>> male narrator: THESE IMAGES OF A MYSTERIOUS BEAST WERE CAPTURED IN FLORIDA'S COASTAL WATERS. >> WELL, IT JUST SHOCKED ME. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT WAS JUST LIKE, WHAT WAS THAT? >> narrator: IT IS STUNNING VIDEO EVIDENCE OF A SEA BEAST HUNTING FOR PREY. >> WHAT IN HEAVEN'S NAME IS THAT? >> narrator: FOR CENTURIES, SAILORS HAVE CLAIMED TO HAVE SEEN SOMETHING UNEXPLAINED IN THESE MURKY WATERS. >> "OH, MY GOD. THERE THEY ARE," YOU KNOW. >> I SEE IT RIGHT THERE. >> IT BLEW ME AWAY. >> narrator: THE CREATURE MEASURES MORE THAN 14 FEET IN LENGTH AND IS ESTIMATED TO WEIGHT MORE THAN A TON. NOW<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> EMBARKS ON A LANDMARK EXPEDITION TO IDENTIFY FLORIDA'S SEA MONSTER. >> I'VE GOT A HARD TARGET AT 120 FEET. >> narrator: THE IMAGES WILL BE ANALYZED, AND DIVERS WILL BRAVE THESE TREACHEROUS WATERS. >> WE HAVE ZERO VISIBILITY. I CAN BARELY SEE THE SCREEN. >> YEAH, BE ADVISED THIS THING'S MOVING QUICK. IT'S COMING TOWARD US. >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS. ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> FOR AS LONG AS MAN HAS TAKEN TO THE SEA, THERE HAVE BEEN TALES OF MONSTERS WHO REIGNED OVER THE OCEAN--FRIGHTENING BEASTS WITH HUGE HEADS, CLAWLIKE FISTS, AND TRIDENT-SHAPED TAILS. FLORIDA'S WARM WATERS ATTRACT A VARIETY OF AQUATIC PREDATORS: WHALES, SHARKS, AND SOMETHING ELSE. HERE IN THE INLETS, WHERE FRESH AND SEA WATER MIX, SOMETHING UNKNOWN IS SAID TO SURFACE QUICKLY, ONLY TO DISAPPEAR, LEAVING NO TRACE OR EVIDENCE UNTIL NOW. >> IF AN AMBUSH PREDATOR COMES UP, IT COMES UP FROM THE BOTTOM. >> THIS THING WAS OUT OF THE WATER AND MOVING, AND I WOULD SAY IT PROBABLY WENT ABOUT 30, 40 YARDS PRETTY QUICKLY. >> IT WAS A SHOCK TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND THEY LOOKED--THEY HAD ALMOST LIKE A TURTLE--LIKE A LOGGERHEAD TURTLE KIND OF A HEAD ON THEM, BIG EYES, AND BIG NOSTRILS ON THEM. >> WHICH IS VERY ODD, BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANYTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE LIKE THAT DOWN HERE. >> narrator: EYEWITNESSES REPORT SEEING A CREATURE THAT BEARS AN AMAZING RESEMBLANCE TO SEA SERPENTS DESCRIBED HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO. ACCOUNTS TELL OF SEA MONSTERS WITH A LARGE BODY, A BLUNT, MISSHAPEN HEAD, PROTRUDING TEETH, SHARP, POINTED FINS OR FLIPPERS, AND A DISTINCTIVE TRIDENT-SHAPED TAIL. THE FIRST REPORTS OF A SEA MONSTER IN FLORIDA CAME IN 1849. PASSENGERS ON A SCHOONER SAW SOMETHING SWIMMING OFF THE COAST OF JACKSONVILLE. WITNESSES DESCRIBED A BIZARRE CREATURE WITH A LARGE SNAKELIKE HEAD AND FINS THAT LOOKED LIKE CLAWS. THE BEAST ROSE OUT OF THE WATER AND PURSUED THEM. NOW A FLORIDA RESIDENT CLAIMS TO HAVE HAD A SIMILAR ENCOUNTER, NOT ONCE BUT MANY TIMES. >> I GUESS PEOPLE JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE AT THAT TIME AND JUST LABELED IT THE SEA MONSTER. >> narrator: GENE SOWERWINE, WHO HAS FISHED FLORIDA'S COASTAL LAKES FOR THE LAST FOUR DECADES, IS THE LATEST TO REPORT SEEING AN UNKNOWN CREATURE IN THESE WATERS. >> WHEN I WAS SEEING THESE BITS AND PIECES, THAT'S WHEN I WAS REALLY SHOCKED. IT'S LIKE, WOW, YOU KNOW. THIS IS SOMETHING I'VE NEVER SEEN AND, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE IS TOTALLY UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE. WELL, I WAS JUST RIGHT OVER YONDER DOING SOME FISHING AND JUST TRYING TO GET A TIGHT LINE, MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS, AND JUST SAW SOMETHING I COULDN'T IDENTIFY. I'VE LIVED HERE MY WHOLE LIFE, KNEW WHAT ALL THE LOCAL WILDLIFE LOOKS LIKE, AND JUST HAD NO IDEA. AND THEN I SAW A COUPLE CLEAR SHOTS OF ITS HEAD, AND I REALIZED, WHOA, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ISN'T KNOWN CURRENTLY. >> narrator: SOWERWINE SHARED THE DISCOVERY WITH HIS BROTHER. >> I HAPPENED TO BE IN TOWN, AND HE SAYS, "COME ON OVER. YOU NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS." AND I KNOW WE CAME OUT. THE SUN WAS SETTING. AND WHEN WE FIRST GOT THERE, WE DIDN'T SEE MUCH. MAYBE A COUPLE POPPED UP HERE AND THERE. COULDN'T REALLY TELL. AS WE KEPT WATCHING, I LOOKED UP AND SAW ONE COME OUT OF THE WATER. HAD I BEEN OUT IN THE WATER, I WOULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY SCARED. I'VE BEEN FISHING AND DIVING ALL MY LIFE, AND THIS IS UNLIKE ANYTHING I'VE EVER SEEN. >> narrator: AND UNLIKE THE OLD MARINERS OF THE 1800s, SOWERWINE HAS PROOF. >> THE NEXT DAY, I CAME BACK WITH A VIDEO CAMERA AND STARTED DOCUMENTING THE WHOLE SITUATION, AND IT'S BEEN A PASSION EVER SINCE. >> narrator: HE HAS RECORDED OVER 40 HOURS OF VIDEO EVIDENCE, BUT GENE SOWERWINE HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO SHOW IT TO ANYONE, FOR FEAR THE CREATURE WOULD BE DISTURBED. >> I WENT TO REALLY GREAT LENGTHS TO KEEP IT SECRET. I'D HIDE MY CAMERA IN A FIVE-GALLON BUCKET. >> narrator: SOWERWINE CONTINUED TO PHOTOGRAPH THE CREATURE MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST DECADE BUT GOT NO CLOSER TO LEARNING ITS IDENTITY. NOT EVERYONE BELIEVED HIM. >> THERE IS DEFINITELY MORE THAN ONE ANIMAL. >> narrator: DR. MARTINE DE WIT, A RESEARCH SCIENTIST WITH THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION, LOOKS FOR FEATURES SHE RECOGNIZES IN THE FOOTAGE. >> HE WANTED TO KNOW, IS IT A FISH? IS IT A MARINE MAMMAL? I CANNOT SEE ANY SCALES WHICH WOULD MEAN THAT IT WOULD BE A FISH. WHAT I SEE HERE: IT PROBABLY BELONGS TO THE SAME ANIMAL THAT WE SEE THE BACK FROM, AND YOU SEE WHAT I THINK IS THE ANIMAL'S TAIL COMING OUT. HERE YOU SEE THE BACK COMING OUT OF THE WATER, AND SINCE THERE IS NOT A DORSAL FIN ON IT, IT'S UNLIKELY THAT IT WOULD BE SOME KIND OF A DOLPHIN. >> narrator: DE WIT IS EXAMINING THE HOURS OF VIDEO EVIDENCE TO ATTEMPT TO MAKE A DETERMINATION OF THE SPECIES. THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> EXPEDITION TEAM IS PREPARING TO PROBE THE WATERS NEAR WHERE SOWERWINE SHOT HIS VIDEO. DALE PEARSON, A PROFESSIONAL DIVER AND UNDERWATER RESEARCHER, WILL BE LEADING THE SEARCH. >> WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MOVE QUICKLY WITH A LOT OF POWER, AND EVERYTHING IN THE WILD HAS A WAY TO DEFEND ITSELF. >> narrator: DUE TO THE TEAM'S LACK OF DATA ABOUT THE BEAST OR A KNOWLEDGE OF HOW MANY CREATURES THERE ARE, EXTREME CAUTION IS NECESSARY. THEY HAVE DETERMINED FROM THE FOOTAGE THAT THE BEASTS APPEAR TO MOVE WITH SURPRISING SPEED. >> WHAT IS THAT? >> I GUESS THAT'S ITS TAIL. WHAT I WANT TO FIND OUT IS, WHAT CAN THIS THING--WHAT KIND OF CAPABILITIES DOES IT HAVE, BEFORE WE GO TRYING TO SWIM UP ON IT IN THE MURK. WATER DOESN'T LOOK VERY CLEAR. WHAT'S THIS? >> narrator: THE LOCATION ITSELF PRESENTS CHALLENGES AND DANGER. THESE WATERS ARE HOME TO ALLIGATORS, STINGRAYS, AND BARRACUDA. DUE TO THE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS, THE TEAM WILL BE USING BLUE VIEW SONAR TECHNOLOGY, WHICH IS CURRENTLY USED PRIMARILY FOR GUARDING U.S. PORTS. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL SONAR, WHICH USES A SINGLE BEAM OF SOUND, BLUE VIEW SONAR USES 256 INDIVIDUAL BEAMS TO CREATE A MORE DETAILED IMAGE. >> AND THIS IS A DIVER IN THE WATER. >> narrator: THE TARGET OF THE SEARCH IS ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST JUST MILES AWAY FROM A HEAVILY TRAFFICKED TOURIST AREA. SOWERWINE HAS AGREED TO GUIDE THE TEAM TO THE AREA, BUT HE HAS ASKED THAT THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE CREATURES NOT BE REVEALED. >> I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO PROTECT THEM SO WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND OUT MORE. >> narrator: THEIR DESTINATION IS A LARGE OCEAN-FED COASTAL LAKE, A NARROW WATERWAY THAT CONNECTS TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. >> THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN IDENTIFY A SEA ANIMAL IS TO BE IN THE SEA. THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS MISSION IS TO SOLVE THE RIDDLE OF WHAT THIS THING IS. AND THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA DO THAT IS TO GET IN THE WATER, GET UP TO IT, GET SOME VIDEO RECONNAISSANCE, SOME SURVEILLANCE OF THIS, AND BRING IT TO SOME BIOLOGISTS, BRING IT TO SOME PEOPLE WHO STUDY MARINE ANIMALS, AND HOPEFULLY THEY CAN IDENTIFY IT. >> narrator: THERE ARE SWAMPS AND MARSHES ON ONE SIDE OF THE LAKE WHICH MAKE THE LAKE WATER EXTREMELY MURKY, BUT IT IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT MAKES THE DIVERS TAKE SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS. >> THIS IS NOT FAKE FOOTAGE. SOMETHING IS THERE THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. THERE'S A LOT OF INVASIVE SPECIES THAT HAVE BEEN LET LOOSE IN FLORIDA. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THERE'S ALLIGATORS, AMERICAN CROCODILES. THOSE ARE THE WILD CARDS OF THIS EXPEDITION. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA MAKE THIS MORE DANGEROUS AND CAUSE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONCERN FOR ME AS A DIVER BEING IN THAT SITUATION. >> narrator: THE TEAM HAS ENLISTED AN EXPERIENCED DIVE PARAMEDIC TO JOIN THEM JUST IN CASE. THE DIVERS GET ONE LAST BRIEFING ON THE NEW SONAR. >> THESE SONARS ARE LIKE FLASHLIGHTS, ALL RIGHT? YOU'RE PAINTING THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN LIKE A FLASHLIGHT. THE STEEPER THE IMAGE, THE CLOSER YOU'RE LOOKING, AND THE BRIGHTER IT'S GONNA BE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. >> narrator: THE TOPSIDE SONAR UNIT SWEEPS A 300-SQUARE-FOOT AREA AROUND THE BOAT, ALLOWING THE CREW TO TRACK THE DIVERS AND ANY OTHER LARGE OBJECTS IN THE WATER. >> PERFECT; OKAY, SO IF I ACQUIRE A TARGET WITH THIS, I'LL BE ABLE TO TRACK THE TARGET EVEN THOUGH IT'S MOVING. >> CORRECT. YOU JUST KEEP IT POINTED AT IT. IT'S A REAL-TIME ACOUSTIC CAMERA. >> OKAY. >> narrator: THE DIVERS TAKE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. >> ANYTHING THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HARM YOU, YOU'RE GONNA WEAR FULL-BODY NEPTUNIC CHAIN MAIL ARMOR. THAT'S GOING TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CUT OF ANY TYPES OF BITING: TEETH, CLAWS, BEAKS, HOOKS, WHATEVER THIS THING MAY HAVE. YOU CAN STILL HAVE AN ARM OR A LEG MEDICALLY SEVERED INSIDE YOUR SUIT. >> narrator: THE EXPEDITION POSITIONS ITSELF IN OPEN WATER. >> GO AHEAD AND LEAD, AND THEN WHEN YOU GET TO THE EDGE OF THE CHANNEL, WE'LL PASS YOU OVER AND START SCANNING WITH SONAR, OVER, >> SOUNDS GOOD. >> THE LAST HOUR OF DAYLIGHT'LL BE THE BEST. IT'LL BE THE DEEPEST WATER, AND IF THEY'RE GONNA BE BACK THERE, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL SEE THEM. >> OKAY. >> ALL RIGHT, LET'S DROP AN ANCHOR RIGHT HERE THEN. WE'LL START A SEARCH GRID RIGHT HERE. >> TELL YOU ONE THING: IF IT'S HERE, WE'RE GONNA FIND IT, THOUGH. >> VERY WEIRD. I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> HAS SENT THE SOWERWINE FOOTAGE TO WILDLIFE EXPERT DR. EDWARD PATUCH, WHO HAS ADVANCED DEGREES IN MARINE BIOLOGY, ZOOLOGY, PALEONTOLOGY, AND OCEANOGRAPHY. >> WHAT IN HEAVEN'S NAME IS THAT? SEE, HERE HE'S COMING BACK UP. >> narrator: DR. PATUCH TEACHES AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY AND FREQUENTLY LEADS STUDENT EXPEDITIONS TO STUDY THE MARINE LIFE OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA. >> THIS YEAR, I'VE SPENT 30 YEARS TROMPING AROUND IN THIS AREA. I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS. I'M VERY IMPRESSED. OH, THERE YOU GO. THAT'S A BIG ANIMAL COMING UP. THAT ONE--I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS ACTUALLY AN EYE OR NOT. IT'S NOT COMPLETELY DARK. IT HAS MOTTLED GRAY AND DARKER PATTERNS ON IT TOO. VERY INTERESTING. THAT IS--THAT'S VERY WILD. I WISH THEY COULD, YOU KNOW, GET MORE PICTURES OF THIS THING, PULL IT UP. >> LEAD DIVER, COPY. I HAVE NO VISUAL ON MY PARTNER. >> ALL RIGHT, TELL HIM GO 30 DEGREES LEFT. THEY'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY. >> narrator: THE DIVERS ARE SCANNING FOR EVIDENCE, BUT THE WATER IS DANGEROUSLY FULL OF SEDIMENT CHURNED UP BY A MIX OF FRESH AND SALT WATER. THEY'RE SWIMMING BLIND, DEPENDENT ON DIRECTIONS FROM TOPSIDE. >> LEAD DIVER, TOPSIDE. 30 DEGREES TO YOUR LEFT. >> YEAH, TOPSIDE, BE ADVISED WE ARE IN A ZERO-VISIBILITY CONDITION RIGHT NOW. I CAN BARELY, BARELY SEE THE SCREEN ON THE NAVIGATOR. ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE AS TO OUR VECTOR IS HELPFUL. >> narrator: THE TEAM KNOWS THE DANGER OF DIVING IN WATER THIS DARK. IF A DIVER IS ATTACKED, THE TOPSIDE CREW WOULD HAVE NO VISUAL CLUE, SO THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IS ALL THAT IS KEEPING THEM SAFE. >> BE ADVISED, BASE IS ABOUT 20 FEET BEHIND YOU. >> YEAH, ROGER. I'VE LOST CONTACT WITH BASE DIVER. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS IN FLORIDA, SEARCHING FOR THE IDENTITY OF A SEA MONSTER WHICH HAS BEEN CAUGHT ON TAPE. >> LEAD DIVER, LEAD DIVER FROM TOPSIDE. LEAD DIVER FROM TOPSIDE. >> narrator: THE EXPEDITION TEAM HAS BEEN SEARCHING FOR A VISUAL OF ITS DIVERS. >> THIS IS TOPSIDE. HOW DO YOU COPY? >> narrator: THEY'VE LOST COMMUNICATIONS AND VISUAL CONTACT. >> YEAH, BASE DIVER, I'M NOT MAKING CONTACT WITH THE LEAD DIVER, BUT APPARENTLY YOU GUYS ARE PRETTY NEAR THE HOLE. WE FOUND IT ON THE SONAR. >> IF HE WILL TURN AROUND AND START SWIMMING, ONCE HE'S MOVING, I CAN GIVE HIM A VECTOR. >> narrator: AFTER A FEW TENSE MINUTES, THE TEAM REESTABLISHES COMMUNICATIONS, AND NOT WANTING TO TAKE CHANCES, THE DIVERS HEAD BACK TO THE BOAT TO REGROUP. >> WHEN I LOST YOU, I WAS ABLE TO SONAR DOWN, AND I COULD SEE YOU IN THE SONAR. I MEAN, I COULD BARELY SEE THE SONAR; I HAD TO PLASTER MY FACE TO IT, BUT THEN I COULD FIND YOU AND WAS ABLE TO HUNT YOU DOWN THERE WHEN WE GOT SEPARATED, BECAUSE IF I'M LOOKING AT THE SONAR, AND YOU'RE FILMING AND YOU TAKE YOUR EYES OFF ME, ALL IT TAKES IS ONE SECOND. >> ONE SECOND, YUP. >> AND THEN THAT'S IT. WE'RE SEPARATED, AND BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN. >> THOSE KINDS OF REPORTS SEEM TO BE VERY SPECIFIC TO FLORIDA. >> narrator: LOREN COLEMAN IS A CRYPTOZOOLOGIST AND HAS STUDIED REPORTS OF THE SEA MONSTER FOR DECADES. HE HAS COLLECTED DOZENS OF REPORTS OF SIGHTINGS, MANY OF WHICH BEAR AN UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE TO THE TRIDENT-TAILED CREATURES DEPICTED ON ANCIENT SEA CHARTS. >> THE ONES OFF OF FLORIDA MORE OFTEN THAN NOT TENDED TO HAVE A LARGE BODY ALMOST LIKE A WALRUS BODY OR A WHALE BODY, AND THEY'D HAVE A VERY DISTINCTIVE HEAD THAT OFTEN WAS DESCRIBED LIKE A HORSE'S HEAD OR LIKE A GIANT SEAL HEAD OR EVEN SOMETHING ELSE THAT LOOKED VERY MAMMALIAN WITH WHISKERS AND HAIR, EYEBROWS, AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. >> narrator: THOUGH MANY OF THE SIGHTINGS DATE TO THE 1800s, THERE HAS BEEN A RECENT SURGE. >> MOST OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF SEA SERPENTS AND SEA MONSTERS, HOWEVER, FROM FLORIDA REALLY COMES FROM WORLD WAR II AND THAT ERA DURING THE '40s WHEN PEOPLE WERE LOOKING MORE THAN THEY EVER HAD BEFORE FOR UNUSUAL THINGS OFF OF THE COAST. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SUBMARINES, AND THEY OFTENTIMES WOULD SEE THESE CREATURES THAT DIDN'T QUITE FIT. >> narrator: THE MOST DRAMATIC ENCOUNTER WAS FIRST REPORTED IN THE 1962 ISSUE OF<i> FATE</i> MAGAZINE. A WITNESS CLAIMED THAT IN THE WATERS NEAR PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, A LONG-NECKED MONSTER HAD ATTACKED AND MURDERED FOUR OF HIS FRIENDS. THE DEATHS WERE DOCUMENTED, BUT THE MONSTER WAS NEVER FOUND. >> UNFORTUNATELY WITH SEA MONSTERS, THERE'S NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF TANGIBLE EVIDENCE. HERE AGAIN WE HAVE TO RELY ON FOLKLORE, ON TRADITIONS, AND THEN TESTIMONY OF EYEWITNESSES. >> narrator: COLEMAN BELIEVES THERE MAY BE SOMETHING AS YET UNDISCOVERED IN THESE FLORIDA WATERS. >> AND A LOT OF US HAVE SAID, IN TERMS OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY, THAT THE NEWEST ANIMALS WILL BE THOSE ONES FOUND IN THE OCEAN. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT THE COELACANTH, FOR INSTANCE. WE ALSO HAVE THE MEGAMOUTH SHARK, WHICH IN 1976 WAS DISCOVERED OFF OF HAWAII. AND SO SOME OF THESE LARGE CREATURES HAVE BEEN RIGHT THERE UNDER OUR NOSE. >> narrator: THE TAPE OF THE SEA CREATURE HAS BEEN ANALYZED BY LEADING MARINE EXPERTS, INCLUDING DR. MARTINE DE WIT AT THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION, WHICH TRACKS AND MANAGES 575 OF THE AREA'S NATIVE SPECIES. DE WIT BELIEVES THE VIDEO SHOWS A MAMMAL, ONE SHE THINKS SHE RECOGNIZES. >> BASED ON WHAT I SAW, THE POSITION OF THE NARES, THE POSITION OF THE EYE, AND THE SHAPE OF THE HEAD, ALL THE HEADS THAT I SAW BELONG TO MANATEES. >> narrator: THE FLORIDA MANATEE IS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES. THEY GROW TO BE ABOUT 10 FEET LONG AND WEIGH SOME 1,000 POUNDS. THEIR SKIN IS A DARK, MOTTLED GRAY-BROWN IN COLOR. THE FACE IS WRINKLED, SIMILAR TO ITS CLOSEST RELATIVE, THE ELEPHANT. >> THEY ACTUALLY ARE REALLY TACTILE AND MOBILE WITH THEIR FACE. THEY CAN KIND OF USE IT LIKE AN ELEPHANT'S TRUNK. SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS AS ROUND AS YOU WOULD SEE IN THE TYPICAL MANATEE PICTURES. >> narrator: WHILE DE WIT IS CONVINCED, SOME OF HER COLLEAGUES AREN'T SO SURE. >> THAT ONE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A TYPICAL MANATEE HEAD, FOR SURE. THEY DEFINITELY HAVE A NARROWER SNOUT, GOING TO A POINT. THAT IS--THAT'S VERY WILD. IT'S DEFINITELY A SKINNIER SNOUT, YEAH. IT DOESN'T HAVE THE BROAD FLAPS IN IT. THE EYES ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE FRONT. THEY LOOK TO BE PRETTY GOOD-SIZED ALSO. THE MORE I'M LOOKING AT IT NOW, IT'S DEFINITELY NOT A MANATEE. >> narrator: DR. ED PATUCH OF FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY COMPARES THE FEATURES TO OTHER SEA CREATURES THAT MIGHT HAVE A SIMILAR BODY TYPE. >> THERE YOU GO. NOW, YEAH, THAT'S THE BEST PICTURE I'VE SEEN YET. THAT'S INTERESTING. THAT DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE A PINNIPED OF SOME KIND: YOU KNOW, A WALRUS, SEAL, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YEAH, IT SEEMS VERY NICE AND-- >> ALTHOUGH I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT COULD HAVE THAT KIND OF A TAIL. >> narrator: DR. PETER SORENSON IS A MARINE BIOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND IS CONFOUNDED BY WHAT HE SEES. >> I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT WAS, SOME KIND OF LOGICAL EXPLANATION. IT'S AT AN ODD ANGLE. THE EYE POSITION'S A BIT STRANGE. THE MUZZLE SHAPE IS PECULIAR. >> narrator: THE GLIMPSES HE SEES ARE TANTALIZING BUT FRUSTRATING. >> I THINK AGAIN, THE QUESTION IS HERE, DO WE REALLY KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, REALLY? THIS SHOT LENDS ITSELF TO THE BEST ANGLE TO SEE THE NARROW FACE, THE MUZZLE, THE HEAD SHAPE. THIS IS THE ONE THAT INTRIGUES ME THE MOST, THAT SAYS MAN, THAT IS SO UNMANATEELIKE, IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY. SOME ANIMATION MIGHT HELP TO SEE IF IT IS IN FACT THE HEAD, OR IT COULD BE THE HEAD THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. IT'S DIFFICULT TO ASCRIBE WITH ANY CERTAINTY WHAT THAT REALLY IS. >> HIS SNOUT IS ALWAYS... >> narrator: THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SCIENCE TEAM ENLISTS FORENSIC ANIMATORS TO ATTEMPT TO CREATE A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF THE CREATURE. THEY ARE STUDYING THE SOWERWINE FOOTAGE FRAME BY FRAME AND SKETCHING EACH FEATURE AS IT COMES INTO VIEW. EACH DETAIL WILL THEN BE POSITIONED ON A SINGLE CREATURE AND ANIMATED, BASED ON THE MOVEMENTS CAUGHT ON VIDEO. THE RESULTING THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPOSITE SHOULD GIVE A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF THE CREATURE AND ASSIST MARINE BIOLOGISTS IN DETERMINING JUST WHAT IT IS. >> HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU GET A CHANCE TO PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY? >> WHEN I THINK OF A DOG SNOUT, THAT'S KIND OF THE SHAPE THAT COMES TO MIND, WHERE THE EYE IS ACTUALLY DEFINED BY A BROW RIDGE. >> WE ARE A PART OF SOLVING A PROBLEM. IT'S NOT LIKE, OKAY, THIS MONSTER LOOKS LIKE THIS. IT'S MORE LIKE WE GET IT PIECE BY PIECE AND GET THE INFORMATION AND PUT IT TOGETHER. THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. THAT'S WHY THIS IS SUCH A DIFFERENT PROJECT THAN OTHERS. HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE TO START ANIMATING? >> WELL, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO DO A LOT MORE WORK TO THE HEAD, BUT I THINK WITHIN A WEEK, WE CAN HAVE THE MODEL FINISHED. >> narrator: THE EXPEDITION IS NOW AT THE EXACT LOCATION WHERE SOWERWINE FIRST SAW THE CREATURES IN 1999. >> THE CLOSER WE GET TO THE MANGROVES, THE BETTER. THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE ACTION WAS. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS IN FLORIDA, WHERE A STRANGE CREATURE WITH A LARGE HEAD AND A TRIDENT-SHAPED TAIL HAS BEEN SEEN FOR CENTURIES, HAUNTING SEAFARERS AND FISHERMEN. >> AND IT WAS VERY SPOOKY TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT WAS SO BIG AND SO AGILE. >> narrator: SAM MCROBERTS IS ONE OF THE MOST RECENT EYEWITNESSES TO SEE THE CREATURE. >> GENE AND I USED TO GO FISHING A LOT UP AT THE OLD FISHING PIER BACK IN THE LATE '60s AND '70s, AND I SAID, "GENE, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS CRAZY." I SAID, "IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE," YOU KNOW. "I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHAT IT IS, SO JUST LET ME KNOW NEXT TIME YOU SEE THEM." >> narrator: SOWERWINE CALLED WITH THE NEWS MCROBERTS HAD BEEN WAITING FOR. >> SEE THAT HEAD POP UP? >> RIGHT THERE? >> YUP, YUP, YUP. >> HE SAID, "THE SEA MONSTERS ARE OVER HERE," AND I GO, "YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING." SO I THOUGHT, WELL, OKAY. SO I DROVE OVER TO THE SITE WHERE HE WAS, AND I SWEAR IT DIDN'T TAKE BUT ABOUT FIVE OR TEN MINUTES, AND THERE THEY WERE. YOU COULD SEE THE BACK OF IT, AND THEN IT STUCK ITS HEAD UP AND ZOOMED ACROSS THE WATER. I WOULD SAY MAYBE, YOU KNOW, 12 FEET LONG. THERE WAS A WHALER THAT CAME INTO THE BAY, AND AS SOON AS IT--AND IT WAS ABOUT MAYBE 400 OR 500 YARDS OFF. IT DISAPPEARED. IT WAS SO WEIRD BECAUSE IT WAS IN SHALLOW WATER, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT WAS GONE. AND THEN AFTER THAT WHALER WENT OUT, WE COULD SEE IT WAY OUT, FARTHER OUT IN THE BAY, LIKE MAYBE 300 OR 400 YARDS OUT. BUT I MEAN, I COULDN'T' GET A CLEAR SHOT OF IT THEN, BUT I GOT THE PICTURES, AND I SAID, "THIS IS AMAZING." I SAID, "I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY'S EVER GONNA BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BUT WE GOT THE PICTURES, SO TAKE IT FROM THERE." >> narrator: MCROBERTS REJECTS THE IDEA THAT THEY ARE A KNOWN SPECIES. >> I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS, OTHER THAN I'VE SEEN MANATEES, AND I KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. AND THIS WAS SIMILAR IN COLOR TO A MANATEE, BUT IT WAS MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE HEAD STRUCTURE, THE EYES--HAD BIG EYES, BIG NOSTRIL HOLES ON THE TOP. IT HAD FINS THAT WERE--PECTORAL FINS THAT WERE THICK AND STUCK OUT, AND IT ZOOMED ACROSS THE WATER VERY QUICK, NOT LIKE A MANATEE. >> LIKE THAT. >> narrator: DR. ED PATUCH'S ANALYSIS OF THE VIDEO OF THE CREATURE IS FOCUSING ON ONE FRAME IN PARTICULAR, AND HE MAKES A POSSIBLE DISCOVERY. >> THAT'S THE PERFECT PROPORTIONS TO THE THING: HEAD, TAIL. IT'S A SEAL OF SOME KIND. >> narrator: SEALS WERE ONCE NATIVE TO FLORIDA, BUT THERE ARE NO LONGER ANY KNOWN WARM-WATER SEAL POPULATIONS. DR. PATUCH HAS A THEORY TO EXPLAIN THAT. HE THINKS THESE MAY NOT BE WARM-WATER SEALS. >> WE GET ALL KINDS OF WEIRD ANIMALS COMING HERE ALL THE TIME. >> narrator: THE MOST RECENT EXAMPLE WAS AN ARCTIC BEARDED SEAL THAT WAS RESCUED FROM THE TARPON RIVER IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD OF FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. OTHER ARCTIC SEALS LIKE THE HOODED SEAL ARE NOW BEING FOUND AS FAR SOUTH AS THE CANARY ISLANDS. IF THEY ARE FOLLOWING THE GULF STREAM, AS SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE, THEIR FIRST OPPORTUNITY AT LANDFALL WOULD PUT THEM IN THIS AREA. >> IT'S THE CLOSEST POINT IN THE GULF STREAM TO LAND. IT WOULD BE LOGICAL IF THEY WERE HOODED SEALS HEADING SOUTH THAT THEY WOULD JUST FOLLOW THE GULF STREAM RIGHT IN. AS THE ICE SHEETS ARE RETREATING NORTHWARD, YOU'RE FINDING THINGS FROM THE SOUTH THAT ARE SORT OF MOVING FARTHER NORTH. THINGS FROM THE NORTH ARE MOVING FARTHER SOUTH. AND APPARENTLY, MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, THESE HOODED SEALS SEEM TO BE VERY, VERY ADAPTABLE, WHICH YOU'D NEVER EXPECT FOR A CREATURE THAT LIVES ON ICE FLOES AND FEEDS AT 1,000 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL. >> narrator: HOODED SEALS ARE A DARK GRAY-BLACK COLOR AND GROW TO BE ABOUT 9 FEET LONG AND 900 POUNDS. >> THE HEAD WAS EXACTLY THAT OF A FEMALE HOODED SEAL. THE MALES HAVE THIS GREAT BIG RED BLADDER THAT STICKS UP. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CALLED HOODED SEALS. THEY USE IT AS A DISPLAY, YOU KNOW, SEXUALLY OR, YOU KNOW, FOR RIVALS, THIS TYPE OF THING. >> narrator: THE SOWERWINE CREATURE DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE LARGE WHISKERS LIKE A SEAL DOES, ALTHOUGH BOTH ANIMALS HAVE NOSTRILS AT THE END OF A LONG SNOUT. BOTH HAVE FRONT FLIPPERS. BUT WHILE THE SEAL HAS A SPLIT TAIL, IT IS NOTHING LIKE THE SOWERWINE CREATURE'S UNUSUAL TRIDENT TAIL. >> THAT'S ELONGATED, VERY ODD. AND SEE, THE SEAL'S--IF IT'S A SEAL, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE THAT KIND OF A TAIL. THEY WOULD HAVE THE FUSED FLIPPERS ESSENTIALLY IN THE BACK WITH JOINTS. >> IT COULD BE--AT LEAST SOME OF THE ANIMALS SHOWN ON THE TAPE COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULDN'T EXPECT TO SEE HERE. >> narrator: FLORIDA CRYPTOZOOLOGIST SCOTT MARLOWE HAS REVIEWED THE TAPES HIMSELF AND HAS COME UP WITH YET ANOTHER THEORY. HE THINKS IT IS A CREATURE THOUGHT TO BE EXTINCT. >> THAT WOULD BE A MAJOR FIND. >> narrator: HE BELIEVES THAT THEY ARE CARIBBEAN MONK SEALS, WHICH WERE ALL BUT ELIMINATED BY THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY. >> THAT'S WHY THEY WERE SO EASY TO KILL. THEY USED THEM FOR OIL, ACTUALLY, FOR OIL LAMPS AND ALSO SEALSKIN. THEY USED THEM FOR SEALSKIN JACKETS AND WATERPROOFING. MONK SEALS USED THIS COASTLINE A LOT, BUT OF COURSE, AS SOON AS PEOPLE CAME IN, THEY DISAPPEARED. >> narrator: THE LAST MONK SEAL SIGHTING WAS NEAR JAMAICA IN 1952, ALTHOUGH THEY WEREN'T OFFICIALLY DECLARED EXTINCT UNTIL JUNE OF 2008. PROVING THEIR EXISTENCE WOULD REWRITE HISTORY. >> IF IT TURNED OUT TO BE A MONK SEAL, IT WOULD BE ENORMOUS NEWS. >> narrator: IF THESE REALLY ARE SEALS, AN ANIMAL THAT SHOULD NOT BE HERE, THEN THEY SHOULD BE READILY VISIBLE. SEALS ARE CREATURES THAT REQUIRE BOTH SALT AND FRESH WATER. THEY WOULD NEED TO TRAVEL THE SAME NARROW CHANNEL THAT CONNECTS THE LAKE TO THE SEA THAT IS USED DAILY BY DOZENS, SOMETIMES HUNDREDS OF BOATERS. MONK SEALS GREW TO NEARLY EIGHT FEET LONG AND 400 POUNDS, SMALLER THAN THE ESTIMATED SIZE OF THE CREATURE RECORDED ON THE TAPE. >> BUT REMEMBER, WE HAVEN'T SEEN THESE THINGS FOR OVER 50 YEARS, SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED IN THAT 50-YEAR SPAN, AND THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY ABOUT THREE OR FOUR GENERATIONS. SO A LOT OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, AS BIOLOGISTS ARE FINDING OUT. CERTAIN TYPES OF ADAPTATION, WHEN NATURE HAS A VOID, CAN BE FILLED VERY RAPIDLY. >> MY THEORY IS THAT THEY COME AND GO THROUGH THESE UNDERGROUND PASSAGES AND ZIP IN AND ZIP OUT, AND NO ONE SEES THEM. >> narrator: MUCH OF FLORIDA IS CONNECTED BY AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF FRESHWATER SPRINGS AND UNDERGROUND RIVERS CALLED A KARST SYSTEM. OVER TIME, FLOWING WATER DISSOLVES LIMESTONE, CREATING SINKHOLES, CAVES, AND UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS THAT CAN LINK DIVERSE BODIES OF WATER. THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> DIVE TEAM WILL EXPLORE THE LAKE BOTTOM TO SEE IF IT CONCEALS SUCH A PASSAGEWAY, ONE THAT WOULD ALLOW THE CREATURES TO INFILTRATE FROM THE SEA WITHOUT BEING SEEN. >> TOPSIDE, WE'RE COMING UP ON SOMETHING, AND I HOPE IT'S BASE DIVER. >> narrator: A LARGE, UNKNOWN ANIMAL MAY VERY WELL STALK THESE MURKY WATERS. >> I'VE GOT A HARD TARGET AT 120 FEET, AND IT'S BETWEEN 10 AND 13 FEET IN LENGTH. >> WE HAVE A SONAR HIT AT OUR TEN O'CLOCK, ABOUT 120 FEET. >> TARGET 23 YARDS NOW. IT'S CLOSING. >> THIS THING'S MOVING QUICK. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS COMBING THE MURKY WATERS OF FLORIDA FOR AN UNKNOWN MONSTER. THEY ARE SEARCHING FOR THE CREATURE AND TRYING TO FIND AN UNDERWATER PASSAGEWAY TO EXPLAIN HOW THE CREATURE MIGHT BE APPEARING UNDETECTED IN VARIOUS AREAS. >> START SWIMMING, AND AS SOON AS YOU START MOVING, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU A VECTOR. >> TOPSIDE, BOTTOM TERRAIN IN THIS AREA HAS CHANGED. BOTTOM IS SILTY, THICK MUD. OVER. >> narrator: JUST AS THEY ARE ABOUT TO GIVE UP THE SEARCH, THE SONAR REVEALS A DROP-OFF IN THE UNDERWATER TERRAIN. >> HE'S ABOUT TO SWIM OVER A SINKHOLE THAT I WANT HIM TO CHECK OUT. >> IF YOU CAN LOOK DIRECTLY BELOW YOU, YOU SHOULD HAVE A TARGET. >> THERE'S A DEFORMITY IN THE BOTTOM. >> I'M PICKING UP STUFF HERE ON MY HANDHELD, BUT IT'S NOT MOVING TARGET. I THINK IT'S JUST BOTTOM STRUCTURE, OVER. >> TOPSIDE COPIES. >> narrator: THE DIVE TEAM DECIDES TO MAKE ONE LAST EFFORT TO FIND AN UNDERWATER PASSAGEWAY BEFORE SUNSET. GENE SOWERWINE SEES A LARGE BUBBLE RISING TO THE SURFACE. HE BELIEVES THE CREATURE IS A MAMMAL, AS HE OFTEN SEES IT SURFACE QUICKLY TO BREATHE. >> JUST BE INFORMED, WE HAD A BIG BOIL COME UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR BOW. I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE YOU TO REACH IT FROM THERE. >> COPY. I HAVE A HARD TARGET SEVEN YARDS OUT. >> COPY; YOU'RE SAYING YOU HAVE A HARD TARGET SEVEN YARDS OUT? >> narrator: DALE PEARSON APPROACHES THE TARGET. HE GETS A BRIEF BUT DISAPPOINTING GLIMPSE. HE CANNOT MAKE IT OUT. >> TOPSIDE COPIES. >> narrator: THEY ARE QUICKLY LOSING DAYLIGHT. THE EXPEDITION TEAM WILL SEARCH ONE LAST SPOT WHERE SOWERWINE HAS RECENTLY SEEN ANIMALS CONGREGATE. >> ALL RIGHT, CAPTAIN, LET'S GO OVER; WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE INLET COMING IN. WE'LL MAKE ONE PASS THROUGH THERE AND SEE IF WE CAN PICK UP SOMETHING ON SONAR, AND THEN WE'LL CALL IT. >> narrator: THE DIVERS DIDN'T FIND AN UNDERWATER PASSAGE, BUT THERE IS A MANMADE CHANNEL IN THE VICINITY BETWEEN THE OCEAN AND THE LAKE. IT'S 60 FEET DEEP AND VERY TURBULENT, DEEP ENOUGH FOR EVEN A LARGE ANIMAL TO PASS UNDETECTED. THIS IS THE MOST LIKELY PLACE FOR A LARGE SEA CREATURE TO ENTER THE LAKE. THE BEST EVIDENCE CONTINUES TO BE THE VIDEO, WHICH SOME WHO HAVE SEEN IT BELIEVE SHOWS SOME KIND OF HYBRID CREATURE, PART MANATEE AND PART SEAL. >> A MANATEE, WHICH IS A SIRENIAN, COULDN'T MATE WITH A SEAL, A PINNIPED. THEY COME FROM DIFFERENT EVOLUTIONARY LINES, AND THE GENETIC MAKEUP OF THE ANIMALS IS SO DIFFERENT THAT THEY COULD NOT POSSIBLY PRODUCE OFFSPRING. >> narrator: IT IS POSSIBLE, HOWEVER, FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF SEALS TO MATE. BUT DR. PATUCH THINKS THERE MAY BE MORE AT WORK HERE THAN SIMPLE INTERBREEDING OF SPECIES. >> EVERY POPULATION OF ANIMALS HAS VARIABILITY WITHIN IT, AND THERE COULD BE VARIANTS OF HOODED SEALS UP NORTH THAT CAN TOLERATE WARMER WATER. THAT VARIABLE POPULATION WOULD, YOU KNOW, WIND UP IN THE TROPICS. AND IF THERE WAS A BREAK, ULTIMATELY YOU WOULD FIND THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A TROPICAL SEAL GROUP AND AN ARCTIC SEAL GROUP, AND THEY WOULD PROBABLY GO OFF AS DIFFERENT SPECIES. SO THAT'S THE WAY EVOLUTION TAKES PLACE. >> narrator: HOWEVER, NO KNOWN SEAL HAS THE UNIQUE TRIDENT TAIL. >> IT COULD HAVE BEEN AN INJURED ANIMAL, INJURED SEAL IN THIS CASE, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S A MYSTERIOUS THING. >> STILL NO CONTACT. >> narrator: THE EXPEDITION TEAM HAS DECIDED TO TRY ONE LAST LOCATION. >> BASE, I GOT YOU ON MY SONAR. YOU'RE 20 YARDS FROM MY POSITION. HOLD YOUR POSITION, AND I'M COMING IN. >> COME IN, LEAD DIVER. >> LEAD DIVER FROM TOPSIDE, BE ADVISED WE'RE STILL ACTIVELY SEARCHING. >> LEAD DIVER, COPY. TOPSIDE STILL SEARCHING. BASE DIVER, YOU'RE TEN YARDS DOWN FROM MY POSITION. HOLD YOUR POSITION. I'M CLOSING. >> COPY THAT. >> THERE YOU ARE. NOW I SEE YOU. >> YEAH, IT'S A MUD PUDDLE HERE, BRO. >> TOPSIDE, BE ADVISED VISIBILITY CONDITIONS ARE ZERO TO THREE FEET. WE HAVE NO VISUAL ON ANY TARGETS AND ARE COMPLETELY RELYING ON SONAR, OVER. >> TOPSIDE COPIES THAT TRANSMISSION. >> narrator: SOMETHING SUDDENLY APPEARS ON THE SONAR, AND IT'S CLOSING IN FAST. >> I'VE GOT A HARD TARGET AT TEN O'CLOCK AT 120 FEET, AND IT'S BETWEEN 10 AND 13 FEET IN LENGTH. >> WE HAVE A SONAR HIT AT OUR TEN O'CLOCK, ABOUT 120 FEET. THIS THING'S MOVING QUICK. >> TARGET IS MOVING VERY RAPIDLY FROM OUR LEFT TO RIGHT. >> LEAD DIVER FROM TOPSIDE. >> LEAD DIVER. >> YEAH, BE ADVISED THIS THING'S MOVING QUICK. IT'S COMING TOWARD US. >> ROGER, LEAD DIVER COPY. TARGET IS MOVING. BASE DIVER, ARE YOU IN POSITION? >> BASE DIVER'S IN POSITION. >> WE'RE TRACKING THE TARGET MOVING TOWARDS OUR BOW. >> UH, COORDINATES? >> FROM HIS POSITION, IT WAS HEADING ABOUT 90 DEGREES TO HIS LEFT, AND IT WAS MOVING PRETTY QUICK. >> 90 DEGREES TO YOUR LEFT, AND IT'S BEEN MOVING FAST. >> ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO ACQUIRE TARGET ON HANDHELD SONAR. >> 90 DEGREES TO THE PORT. >> YEAH, GO AHEAD AND HOLD YOUR CURRENT POSITION. >> narrator: THE VISIBILITY IN THIS LOCATION IS LESS THAN TWO INCHES, AND THE DIVERS ARE EASILY DISORIENTED. THEY MUST BE FACE-TO-FACE WITH SOMETHING TO HAVE ANY CHANCE OF SEEING IT. >> YEAH, COPY; BE ADVISED WE'RE DOING A 360 SEARCH ON THIS ONE. >> BASE, WE KNOW SOMETHING'S IN THE AREA. GO AHEAD AND KEEP SEARCHING, AND WE'LL KEEP SEARCHING TOO; OVER. >> COPY. >> COPY THAT. >> narrator: THE DIVERS WERE UNABLE TO SIGHT THE BEAST, BUT THE SONAR PICKED UP SOMETHING 14 FEET LONG AND FAST. >> SONAR AT THIS TIME, HE'S JUST MOVING TOO FAST. I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH IT. >> TARGET IS OUT, NO CONTACT. TARGET'S GONE. >> HEY, DALE, I'M GONNA... >> narrator: THE POOR WATER CONDITIONS AND THE SPEED OF THE CREATURE MAKE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A GOOD LOOK AT WHATEVER IS SWIMMING AROUND THEM. THE BEST PICTURE OF THE CREATURE MAY COME FROM THE ANIMATORS, WHO ARE TAKING ALL THE CLEAR DETAILS FROM THE SOWERWINE VIDEO TO CREATE A COMPOSITED CREATURE. >> OKAY, WILL, SO SHOW ME WHAT YOU HAVE. >> OKAY, WELL, BASED ON THE INFORMATION WE HAVE, WE MANAGED TO CHANGE FINS A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE ARTIST'S RENDITION. >> YEAH, BUT I THINK THAT THAT IS CORRECT ONE. >> WE'VE ALSO MANAGED TO TEXTURE IT, AND THE ANIMATION IS FINALIZED, SO... >> narrator: THE FINISHED COMPOSITE WILL BE SENT TO MARINE BIOLOGISTS TO SEE IF IT MATCHES ANY KNOWN ANIMAL, LIVING OR EXTINCT. AND THE MAN WHO HAS SEEN THE CREATURES FOR YEARS IN JUST FLEETING GLIMPSES WILL FINALLY SEE THE CREATURE FULLY REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME. >> WOW. IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY ACCURATE. IT'S ACTUALLY VERY ACCURATE, FROM WHAT I SAW. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> HAS TRAVELED TO FLORIDA TO INVESTIGATE LEGENDARY STORIES OF A SEA MONSTER WITH A FORKED TAIL, BUT NO ONE HAS EVER OFFERED PROOF UNTIL NOW. THIS MAN BELIEVES HE HAS VIDEOTAPE EVIDENCE OF A REAL SEA MONSTER LIVING IN FLORIDA WATERS TODAY. THIS MAN BELIEVES THE FOOTAGE SHOWS CREATURES THOUGHT TO BE EXTINCT, AND THIS MARINE BIOLOGIST THINKS IT MAY BE SOMETHING STILL UNKNOWN, WHILE THIS EXPERT THINKS SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. >> THEY'RE IN HERE, SO... >> narrator: THE EXPEDITION TEAM FINALLY PINGED SOMETHING WITH THEIR SONAR THAT WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE CREATURE. >> THE FACT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SNEAK UP ON THIS THING IN ZERO-VISIBILITY CONDITIONS, GET RIGHT UP IN ITS FACE AND SURPRISE IT, BASICALLY, HAD ME KIND OF DOUBLE THINKING WHAT I WAS DOING. >> narrator: BUT THE MURKY WATER CONDITIONS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND THE CREATURE. >> IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE THAT PEOPLE AREN'T SEEING IT. THERE'S ZERO VISIBILITY IN THE WATER. PEOPLE THAT ARE OUT THERE AREN'T NECESSARILY LOOKING TO SEE THIS TYPE OF THING, SO, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY THAT SOME OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO FIND ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE. >> narrator: THE MOST COMPELLING EVIDENCE REMAINS THE ORIGINAL SOWERWINE FOOTAGE THAT REVEALS JUST BITS AND PIECES OF THE CREATURES. A TEAM OF FORENSIC ANIMATORS HAS BEEN ENLISTED TO GET A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF THIS BEAST. THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR WEEKS, STUDYING THE TAPES AND MAKING DRAWINGS TO PAINSTAKINGLY CREATE AN ANIMATED VERSION. NOW THE ARTISTS ARE READY TO UNVEIL THEIR BEAST. THE ANIMATION REVEALS A LARGE CREATURE 10 TO 15 FEET LONG. ALL THE STRANGE FEATURES FROM THE TAPES ARE THERE, MANY OF THEM SIMILAR TO THE FEATURES SEEN IN OLD DRAWINGS OF SEA MONSTERS: THE SEALLIKE HEAD WITH ITS PRONOUNCED BROW AND DEEP-SET EYES, THE LONG, NARROW SNOUT, THE PROTRUDING LOWER JAW, AND AT THE OTHER END, THE DISTINCTIVE TRIDENT TAIL. >> OH, I LIKE THIS. IN FACT, THAT IS PRETTY SIMILAR TO THE ONE TIME I DID ACTUALLY SEE THIS CREATURE WITH GOOD SUNLIGHT, CLEAR WATER. I SAW IT SWIMMING THROUGH THE WATER FOR A FEW FEET. IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY ACCURATE. IT'S ACTUALLY VERY ACCURATE, FROM WHAT I SAW. >> narrator: MARTINE DE WIT BELIEVES THE ANIMALS IN THE VIDEO ARE MANATEES. >> IF I LOOK AT THE ANIMATION, THIS ANIMAL DEFINITELY HAS FEATURES OF A MANATEE. AND IF I HAVE TO THINK OF ANY ANIMAL THAT IS OUT THERE IN FLORIDA THAT LOOKS LIKE THE IMAGE THAT WE ARE HERE LOOKING AT, I SAY IT'S A MANATEE. >> narrator: HOWEVER, THE MANATEE HAS A LARGE ROUNDED FLUKE OR TAIL, UNLIKE THE TRIDENT TAIL CAUGHT ON TAPE. BUT DR. DE WIT HAS A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION. >> EVERY MANATEE IN FLORIDA WILL GET HIT BY A BOAT AT SOME POINT. >> narrator: THOUSANDS OF MANATEES ARE HIT BY BOATS YEARLY AND BEAR THE SCARS OF BEING CUT BY PROPELLERS. DR. DE WIT IS CERTAIN THAT'S THE CAUSE OF THE DISTINCTIVE TRIDENT TAIL ON THE SOWERWINE CREATURE. >> YEAH, PROBABLY SOME PART OF THE FLUKE WAS COMPLETELY CUT OFF, AND THE REMAINDER OF THE TISSUE THAT WAS STILL VIABLE HEALED AND GAVE IT THIS MUTILATED SHAPE. SOMETIMES IF THE PROPELLER GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FLUKE AND TURNS AROUND, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE FLUKE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO FINGER SHAPES, AND THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THE SHAPE THAT I SEE IN THE FLUKE OF THIS ANIMAL. >> narrator: SO MANY MANATEES ARE HIT THAT KNOWN BREEDING AREAS ARE MARKED TO CAUTION BOATERS. >> THESE WILL GET KILLED WHEN THEY ARE HIT BY A BOAT, AND THAT'S NOT ONLY BY THE CUT OF A PROPELLER. IT CAN ALSO BE PURELY THE IMPACT WITH THE VESSEL THAT CAN BE FATAL FOR THEM. >> narrator: COLLISIONS WITH BOATS AND PROPS LEAVE BEHIND DISTINCT MARKS THAT RESEARCHERS HAVE USED TO THEIR ADVANTAGE. >> WE CAN IDENTIFY THESE ANIMALS BY THEIR UNIQUE SCAR PATTERNS AND FEATURES ON THE ANIMALS. >> narrator: THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION CATALOGS IMAGES OF DAMAGED MANATEES FOR TRACKING PURPOSES AND HAS A DATABASE CONTAINING 2,000 IMAGES. >> IF YOU LOOK AT THIS ONE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE VERY UNIFORM. THERE'S ALSO LOTS OF OTHER EXAMPLES OF SCAR PATTERNS HAVING A VERY UNIFORM APPEARANCE. IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY COMMON. >> narrator: THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SCIENCE TEAM ASKED FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION RESEARCHERS TO SEE IF THE TAIL CAN BE MATCHED. OF THE 2,000 IMAGES THEY HAVE ON FILE, NOTHING IN THE DATABASE IS SIMILAR. IF THIS IS AN INJURED MANATEE, IT IS ONE RESEARCHERS HAVE NOT SEEN BEFORE. UPON VIEWING THE ANIMATION, BIOLOGIST DR. PETER SORENSON AGREES WITH DR. DE WIT. >> AND THIS ALL IS HIGHLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE IDEA THAT THIS IS A MAMMAL OF SOME KIND AND OF COURSE, THE MANATEE HYPOTHESIS. >> narrator: DR. EDWARD PATUCH DISAGREES, BELIEVING SOWERWINE'S FOOTAGE LIKELY CAUGHT TWO SPECIES, SEALS AND MANATEES, COEXISTING IN THE SAME WATERS. >> THEY'RE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. MANATEES ARE VEGETARIANS. SEALS ARE CARNIVORES. THEY'RE CHASING AFTER FISH, THINGS LIKE THAT, SQUID. SO THEY JUST IGNORE EACH OTHER, REALLY. THEY'RE NOT COMPETING, AND THEY DON'T BOTHER EACH OTHER, GENERALLY. IF THIS THING DOES EXIST LIKE THIS, THIS WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE GREATEST DISCOVERIES OF ALL TIME, A TOTALLY NEW KIND OF ANIMAL. >> THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED RECENTLY THAT WERE THOUGHT TO BE EXTINCT THAT WERE STILL AROUND, SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO. >> narrator: THIS<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> EXPEDITION HAS REVEALED SOME STARTLING CONCLUSIONS. THE FOOTAGE HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE AUTHENTIC, AND SONAR CONFIRMS THERE ARE LARGE CREATURES IN THE SAME WATERS. THE DIVERS HAVE DETERMINED THAT SEA CREATURES LIKELY ACCESS THE LAKE ALONG A MANMADE WATERWAY. AND A COMPOSITE CREATURE CREATED BY FORENSIC ANIMATORS ALLOWED EXPERTS TO CONCLUDE THAT THE ANIMAL IN THESE WATERS MAY BE BOTH SEALS AND MANATEES EXISTING IN THE SAME WATERS. >> WE WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY LOCATE THE TARGET THAT WE SET OUT TO FIND. WE DID FIND IT. WE WERE TRACKING IT. IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO CLOSE ON THE TARGET AND ACTUALLY ACQUIRE IT ON VIDEO, WHICH WAS UNFORTUNATE, BECAUSE I REALLY WANTED TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS THING WAS. >> I KNOW THE SEA LIFE SO WELL. I'VE SPENT SO MUCH TIME ON THE WATER, I KNEW WHEN I SAW IT, IT WASN'T ANY KNOWN SPECIES. >> I THOUGHT GENE WAS CRAZY AT FIRST, WHEN HE STARTED TELLING ME ABOUT IT. I REALLY THOUGHT HE HAD LOST HIS MIND. BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE THERE, SO THE TRUTH IS IN THE PICTURES AND THE VIDEO, SO TAKE IT FROM THERE. I MEAN, WHATEVER IT IS, IT IS. I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT IS, BUT IT'S THERE. >> THERE IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY OF DISCOVERING NEW SPECIES. I MEAN, THAT HAPPENS ALL OVER THE WORLD. I JUST WOULDN'T EXPECT IT IN FLORIDA. THE FLORIDA WATERS ARE HIGHLY POPULATED. LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE OUT ON THE WATERS EVERY SINGLE DAY. >> MOST OF THE TIME, WE SPEND OUR TIME TRYING TO FERRET THROUGH THE KNOWN ZOOLOGICAL SPECIES TO ANSWER A RIDDLE, AND WE COME UP WITH AN ANSWER. 90% OF THE TIME, IT'S AN ANIMAL THAT WE KNOW. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT, AND THAT MAKES IT EXCITING. >> WE COULD BE WATCHING RIGHT NOW EVOLUTION TAKING PLACE, WITH A NEW GROUP OF SEALS STARTING TO MAKE THEIR FIRST FOOTPRINT INTO A NEW WORLD.
