>> male narrator: THEY'RE ONE OF
THE OLDEST PREDATORS ON EARTH. >> HE'S CALLED THE BIG DEMON. >> narrator: KILLING MACHINES
DESIGNED TO TEAR PREY APART. >> AND AS IT PULLED ME DOWN
AGAIN, IT GOT THE BIG CHUNK OFF MY LEG. >> narrator: ONCE ALMOST EXTINCT
IN AMERICA, THESE BEASTS ARE NOW GROWING TO UNPRECEDENTED SIZE. >> THEY'RE AT A SIZE WHERE
HUMANS CAN BE CONSIDERED POTENTIAL PREY. >> THEY SEEM TO BE EVERYWHERE. >> narrator: THEY ARE TARGETING
MANKIND... WITH ALARMING FREQUENCY. NOW<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SETS OUT TO
INVESTIGATE THE WORLD'S BIGGEST KILLER CROCODILES. >> THAT'S--OKAY, CHECK THAT GUY
OUT. >> MY GOD. >> WOW. THAT IS A MONSTER. >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND
THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS. ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS
ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> Captioning by<font color="#00FF00"> CaptionMax
www.captionmax.com</font> THE FLORIDA COAST IS A FAMILY
VACATION DESTINATION WITH PRISTINE BEACHES, AMUSEMENT
PARKS, DIVERSE WILDLIFE, AND SOMETHING ELSE:
ONE OF THE OLDEST PREDATORS IN HISTORY, KILLER CROCODILES. THE WORLDWIDE CASUALTIES ARE
STAGGERING. BETWEEN 1,000 AND 2,000 PEOPLE
ARE KILLED OR MAIMED EACH YEAR BY THESE GIANT MONSTERS. >> FOR ONE THING, IT GROWS TO
A HUGE SIZE, AND HUMAN BEINGS ARE PREY ITEMS. >> A SWIMMING PAIR OF JAWS IS
WHAT MAKES CROCS SUCH--SUCH FORMIDABLE PREDATORS. >> THEY DO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
REACH 20 FEET OR MORE. >> narrator: EYEWITNESSES REPORT
SEEING MONSTER SIZED CROCODILES. THEY RANGE IN SIZE FROM 16 TO 30
FEET AND WEIGH IN EXCESS OF TWO TO THREE TONS. THESE CARNIVOROUS REPTILES ARE
DARK IN COLOR WITH A LONG SET OF SHARP, SERRATED TEETH INSIDE
A POWERFUL JAW WHICH CAN GENERATE UP TO 3,000 POUNDS
OF FORCE. HUMAN ENCOUNTERS ARE GROWING
MORE AND MORE FREQUENT. IN 2009, RESIDENTS OF CORAL
GABLES, FLORIDA, COMPLAINED THAT CROCODILES WERE INVADING THEIR
BACKYARDS AND DEVOURING THEIR PETS. EVERY YEAR, THE FLORIDA FISH AND
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION RESPONDS TO MORE THAN
100 FRANTIC CALLS OF CROCODILE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. >> RIGHT HERE IS THE PART WHERE
THE TOOTH SLID DOWN. >> narrator: IT WAS A LATE
SUMMER DAY ON PLAYA HERMOSA IN COSTA RICA. 13-YEAR-OLD FLORIDIAN
DAKOTA KILBRIDE WAS SURFING THE BREAK JUST OFF THE BEACH. BUT INSTEAD OF CATCHING THE
PERFECT RIDE, SOMETHING CAUGHT HIM. >> I WAS PADDLING, DUCKED OUT OF
THAT WAVE, AND THE CROCODILE WENT AROUND, AND THEN IT CAME UP
RIGHT BEHIND ME. IT GRABBED ME, AND THEN IT TRIED
TO PULL ME DOWN ONE TIME. THEN I LOOKED FOR IT,
AND I LOOKED IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BOARD, AND I SAID,
"I'M NOT GOING UNDERWATER." THEN IT SHOOK ME SIDE, SIDE,
SIDE AGAIN TO TRY AND GET ME LOOSE OFF THE BOARD AND THEN
PULLED ME DOWN AGAIN. AND AS IT PULLED ME DOWN AGAIN,
IT GOT THE BIG CHUNK OFF MY LEG. >> narrator: DAKOTA DOESN'T KNOW
HOW, BUT HE MANAGED TO MAKE IT TO SHORE. TWO FRIENDS WITNESSED THE
ATTACK. >> HE DIDN'T SCREAM, BUT I JUST
KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. >> AND BASICALLY, THE NEXT THING
I KNOW, ANDREA IS PRETTY MUCH STARTING TO RUN. >> narrator: THE TEENAGER WAS
BLEEDING PROFUSELY AND NEEDED IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION. >> THEN I JUST HEARD SOMEONE
SAY, "PLEASE DON'T LET ME DIE," AND I LOOKED UP, AND IT WAS
DAKOTA, AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOD, THAT'S MY FRIEND'S LITTLE
BOY." >> narrator: THE CLOSEST
HOSPITAL WAS MORE THAN THREE HOURS AWAY, AND THE WOUND WAS
MASSIVE. SOMEHOW HE SURVIVED THE LONG
TRIP, AND DOCTORS FOUGHT TO SAVE HIS LIFE AND HIS LEG. IT TOOK MULTIPLE SURGERIES TO
REPAIR THE DAMAGE, BUT DAKOTA WILL BEAR THE SCARS AND THE
HAUNTING FEARS FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. >> RIGHT HERE, THIS IS THE BITE,
PART OF THE BITE RIGHT HERE. RIGHT HERE IS THE PART WHERE THE
TOOTH SLID DOWN. >> narrator: THE CREATURE BEHIND
THE HORRIFYING ATTACK WAS THE SPECIES KNOWN AS THE AMERICAN
CROCODILE. IT IS THE ONLY CROCODILE NATIVE
TO THE UNITED STATES, WITH A POPULATION CONCENTRATED ALONG
THE SOUTHERN TIP OF FLORIDA. THE SPECIES IS KNOWN TO GROW TO
BETWEEN 10 TO 12 FEET IN LENGTH AND WEIGH AN AVERAGE
OF 500 POUNDS. RECENTLY, THERE HAS BEEN AN
INCREASE IN REPORTS OF MUCH LARGER CROCODILES MEASURING OVER
15 FEET AND WEIGHING MORE THAN TWO TONS. >> I'VE BEEN A PROFESSIONAL
CAPTAIN FOR OVER 30 YEARS. I FISH OUT OF A 16-FOOT
GENERATION THREE JOHNBOAT. IT'S 48 INCHES ON THE BOTTOM,
60 INCHES ACROSS THE TOP, AND I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. I KNOW THIS CROCODILE IS EASILY
AS LONG AS THAT BOAT AND CERTAINLY AS WIDE ACROSS THE
BACK AS THAT BOAT IS AT THE BOTTOM, 4 FEET WIDE ACROSS. >> narrator: IN PREHISTORIC
TIMES, A MONSTER SUPERCROC ROAMED THE EARTH AND GREW TO
SIZES OF UP TO 40 FEET. BUT EXPERTS LIKE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO PALEONTOLOGIST PAUL SERENO SAYS THAT SUCH
SUPER-SIZED CROCODILES WENT EXTINCT LONG AGO AND DISCOUNTS
SPECULATION THAT THESE GIANTS COULD RETURN. >> TODAY CROCS ARE A SHADOW
PROBABLY OF WHAT THEIR ULTIMATE SIZES WERE FOR MOST SPECIES,
BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN DECIMATED, MOST OF THEM, AND IT REALLY
TAKES CROCS A LONG TIME TO REACH THEIR ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM SIZE. WE PROBABLY 100 YEARS AGO,
150 YEARS AGO, WOULD HAVE HAD A BETTER SHOT AT KNOWING HOW BIG
THE BIGGEST CROCS COULD GET THEN TODAY. >> narrator: NOT ALL EXPERTS
AGREE. >> ONCE THE ANIMAL REACHES,
LIKE, 15 FEET IN LENGTH OR MORE, THEY'RE AT A SIZE WHERE HUMANS
CAN BE CONSIDERED POTENTIAL PREY. >> narrator: BIOLOGIST
JOE WASILEWSKI HAS STUDIED THE AMERICAN CROCODILE FOR MOST
OF HIS LIFE. HE SAYS THE POPULATION IS
GROWING. >> BACK 20 YEARS AGO, THERE WAS
VERY FEW ANIMALS, AND THEY HAVE EXPLODED. AT A POWER PLANT HERE IN SOUTH
FLORIDA, THERE WAS 520 HATCHLINGS IN ONE YEAR,
LAST YEAR ALONE. THAT IS MAKING SIGNIFICANT
DIFFERENCES IN THE POPULATION. >> narrator: CROC ENCOUNTERS
WITH MAN HAVE INCREASED AS MAN HAS ENCROACHED ON THEIR HABITAT. WHILE CROCODILES ARE FORMIDABLE
PREDATORS, THEY ARE VULNERABLE TO COLD TEMPERATURES AND ANY
DISTURBANCE IN THEIR HABITAT, AND THIS MEANS THAT IN THE WARM,
REMOTE AREAS OF FLORIDA, CROCS ARE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR COMEBACK. >> AND THERE ARE INTERACTIONS
NOW WITH CROCODILES AND HUMANS. IN FACT, THEY'RE INHABITING
A GOLF COURSE OR TWO. THEY ARE INHABITING CANALS
BEHIND PEOPLE'S HOMES, SEVERAL DADE COUNTY PARKS, YOU
KNOW, WHICH IS IN MIAMI, AND-- AND THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH
EXPANDING TO WHATEVER RANGE THAT THEY COULD HERE. AMERICAN CROCODILES ARE
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ANIMALS, OF COURSE, BUT THERE'S NEVER
BEEN AN ATTACK FROM AN AMERICAN CROCODILE ON A HUMAN BEING IN
FLORIDA YET. >> narrator: FLORIDA IS THE ONLY
PLACE IN THE WORLD WHERE ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES
COEXIST. IT IS HOME TO MORE THAN
A MILLION ALLIGATORS. THE CROCODILE POPULATION IS MUCH
SMALLER, BUT WITNESSES OFTEN GET THEM CONFUSED. CROCODILES ARE DISTINGUISHED
FROM ALLIGATORS BY THEIR LIGHTER COLOR, NARROWER SNOUT, AND AN
EXPOSED TOOTH ON THEIR LOWER JAW. MISIDENTIFICATION COULD BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME REPORTS, BUT ANY CONTACT BETWEEN HUMANS
AND CROCODILES IS CAUSE FOR CONCERN. >> I'VE WORKED ENOUGH WITH
ALLIGATORS AND CROCS. IF THERE'S EVER A CONFRONTATION,
OF COURSE, I DON'T BET, BUT PUT YOUR MONEY ON THE CROC. >> REALLY? >> YEAH, YEAH, THE CROC--
THEY'RE--IT'S JUST AMAZING. THEY'RE FASTER. THEY'RE MORE ATHLETIC. WASILEWSKI WILL LEAD THE<i> MONSTER
QUEST</i> EXPEDITION TO FLORIDA'S EVERGLADES TO PROVE THE
EXISTENCE OF CROCODILES LARGER THAN THE KNOWN MAXIMUM SIZE OF
13 FEET. THE TEAM WILL LAUNCH THE
EXPEDITION FROM THE SOUTHERNMOST TIP OF THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL
PARK. IT IS THE THIRD LARGEST
WILDERNESS AREA IN THE LOWER 48 STATES, COVERING OVER
1.5 MILLION ACRES. MUCH OF THE AREA IS SUBTROPICAL
MANGROVE FORESTS, TIDAL CREEKS AND ESTUARIES, A PERFECT
BREEDING GROUND FOR POISONOUS SNAKES AND LARGE REPTILES AND
POSSIBLY A MONSTER-SIZED CROCODILE, AND IT IS HERE WHERE
WITNESSES REPORT SEEING A MENACING 16-FOOT CROC. >> IT PROVIDES THE BEST HABITAT
THAT YOU CAN THINK OF FOR AMERICAN CROCODILE'S NATURAL
HISTORY. THEY HAVE SHELTER. THEY HAVE FOOD. THEY HAVE VARYING DEGREES
SALINITY, WHICH IS NECESSARY. >> AND IT HAD BEEN SEVERAL YEARS
SINCE I'D BEEN TO THE EVERGLADES, AND I GOT TO SAY
I WAS ASTOUNDED AT THE NUMBER OF CROCODILES WE SAW RIGHT OUT OF
THE GATE. >> narrator: TONY GERARD,
A BIOLOGIST WHO HAS MADE SEVERAL EXCURSIONS INTO THE EVERGLADES
TO STUDY SNAKES AND ALLIGATORS, WILL JOIN THE TEAM. HE SAYS THE INCREASE IN
SIGHTINGS ALONE IS PROOF THAT THE POPULATION IS GROWING. >> I MEAN, WE JUST PUT IN
THE WATER. WE'RE ALREADY SEEING CROCODILES. >> THAT'S 8, 9 FOOT. >> narrator: THE TEAM IS
EQUIPPED WITH A VARIETY OF CAMERAS AND A LASER MEASURING
DEVICE WHICH THEY WILL USE TO CONFIRM THE SIZE OF ANY
CROCODILES THEY MAY SEE. >> LET'S TALK AMERICAN
CROCODILES HERE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE THE BEST
LIVES THEY COULD EVER LIVE, AND THEY DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
GROW INTO HUGE SIZES. >> narrator: THE CROCS THEY'VE
SEEN SO FAR ARE WITHIN AVERAGE SIZE FOR THE SPECIES. >> THE ONE ON THE RIGHT,
THAT'S THE FEMALE. YOU SEE, SHE'S, WHAT, ABOUT
8 FEET, MAYBE 9 FEET IN LENGTH. ACTUALLY, THAT MALE'S BIGGER
THAN I THOUGHT. HE'S PROBABLY 12 OR BETTER. >> narrator: THE BEAST MAKES
A SUDDEN MOVE. >> WHOA. >> narrator: IT'S MATING SEASON
IN THE EVERGLADES, AND THE DANCE HAS BEGUN. >> AND HE'S CALLING HER OVER
RIGHT NOW. NOW, JUST WATCH THE HEAD COME
OUT, 45-DEGREE ANGLE. NO, HE'S NOT READY. SHE IS. SEE? LOOK AT THAT. THERE'S THE ANGLE. SHE'S JUST LETTING HIM KNOW THAT
SHE'S READY TO BE COURTED. >> WELL, MAN, I'M STOKED. YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN HERE
15 MINUTES. WE'VE SEEN THREE CROCODILES,
12-FOOTER. LET'S FIND THAT BIG ONE NOW. >> LET'S GO. YOU GOT THE COORDINATES THERE. >> YEAH, I DO. >> YOU TELL ME. WE'RE ON OUR WAY. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GET GOING. >> narrator: THEY HEAD DEEPER
INTO THE SWAMP, AND THE CROCODILE SIGHTINGS CONTINUE. >> OH, MAN, LOOK AT THAT. THAT IS A BIG PRINT. CHECK THAT OUT. LOOK--LOOK AT THAT. THAT'S BIGGER THAN MY HAND. YOU CAN SEE THE CLAWS
AND EVERYTHING. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS
IN FLORIDA HUNTING FOR MONSTROUS KILLER CROCODILES THAT
SEEM TO BE TARGETING HUMAN PREY. THE TIMUCUA INDIANS LIVING HERE
IN THE 1500s TOLD STORIES OF GIANT CROCODILES THAT IT TOOK
A DOZEN MEN TO KILL. IN 1925, A LAND SURVEYOR WORKING
NEAR BISCAYNE BAY LAGOON WAS SAID TO HAVE SHOT A 14-FOOT
CROCODILE, ONLY TO BE KILLED WHEN HE TRIED TO POSE
FOR A PHOTO. THE BEAST, IT TURNED OUT, HAD
ONLY BEEN STUNNED BY THE SHOT. THE CROCODILE POPULATION
DECLINED THROUGH THE 20TH CENTURY AS THEY WERE HUNTED TO
THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION. >> WHEN I STARTED WORKING WITH
CROCODILES BACK IN THE LATE '70s, EARLY '80s, THERE WAS NO
MORE THAN 200 TO 300 IN THE WHOLE U.S., PERIOD. >> narrator: BY 1975, CROCODILES
WERE LISTED AS ENDANGERED AND GIVEN PROTECTED STATUS. TODAY, THE CROC POPULATION IN
FLORIDA HAS MADE A SWIFT COMEBACK. >> NOW WE FIGURE THERE'S
HISTORIC NUMBERS, PROBABLY 2,000,
AND THAT WAS WHAT WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY
WAS ABOUT THAT. SO THERE'S THE SAME AMOUNT WITH
A HELL OF A LOT LESS TERRITORY OR HABITAT, I GUESS YOU COULD
SAY. >> narrator: WITNESSES HERE
CLAIM TO BE SEEING CROCODILES MUCH LARGER THAN THE 13-FOOTER
WILDLIFE OFFICIALS SAY EXIST. THE EXPEDITION TEAM IS SEARCHING
FOR AN EXPLANATION. THEY'RE HOPING TO FIND OUT IF
THE AMERICAN CROCODILE IS GROWING LARGER OR IF A SPECIES
OF THE SUPERCROC, LONG THOUGHT EXTINCT, IS MAKING A COMEBACK. THERE WERE LARGER CROCS IN THE
PAST WITHOUT A DOUBT BY ALMOST A FACTOR OF TWO. >> narrator: PALEONTOLOGIST
PAUL SERENO DISCOVERED ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE FOSSILS OF THE<i>
SARCOSUCHUS IMPERATOR</i> OR THE SUPERCROC, THE ULTIMATE APEX
PREDATOR OF ITS TIME. >> YOU KNOW, SUPERCROC IS ONE
OF THE MOST COMMON FOSSILS WE FIND IN THIS DINOSAUR BED IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE SAHARA. WE HAVE DOZENS OF SPECIMENS OF
IT FROM JUVENILE SIZES, WHICH ARE AS BIG AS THE LARGEST MODERN
CROCS TODAY, TO THE BEHEMOTH YOU SEE BEHIND ME. WHAT IT DID IN ITS LIFE, I THINK
AT THIS SIZE, WAS EAT DINOSAURS. YOU GOT A BUNCH OF GIANT CONICAL
TEETH. THEY'RE VERY SHORT, EXTREMELY
STRONG AND STUBBY, AND THEY'RE SORT OF OVERHANGING THE SNOUT. AND WHEN YOU CLOSE THESE JAWS,
THEY DON'T TOUCH EACH OTHER. THEY JUST GRAB,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT SUPERCROC WAS DOING. IT WAS GRABBING, AND NOT
SQUIRMING FISH. IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THAT FAST. IT WAS GRABBING DINOSAURS. >> narrator: THE SUPERCROC WAS
DISCOVERED IN AFRICA IN THE 1940s. THE BONES WERE MORE THAN 100
MILLION YEARS OLD AND SUGGESTED A MAMMOTH MONSTER. >> WELL, THE WEIGHT OF AN ADULT
MALE SUPERCROC, ALMOST INCOMPREHENSIBLE, SOMETHING
LIKE 8 TONS. >> narrator: EXPERTS ESTIMATE
THAT THIS MEGA BEAST GREW TO 40 FEET LONG, THE SIZE OF
A CITY BUS. >> THIS BIG GUY, WHICH IS OUR
BIGGEST SKULL, PROBABLY A MALE, HAD NO BODY BEHIND IT. AND SO WHAT WE HAD TO DO WAS
LOOK TO MODERN CROCS, AND IT'S A STRAIGHT LINE RELATIONSHIP. AND WHAT WE HAD TO DO WAS GO
OUT AND MEASURE CROCODILES THAT LOOKED A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE
THIS IN THE SKULL, A LONGER SNOUT. WE DID, AND WE GOT A STRAIGHT
LINE, AND THAT'S HOW WE CALCULATED THE LENGTH OF 40 FEET
FOR THE LARGEST CROCODILE THAT EVER EXISTED. >> narrator: THESE MONSTERS
LIKELY ROAMED THE EARTH SOME 110 MILLION YEARS AGO. THE SUPERCROC WENT EXTINCT AT
THE END OF THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD, 65 MILLION YEARS AGO. WHEN THE DINOSAUR PREY OF THE
SUPERCROC DIED OUT, SO DID THE MASSIVE PREDATOR SUPERCROC,
LEAVING BEHIND THE CROCODILES THAT WE KNOW TODAY. >> MODERN CROCS ARE INCREDIBLE
PREDATORS. NO ANIMAL ON THE HISTORY OF LAND
HAS BEEN ABLE TO WALK AROUND EFFICIENTLY ON LAND--
SOME EVEN GALLOP TODAY-- AND THEN GO SWIMMING INTO THE
WATER LIKE A FISH. THEY ARE FORMIDABLE PREDATORS. THEY'VE NEVER GIVEN UP THE
DOMINANT ROLE IN THE WATERWAYS FOR 200 MILLION YEARS. >> narrator: THE WORLD'S
CROCODILE POPULATION IS LIMITED TO THE AMERICAS, AFRICA,
AUSTRALIA, AND ASIA. ALL FOUR CONTINENTS REPORT AN
EMERGENCE OF ANIMALS GROWING FAR BEYOND THEIR PREVIOUS SIZE. INDIA'S BHITARKANIKA NATIONAL
PARK IN THE STATE OF ORISSA IS HOME TO THE SALTWATER CROCODILE. THE LOCALS TELL OF A LEGENDARY
BEAST KNOWN AS KALIA, OR THE BLACK ONE. >> KALIA WAS SAID TO BE 23 FEET
LONG AND THE LARGEST CROCODILE THAT ANYONE HAD SEEN IN THESE
PARTS. >> narrator: DR. ROMULUS
WHITAKER IS A HERPETOLOGIST WHO HAS STUDIED AND MEASURED
CROCODILES ALL OVER THE GLOBE. HE WILL BE HEADING THE<i> MONSTER
QUEST</i> SCIENCE TEAM, WHICH HAS COME TO INDIA TO INVESTIGATE
REPORTS OF THE LARGEST KILLER CROC IN MODERN TIMES. >> HE WAS A FAMOUS CROCODILE. >> narrator: THE BLACK ONE'S
REIGN OF TERROR CAME TO AN END IN 1929 WHEN A LOCAL BOAT
CAPTAIN SHOT AND KILLED THE MONSTER. THE SKULL WAS TAKEN TO THE
PALACE OF THE RAJA OF KANIKA AND LOCKED AWAY. IT HAS REMAINED BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS FOR 80 YEARS UNTIL NOW. >> WHEN THEY OPENED KALIA, THEY
ACTUALLY FOUND THE ORNAMENTS OF A LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN. FOR EXAMPLE, I MEAN, YOU KNOW,
BRACELETS AND ANKLETS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. >> narrator: THE TEAM HAS BEEN
GIVEN PERMISSION TO MEASURE THE SKULL AS PART OF THEIR
INVESTIGATION. THESE MEASUREMENTS COULD BE THE
KEY TO DETERMINING WHETHER THIS WAS A TRUE MONSTER SIZED
CROCODILE OR A LIVING RELIC. >> NOW, THIS--THIS IS THE
MONSTER CROCODILE OF BHITARKANIKA. THE SKULL OF KALIA IS ABOUT
30 INCHES LONG AND WEIGHS ABOUT 70 POUNDS. IT'S MASSIVE. >> narrator: WHITAKER TAKES
DETAILED MEASUREMENTS OF THE SKULL WHICH HE WILL LATER
ANALYZE TO DETERMINE KALIA'S TRUE SIZE. THE SIGHT OF THE MASSIVE SKULL
MAKES HIM MORE EAGER THAN EVER TO SEE WHAT LURKS IN THE LOCAL
WATERS. >> SALTWATER CROCODILES ARE
FOUND ALL THE WAY FROM INDIA TO AUSTRALIA, AND NO MATTER
WHERE I'VE TRAVELED OR, YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF RESEARCH
I'VE DELVED INTO, NOWHERE HAS A REAL AUTHENTICATED CASE OF,
YOU KNOW, ANYTHING OVER 20 FEET LONG BEEN RECORDED. >> BHITARKANIKA IS ONE OF THE
BEST PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SEE MANY CROCODILES, MANY SALTWATER
CROCODILES. THERE ARE SOME HUGE ONES LIKE
20, 23 FEET LONG. >> narrator: DR. PRATYUSH
MOHAPATRA IS A LOCAL REPTILE BIOLOGIST. HE WILL GUIDE THE SEARCH. PRATYUSH SAYS LOCAL VILLAGES
HAVE RECENTLY TOLD TERRIFYING ACCOUNTS OF A MASSIVE CREATURE
CALLED MAHISASUR, OR DEMON. >> [speaking foreign language]
>> I KNOW OF TWO YOUNG GIRLS WHO WENT TO THE RIVER FOR WASHING. MAHISASUR ATTACKED THEM AND
GRABBED ONE OF THE GIRLS. THE SISTER RAN FOR HELP,
BUT WHEN SHE RETURNED WITH HER FAMILY, THE OTHER GIRL WAS GONE. SHE WAS NEVER FOUND AND IS
PRESUMED TO BE DEAD. >> CROCODILE GROW UP TO
CERTAIN AGE WHERE WE DON'T KNOW HOW BIG THEY GROW, REALLY. SO IN INDIAN CONDITION, MAYBE
23 FEET OR A LITTLE MORE THAN THAT, MAYBE LESS THAN 25 FOOT OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT THEY GROW. >> narrator: THE SCIENCE TEAM
WILL TRAVEL THE HUNDREDS OF MILES OF RIVERS AND WATERWAYS
WHICH CRISSCROSS THIS MASSIVE 250-SQUARE-MILE PRESERVE. THEY WILL CONDUCT AN EXHAUSTIVE
SEARCH TO FIND A MODERN SUPERCROC. >> WE ARE IN DANGMAL. >> WHAT? >> WE ARE IN DANGMAL. >> narrator: THEY'LL BE BASED
OUT OF THE SMALL VILLAGE OF DANGMAL ON THE EDGE OF THE
PRESERVE. THE PARK'S WARDEN ASSIGNS
A RANGER AND A BOAT CREW TO GUIDE THE TEAM IN THE BACK
COUNTRY. [engine turning] IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG FOR THEM TO
ENCOUNTER THEIR FIRST CROCODILES. >> THAT IS A CROC. >> YEAH, THAT'S THE SIZE OF AN
ADULT FEMALE, AND CHANCES ARE, SHE HAS A NEST SITE INSIDE HERE
SOMEWHERE. THAT'S A GOOD SIGN TO SEE ONE SO
QUICK, BUT LET'S SEE IF WE CAN SEE THE MONSTER CROC. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE AFTER. THERE'S A BIG CROCODILE ON
THE LEFT. >> YEAH. >> CENTER, RIGHT? THAT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS. HE'S RIGHT ON THE TOP. HE'S PRETTY GOOD, 10, 12 FEET
MAYBE. WE CAN SEE A NICE SLIDE OF HIM,
BUT YOU CAN SEE A HUGE-- A BIGGER SLIDE JUST BEYOND HIM. THAT'S A BIG CROCODILE. SEE? LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS ONE. THIS IS A HUGE ONE WENT IN,
SEE THAT? THIS IS MONSTROUS, MAN. >> narrator: THE PARK RANGERS
SAY THEY RECOGNIZE THE TRACK OF THE LARGER CROCODILE. >> THAT IS A MONSTROUS TRACK,
MAN. THAT WOULD MAKE THAT CROCODILE
LOOK LIKE A DWARF. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS
IN INDIA SEARCHING FOR OVERSIZED KILLER CROCODILES. WILDLIFE EXPERTS SAY THE LARGEST
KNOWN CROCS MAX OUT AT 20 FEET, BUT EYEWITNESSES IN INDIA SAY
THEY ARE GROWING TO MUCH LARGER SIZES. >> [speaking foreign language]
>> I WAS HERE BY THE WATER IN THE EVENING JUST THREE DAYS AGO. >> narrator: GOBARDHAN DALEI,
A FERRYBOAT CAPTAIN, SPENDS HOURS DAILY ON THE WATERWAYS OF
BHITARKANIKA NATIONAL PARK. HE HAS SEEN HUNDREDS OF
CROCODILES, BUT THERE IS ONE HE WILL NEVER FORGET. >> IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO, I SAW
A DEER, A BIG DEER TRYING TO SWIM ACROSS THE RIVER. THEN MAHISASUR CAME. I SAW MAHISASUR SWIMMING JUST
OUT THERE. HE WAS VERY BIG AND VERY SCARY. MAHISASUR OPENED HIS MOUTH,
AND THE DEER WAS GONE. >> narrator: IT'S EARLY MORNING
WHEN THE SCIENCE TEAM RETURNS TO THE BOAT. TODAY THEY'LL CONTINUE THEIR
SEARCH FOR WHAT THE LOCAL VILLAGERS CALL THE BIG DEMON. THEY WILL TAKE MEASUREMENTS TO
DETERMINE IF THESE CROCS ARE GROWING TO MONSTER SIZES. THE MORNING SUN HAS BROUGHT OUT
THE CROCS, FROM MOTHERS MINING THEIR NESTS TO AGGRESSIVE
ADOLESCENT MALES. >> PRATYUSH, GET OUT OF THE WAY. PRATYUSH. GET OUT OF THE WAY. >> narrator: THE TEAM RECEIVES
GOOD NEWS UPON ENCOUNTERING SOME LOCAL FISHERMEN. THEY POINT TO A LOCAL VILLAGE
WHERE A MONSTER CROC IS KNOWN TO HUNT. >> THANK YOU. >> narrator: THE NATIVES TELL
THE STORY OF AN OLD WOMAN BEING ATTACKED YEARS AGO AND CONFIRM
THE CROCODILE THEY CALL BIG DEMON WAS SEEN VERY RECENTLY. THEY SHOW THE TEAM EXACTLY
WHERE. >> I WAS HERE BY THE WATER IN
THE EVENING JUST THREE DAYS AGO. I SAW MAHISASUR SWIMMING JUST
OUT THERE. THEN HE CAME ON SHORE RIGHT OVER
HERE AND I RAN. HE WAS VERY BIG AND VERY SCARY. >> narrator: THE TEAM SETS UP
A CAMERA TRAP. IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT HE WILL
RETURN TO THIS SPOT, WHERE HE'S KNOWN TO FEED. >> BASICALLY, IF WE AIM IT
STRAIGHT AT THAT HAUL OUT THERE AND IF THE CROCODILE COMES,
WE'LL GET HIS PICTURE. >> narrator: THEN THEY PUSH ON
CAUTIOUSLY. >> SALTWATER CROCODILES ARE NOT
AS SOCIAL AS THE OTHER CROCODILES. YOU DON'T SEE USUALLY MANY OF
THEM BASKING IN ONE PLACE. THEY LIKE--LIKE TO BE BY
THEMSELVES. >> narrator: THE SALTWATER
SPECIES IS ESPECIALLY POWERFUL. ITS BITE FORCE IS SAID TO BE UP
TO 3,000 POUNDS. >> LOOK AT THAT. LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING DEAD
UP THERE, MAN. >> OH, YEAH? >> YEAH. LOOKS LIKE THE REMAINS OF
A DEER. YEAH, IT'S THE REMAINS OF
A DEER. >> DEER? >> YEAH. >> OH. >> MAN, IT'S BEEN RIPPED TO
PIECES, AND THERE'S SOME CROCODILE TRACKS THERE TOO. SO TYPICALLY A CROC RAISES HIS
HEAD OUT OF THE WATER, SNAPS THE HEAD OFF. THE HEAD AND PART OF THE GUTS
WENT ON THE SHORE. HE SWALLOWS THE REST DOWN. NOW, THERE'S A PLACE IN
NEW GUINEA, IRIAN JAYA, WHERE I INTERVIEWED ALL THE PEOPLE WHO
WERE RELATIVES OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED BY A MAN-EATING
CROC, AND THEY ALL SAID THE SAME THING, THAT THE CROC SHAKES THE
HUMAN HEAD OFF, AND THEY SOMETIMES FIND THE HEAD IN THE
MUD ON THE SIDE, BUT THE REST OF THE BODY IS EATEN. >> narrator: THE TEAM IS SIX
HOURS INTO THEIR SEARCH WHEN THEY FIND WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING
FOR. >> BIG ONE, MAN. THAT'S THE BIGGEST ONE WE'VE
SEEN. >> YEAH. OH. OH, IT'S VERY CLOSE TO THE HUMAN
HABITATION. DO YOU SEE THAT? >> YEAH, THAT WAS HUGE, AND
LOOK, I MEAN, THERE'S THE VILLAGE RIGHT THERE. HE'S HEADING TOWARD IT. IN FACT, THERE'S LIVESTOCK
RIGHT THERE. MAYBE HE'S SORT OF LOOKING UP,
"WOW, NICE COW UP THERE." THAT IS MONSTROUS, MAN. >> MAYBE THE LIVESTOCK ATTRACTED
THE CROCODILES INTO--HERE TO THE HUMAN HABITATION. >> THAT ONE WAS EASILY 18 OR 20
FEET LONG. I MEAN, THAT'S THE BIGGEST CROC
WE'VE SEEN ON THIS TRIP SO FAR. >> narrator: THIS IS THE LARGEST
SALTWATER CROCODILE WHITAKER HAS SEEN IN HIS 40-YEAR CAREER. THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> EXPEDITION
TEAM LED BY BIOLOGISTS JOE WASILEWSKI AND TONY GERARD
IS ON ITS WAY TO EXAMINE SOME REMAINS IN THE EVERGLADES. THEY HOPE TO FIND PROOF THAT
CROCS HERE ARE GROWING TO UNPRECEDENTED SIZES. >> A BIG ONE, HE SAID 15 FOOT,
DIED FROM A FREEZE LAST YEAR. YOU GOT IT? >> YEAH. >> SEE, FLORIDA'S THE
NORTHERNMOST EXTENT OF THE RANGE OF AMERICAN CROCODILES. THEY'RE--THEY'RE VERY TROPICAL
ANIMALS. WOW, LOOK AT THAT. >> WHAT BIG VERTEBRAE. >> YEAH, MAN. HE SAID IT WAS OVER 15,
I THINK 15 AND 3. WOW. THE STORY I HEARD IS, IT WAS
COLD LAST YEAR, AND COLD IS OKAY, BUT CLOUDY ISN'T. >> RIGHT. >> SO IF IT'S COLD, EVEN IN THE
40s, THEY CAN COME OUT AND SIT IN THE SUN, BUT IT WASN'T
THE CASE. SO IT DIED, AND--AND THE
BIOLOGIST FROM THE PARK CAME OUT AND DID ALL THE BIOMETRIC DATA,
AND NEAR AS THEY COULD FIGURE, 15.3. YOU KNOW, THAT'S GETTING CLOSE
TO WHAT WE'RE AFTER NOW. I CAN TELL YOU THAT. >> narrator: THIS WOULD MEAN THE
AMERICAN CROCS ARE APPROACHING MONSTER SIZE. THE TEAM HEADS BACK OUT TO FIND
A LIVING EXAMPLE. >> SEE, COSTA RICA HAS THE SAME
ANIMALS, AND THERE'S ATTACKS THERE ALL THE TIME, AND WHAT I
THINK IS--IS, I'M SAYING ABOUT 15 FOOT IS THEIR SORT OF CUTOFF. OVER 15 FOOT, NOW WE'RE
CONSIDERED PREY, PEOPLE. SO I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THE
CUTOFF IS, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, A 15-FOOT CROCODILE IS
GONNA LOOK LIKE A DINOSAUR. >> WOW, LOOK AT THE SIZE OF HIS
TAIL. >> THAT'S A BIG CROC. >> THAT--MAN. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS
COMBING THE SWAMPS AND RIVERS OF THE WORLD IN SEARCH OF OVERSIZED
KILLER CROCODILES. IN INDIA, THE SALTWATER
CROCODILE FREQUENTLY COMES INTO CONTACT WITH MANKIND. >> [speaking foreign language]
>> I WAS GOING DOWN TO THE POND TO GET WATER TO WASH A TRAY. >> narrator: THIS MAN WAS AT THE
WATER'S EDGE, RINSING SOME DISHES. HE WAS UNAWARE THAT HE WAS BEING
STOCKED FROM BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE WATER. >> I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A BIG
CROCODILE IN THE POND. I WAS JUST WASHING THERE WHEN
ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE CHARGED ME. HE GRABBED MY ARM AND TRIED
TO PULL ME INTO THE WATER. BUT I PULLED AS HARD AS I COULD
AND GOT MY ARM FREE. BUT I FELL ON THE GROUND. I WAS SCREAMING FOR HELP, AND
THE CROCODILE CHARGED ME AGAIN. THIS TIME, HE MISSED ME, AND NOW
HELP HAD COME AND CHASED HIM AWAY. I WAS BLEEDING VERY BADLY AND
HAD TO STAY IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 22 DAYS. IT WAS A TERRIFYING MOMENT. >> narrator: HE SURVIVED
BUT WILL CARRY THE SCARS AND THE FEAR OF CROCODILES WITH HIM FOR
THE REST OF HIS LIFE. THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SCIENCE TEAM
IS BRAVING CROCODILE-INFESTED WATERS TO DOCUMENT THE LARGEST
CROCODILE IN MODERN HISTORY. LOCAL VILLAGERS TELL OF
A MONSTER CROC THAT LIVES CLOSE, PERHAPS A MODERN-DAY SUPERCROC. >> THAT'S THE BIGGEST ONE
WE'VE SEEN. THAT'S NOT A MONSTER. YOU SAY, YEP--NOPE. >> narrator: THEY CHECK THE
CAMERA TRAPS LEFT THE PREVIOUS NIGHT TO SEE IF IT YIELDS
ANY LEADS. >> WOW. MAN, THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S BIG, BUT IT'S NOT
THE MONSTER. >> IT'S NOT THE MAHISASUR. >> narrator: THE TEAM RETURNS
TO THE SEARCH AREA, CONFIDENT THERE ARE LARGE AND ACTIVE
CROCODILES AROUND. LOW TIDE HAS ARRIVED, MAKING
THE SEARCH EASIER. >> IT'S INTERESTING, SOMETIMES
THE BIG CROCS, BECAUSE OF THEIR WEIGHT, THEY KNOW THAT IT'S HARD
TO CLIMB UP ON THE BANKS. SO THEY JUST HANG OUT UNTIL THE
TIDE GOES DOWN, AND THEY'RE THERE. AND THEN IF THEY WANT TO GET
AWAY, THEY USE GRAVITY TO GET BACK DOWN INTO THE RIVER. THEY'RE HEAVY. SOME OF THE BIG ONES WOULD BE
CLOSE TO A TON IN WEIGHT, I THINK, IF YOU WERE TALKING
ABOUT A, YEAH, 20-FOOT CROCODILE. >> narrator: THEY MOVE EVER
DEEPER INTO THE MANGROVE SWAMP, EXPLORING ITS NARROW WATERWAYS. THE AREA IS TEEMING WITH
CROCODILES THAT COULD BURST FROM THE BUSH AT ANY MOMENT. >> PEOPLE SAY, LIKE, IN THE
SMALL CREEKS WHEN THE CROCODILE COMES DOWN, COMES INTO THE
WATER, HE JUST COVERS THE WHOLE CREEK. >> YEAH, I CAN IMAGINE. YEAH, YEAH, IF THE CREEK IS
20 FEET WIDE HERE, A 20-FOOT CROC CAN COVER THE ENTIRE--
>> COVERING THE ENTIRE CREEK. >> narrator: THE CREEK OPENS
INTO A WIDER STRETCH OF RIVER. >> THERE IS ONE. >> LOOK, LOOK, LOOK. WOW. SHUCKS. THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE BIG ONE. >> YEAH. >> narrator: THE BIG DEMON HEADS
FOR THE WATER. >> LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT
SON OF A GUN, MAN. >> HUGE. SWIMMING. >> narrator: THE MONSTER CROC
SWIMS WITH INCREDIBLE SPEED, THROWING A WAKE LIKE A BOAT
CUTTING THROUGH THE WATER. >> HE'S DEMONSTRATING TO US. YEAH. THIS IS THE MATING SEASON, NO? >> MAYBE. >> LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT THAT. THAT'S VERY, VERY LUCKY TO SEE
THIS KIND OF STUFF, MAN. THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE, MAN. [laughs]
>> FANTASTIC. >> OKAY, WE'VE SEEN--WE'VE SEEN
THE BIG ONE, MAN. JEEZ. LOOK AT THE SLIDE MARK, MAN. IT LOOKS LIKE A BLOODY TRUCK
CAME DOWN OR A TRACTOR OR SOMETHING. LOOK AT THAT. >> YOU CAN COMPARE THAT--THAT
AND THIS ONE. >> NO, ANYTHING WE'VE SEEN SO
FAR IS JUST A LITTLE GECKO, MAN. THIS IS REALLY THE MONSTER. AND LOOK AT THAT LITTLE, SKINNY
CROCODILE TRACK OF A LITTLE 10-FOOTER... >> YEAH. >> COMPARED TO THAT GUY. THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE. >> narrator: THEY EXIT THE BOAT
TO GET A BETTER LOOK AND TO MEASURE THE WIDTH OF THE MONSTER
SLIDE COMPARED TO A NEARBY SLIDE OF A KNOWN 10-FOOTER. THE MONSTER IS BACK IN THE
WATER, BUT THE DANGER IS STILL CLOSE BY. >> JUST DO IT TO THIS MARK HERE. >> THIS MARK? >> YEAH. >> 117. >> HUNDRED AND? >> 17 CENTIMETER. >> HOW MANY INCHES? >> 46, 46. >> 46 INCHES, ALL RIGHT. YOU KNOW, IT'D BE REALLY NICE TO
DO THE SMALL ONE OVER THERE NOW. >> YEAH, WE CAN DO THAT. >> 'CAUSE WE KNOW WHAT SIZE THAT
CROCODILE WAS. YEAH? >> YEAH. >> COOL, MAN. YOU BETTER GET IN BEFORE HE GETS
YOU. >> [laughs]
>> narrator: THEY ALSO MEASURE THE SMALLER SLIDE MADE BY
A 10-FOOT FEMALE, LIKELY THE MATE OF THE BIG MALE. THE CREW KEEPS A SHARP EYE ON
THE WATER WHILE THE SCIENTISTS WORK. >> AND THE SLIDE FROM HERE
TO HERE? >> YEAH, JUST THE SLIDE. >> 52. >> 52 CENTIMETERS. >> 117. >> MAN. >> narrator: BY COMPARING THE
BELLY SLIDES, THE TEAM CALCULATES THE MONSTER CROC WAS
ALMOST 4 FEET ACROSS WHILE THE SMALLER FEMALE WAS
LESS THAN 2 FEET. THIS MEANS THE MONSTER WAS
DOUBLE THE SIZE. THE EXPEDITION TEAM IN FLORIDA
HAS FOUND ITS OWN AMAZING SET OF TRACKS. >> SO THAT--THAT'S THE BIGGEST
HAUL THAT WE'VE SEEN YET, RIGHT? >> YEAH, YEAH, NOT ONLY THAT,
COUPLE OF THINGS, IT'S FRESH. SEE HOW THE GRASS IS JUST MATTED
DOWN. BUT LOOK AT THE SIZE. LOOK AT THE WIDTH. >> YEAH, IT'S LIKE TWO, THREE
TIMES THE SIZE OF THESE OTHERS. >> RIGHT, WE HAVEN'T SEEN
ANYWHERE NEAR THE WIDTH OF THIS ONE. AND I'LL BET IF WE CAN GET
CLOSER, YOU COULD SEE HIS HIND FOOTPRINT. >> SO THIS COULD--
>> IT'S TWO OF MINE. THIS IS A BIG CROCODILE, AND
THAT'S A DEFINILIT--DEFINITE INDICATOR OF THE SIZE. IF IT IS THE ONE, HE AIN'T
HERE, SO--BUT IT WAS HERE RECENTLY. >> narrator: THE TRACKS ARE
FRESH. THE CROCODILE WAS IN THE AREA
RECENTLY. >> MAN, THAT--THAT IS A BIG
PRINT. CHECK THAT OUT. LOOK AT THAT. THAT'S BIGGER THAN MY HAND. >> YEAH, YEAH. >> DO YOU KNOW IF THAT--WOULD
THAT BE A FRONT FOOT OR BACK? >> NO, THAT'S HIS HIND FOOT. AND YOU CAN SEE HOW, OVER TIME,
HE'S JUST PRETTY MUCH WORE IT OUT, HOW SMOOTH IT IS. BUT THE WIDTH OF THIS THING--
NOW, I CAN TELL YOU, I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE IN FLORIDA WITH THE
WIDTH OF THIS. >> OH, MAN, LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT THIS ONE THAT'S
PARTIALLY IN THE WATER. YOU CAN SEE THE CLAWS AND
EVERYTHING. GOD, THAT LOOKS EVEN BIGGER. >> OH, YEAH, NO, ACTUALLY YOU'RE
RIGHT. THAT IS THE FRONT FOOT. >> THAT'S THE FRONT. THAT'S THE SMALLER FOOT. >> YEAH, THIS ONE--
>> MAN. >> THAT HIND FOOT IS LIKE THIS. >> SO THIS IS AN IMMENSE
CROCODILE. >> YES, IT IS. >> OH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS
GUY. I'M GONNA MEASURE THIS--THIS--
ACROSS HIS BACK FOOT, WHAT DO YOU THINK? OKAY, SO GOING FROM THERE TO THE
TIP OF THIS TOE UP HERE IS 17 INCHES. >> WHOA. >> YOU KNOW, I'M SURE THERE'S
SOME DISTORTION, BUT, MAN, THAT'S A BIG CROCODILE. OKAY, CHECK THAT GUY OUT. >> MY GOD. >> STOP HERE. THIS MAN MEASURED THE SKULL OF
WHAT VILLAGERS CLAIM WAS A 30-FOOTER. THIS PALEONTOLOGIST DOESN'T
THINK MODERN CROCODILES COULD EVER GET AS BIG AS THEIR
PREHISTORIC ANCESTORS. THIS VETERAN BOAT CAPTAIN SAYS
HE'S SEEN A 20-FOOT CROCODILE RIGHT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE EXPEDITION TEAM IS IN
FLORIDA, WHERE IT'S ON THE TRAIL OF A HUGE CROC THAT THEY
ESTIMATE MEASURES 15 FEET OR MORE. >> SO HE--HE'S PROBABLY FOUR
OR FIVE YEARS. I DON'T WANT TO GET ANY CLOSER. >> RIGHT, YEAH. NO NEED TO BOTHER. >> AND HE'S NOT MARKED. REALLY NICE. >> THERE HE GOES. >> narrator: THEY'VE USED
A LASER TO MEASURE THE ANIMAL'S SIZE AND HAVE NOW ENTERED ONE OF
THE MOST REMOTE REGIONS OF THE EVERGLADES. THE AREA IS SO PROTECTED THAT
MOTOR TRAVEL IN THIS AREA IS LIMITED. THEY MUST DRIFT THROUGH THE
THICK BRUSH. FINALLY, AS THEY PASS A THICK
STAND OF TREES, THEY MAKE THEIR ULTIMATE DISCOVERY. >> CHECK THAT GUY OUT. >> MY GOD. >> I'M GONNA STOP HERE. >> MY GOD. >> WOW. THAT IS A MONSTER. ISN'T IT? >> I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH
YOU'LL--YOU WANT TO GET UP HERE? ARE YOU GOOD THERE? BUT THE TAIL IS CURVED. >> RIGHT. >> SO WHAT WILL THAT DO? >> I DON'T KNOW HONESTLY. I MEAN, I THINK WE CAN STILL
MAKE A MEASUREMENT. >> narrator: THE TEAM GETS OUT
THEIR LASER, WHICH WILL ALLOW THEM TO PRECISELY MEASURE
THE BEAST. >> JOE, IS THAT THE BIGGEST
CROCODILE YOU'VE SEEN IN A WHILE? >> THAT IS THE BIGGEST ONE I'VE
SEEN IN FLORIDA, YES, ABSOLUTELY. CAPTAIN RICK SAID THIS
CROCODILE IS LONGER THAN THIS 16-FOOT BOAT. >> YEAH. >> AND YOU COULD ACTUALLY
BELIEVE THAT. THAT THING REALLY IS A MONSTER. LOOK AT THE SIZE OF IT. >> WOW. WELL, WE KNOW THAT THOSE TWO
DOTS ARE 12 INCHES APART. >> OKAY. >> NOW, THE FACT HE'S NOT LAYING
COMPLETELY HORIZONTAL IS NOT GOOD FOR US. NOW, IF HE DECIDES TO TAKE OFF
SUDDENLY--GOD, HE'S MASSIVE-- COULD HE FLIP THIS BOAT? >> NAH, HE'S JUST GONNA GO
STRAIGHT UNDER. BUT HE WILL BRING UP A WAKE,
I CAN TELL YOU THAT. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF CROCODILES
DOWN HERE. HE'S A MONSTER. HE'S--HE'S--THAT COULD BE
16 FOOT. >> WELL, IF THAT IS 16 FOOT,
THAT MAY BE THE BIGGEST DOCUMENTED CROCODILE IN FLORIDA. >> YES, ABSOLUTELY. MM-HMM. >> narrator: THE TEAM MOVES
SLIGHTLY TO GET A BETTER MEASUREMENT. >> THERE IT IS. ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE,
SIX, SEVEN RIGHT ON HIS EYEBALL, EIGHT, AND A LITTLE BIT
MORE. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THERE, AND
THEN IF WE CAN GO AROUND, WE CAN GET THE TAIL. I'LL BET THAT COULD BE ANOTHER
EIGHT, RIGHT? >> SO THAT'S A ROUGH ESTIMATE. >> 8 1/2. MAYBE ACTUALLY CLOSER TO NINE,
SO... >> YOU KNOW, IN A ROUGH
ESTIMATE. SO WHAT'S--WHAT'S A TYPICAL
MEASUREMENT BODY TO TAIL LENGTH? ARE THEY USUALLY EQUAL SNOUT TO
TAIL, OR-- >> YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PRETTY
CLOSE TO BEING EQUAL. YEAH, YEAH. >> narrator: THAT RATIO PUTS
THIS CROCODILE BETWEEN 16 AND 18 FEET, MEANING IT'S BY FAR
THE LARGEST CROCODILE EVER RECORDED IN THE UNITED STATES. TO CONFIRM THIS, THE TEAM GETS
OUT OF THE BOAT AND TRIES TO APPROACH THE BEAST ON LAND. >> YES. YEAH. WOW, LOOK AT THE SIZE OF HIS
TAIL. >> YEAH, NOW MEASURE HIS TAIL. >> YEAH. OH, MY GOD. >> LET'S GO RIGHT UP TO THIS
TREE HERE. >> WOW. >> narrator: THEY NEED TO GET
JUST A COUPLE OF STEPS CLOSER TO GET A FULL MEASUREMENT OF THE
MONSTER'S TAIL. BUT BEFORE THEY CAN, THE
CROCODILE SLIDES INTO THE WATER. THE TEAM IS CONFIDENT THIS CROC
WAS THE BIGGEST IN U.S. HISTORY, AND ITS PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
IS PROOF. >> THAT'S THE BIGGEST ONE I'VE
SEEN HERE IN FLORIDA. AND THE ODDS OF US SEEING
A BIGGER ONE, I MEAN, WE COULD TRY BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'RE
VERY GOOD. WE COME OUT HERE IN 10, 15, 20
YEARS, THAT GUY WILL BE 19, 20 FEET. >> WOW, WHICH IS THE
WORLD-RECORD CROCODILE FOR ANY SPECIES CURRENTLY, RIGHT? >> YEAH, HE WAS HUGE. HE WAS THE BIGGEST I'VE EVER
SEEN. >> WOW. >> narrator: THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i>
SCIENCE TEAM SEARCH OF THE BHITARKANIKA NATIONAL PARK IN
INDIA HAS MET WITH EVEN GREATER SUCCESS. >> ON THE BEST DAY, WE COUNTED
37 CROCODILES, AND AMONGST THEM WERE ONE OF THE BIGGEST
CROCODILES I'VE EVER SEEN. IT WAS A REAL MONSTER CROCODILE. >> narrator: THIS MASSIVE BEAST
CALLED MAHISASUR OR THE BIG DEMON HAS WOUNDED AND KILLED
DOZENS OF PEOPLE. MEASUREMENTS OF HIS WIDTH
COMPARED WITH OTHER ADULT CROCS PUTS HIS LENGTH AT MORE THAN
20 FEET, POSSIBLY THE LARGEST CROC IN MODERN RECORDED HISTORY. HERPETOLOGIST ROM WHITAKER HAS
ALSO COMPLETED HIS MEASUREMENTS OF THE SKULL FOUND NEAR
BHITARKANIKA NATIONAL PARK. LOCALS SAY IT BELONGED TO THE
HISTORIC MONSTER CALLED KALIA, THE BLACK ONE. THE LEGEND SAYS HE MEASURED MORE
THAN 30 FEET IN LENGTH. BUT WHITAKER'S CALCULATIONS TELL
A DIFFERENT STORY. >> THE SKULL OF KALIA IS ABOUT
30 INCHES LONG AND WEIGHS ABOUT 70 POUNDS. IT'S MASSIVE. IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT IT WAS
20 FEET PLUS. 23 FEET, WELL, I WOULDN'T BE
ABLE TO SAY THAT FOR SURE. BUT CERTAINLY 20 FEET IS A GREAT
LIKELIHOOD. >> narrator: THIS<i> MONSTER QUEST</i>
EXPEDITION HAS MADE SOME STARTLING DISCOVERIES. THE EXPEDITION TEAM SAW THE
REMAINS OF A CROCODILE MORE THAN 15 FEET LONG AND PHOTOGRAPHED
TRACKS OF AN EVEN LARGER ANIMAL IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES. THIS MONSTER CROC MEASURED MORE
THAN 16 FEET IN LENGTH, AN AMERICAN RECORD. >> CHECK THAT GUY OUT. >> MY GOD. >> I'M GONNA STOP HERE. WOW. >> narrator: THE SCIENCE TEAM
TRAVELED TO INDIA AND FOUND WITNESSES TO ATTEST TO THE
AGGRESSIVE NATURE AND MAN-HUNTING ATTITUDE OF THESE
BEASTS. THEY FILMED POSSIBLY THE
LARGEST CROCODILE ALIVE TODAY. EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT
CROCODILES ARE INDEED GETTING BIGGER AND ARE APPROACHING
UNPRECEDENTED LENGTHS. >> THE FACT THAT A PREDATOR IS
LIVING TEETH TO JOWL SO TO SPEAK WITH HUMAN BEINGS RIGHT ON THE
EDGE OF THE PARK MEANS THAT CONFLICT BETWEEN CROCODILES AND
HUMANS COULD DEFINITELY GO UP. >> BOTH THE HUMAN POPULATION AND
THE CROCODILE POPULATION CONTINUE TO EXPAND, AND MORE
HABITAT KEEPS GETTING CHEWED UP EVERY DAY. IT'S GONNA BRING CROCODILES AND
HUMANS IN INCREASINGLY CLOSER CONTACT, AND AS THE POPULATION
AGES, I THINK WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE EVEN MORE REALLY IMMENSE
CROCODILES HERE. >> 40% OF A CROCODILE'S MASS
IS IN THE TAIL. I'VE SEEN A CROC TAIL SNAP
A HALF-INCH NYLON CORD WITH ONE MOVEMENT. I'VE SEEN A CROC SMASH A HUMAN
SKULL. >> CROCODILES, THEY NEVER STOP
GROWING. THAT'S WHY YOU CAN SEE HUGE
ANIMALS IN THE EVERGLADES. AND I THINK IN THE FUTURE,
YOU'RE GONNA SEE AN AWFUL LOT MORE OF THEM.
