspect that mating animals do tend to get a bit more animated.
But that still leaves the fact that the Florida river creature had a trident-finned tail. Most manatees have a solid, flat, beaver-like tail. If I recall correctly, the show’s commentator pointed out that the tail was actually similar to that of a seal, which is usually double-finned or forked.
Curt
The program also mentioned or used quotes that related that
1) the footage could be of two different animals – manatees and seals; and
2) manatee tails are often the victims of boat accidents, giving them a multi-finned appearance.
The footage is less mysterious than people would have it, and the activity of the taped animals is not outside the parameters of how mating manatees and in some shoots, seals, are known to behave.
I remember that the idea that a manatee and seal interacting with each other was floated as a possibility (no pun intended). And that I was thinking, that, at the very least, what the guy filmed is still remarkable in that there was an actual seal filmed in Florida waters. I was under the impression that seals were no longer native to Florida.
I see where a person (aclockworkorange) in a thread specific to the Florida sea monster, wrote:
“It’s still a great find of a seal that shouldn’t be there! There aren’t any warm-water dwelling seals native to Florida anymore–went extinct.”
To which Loren Coleman replied:
“That statement makes the assumption that any filmmaker’s reported location of footage is as stated (in this case allegedly Florida). But one has to be careful, for nothing assures any of us that what we are seeing was actually filmed where it is said to have been recorded.”
That is excellent food for thought, i.e., that we are taking the guy who filmed this footage at his word that this was indeed shot in Florida and that there was no hanky-panky as far as an creative editing is concerned. (By saying that, I am by no means trying to cast disparaging remarks at the person who shot the film, only that a healthy dose of skepticism is almost always required with things of this nature).
I did a bit of research since my last post. According the sources that I found, there has not been a reliable sighting of a seal in Florida since 1952.
Curt
Just as manatees have been found up north and far inland in rivers (remember the Hudson River last year), so too have harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), in rare cases, been found as far south as Florida, as “out-of-place” or “accidentals.”
The incidents are recorded in the scientific literature.
A harbor seal, for example, was stranded in 2004, in Florida.
“Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina): Western North Atlantic Stock,” NEFSC/NOAA, March 2007.
http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/tm/tm201/114-120.pdf
“The Harbor Seal, Phoca vitulina concolor, in Florida” David K. Caldwell and Melba C. Caldwell, Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 50, No. 2 (May, 1969), pp. 379-380.
So, what we may be dealing with here is an example of an out of place animal (a seal) being filmed in Florida while interacting with a frisky manatee or manatees.
I can buy that. But just for the record, I still think that is, in and of itself, still quite remarkable! (I have a huge interest in Florida ecology and local fuana, so anything out of the norm from there always fires my imagination).
Thanks for the data.