Animal Planet Looks at Killer Fish

By Jon Lafayette

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Animal Planet, best known for its cuddly “Puppy Bowl,” is launching a seven-part series called “River Monsters” featuring sea creatures that prey on man.

The series features biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade, who travels worldwide to investigate harrowing tales of flesh-eating freshwater fish. Each week he’ll get face-to-face with predators, such as piranha, alligators, bullshark and arapaima, to determine the truth about their feeding habits.

“Like all the best horror movies, the images in ‘River Monsters’ are intense and immediate,” said Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet Media. “Jeremy does a fantastic job of heightening the drama on screen while illustrating to viewers, like a forensic investigation, exactly how these river monsters are constructed to kill.”

Wade tries to capture the creatures he sees and show viewers aspects of their anatomy, including the sharp teeth that make them deadly when they grow large or appear in large numbers.

“What is it that turns these fish into vicious, murderous killers? That is what I want to find out,” Mr. Wade said. “Although lakes and rivers comprise less than 1% of the Earth’s water, we probably know less about what lives in fresh water than in oceans, and that makes solving these mysteries uniquely fascinating.”

“River Monsters” is a production of Icon Films for Animal Planet. Harry Marshall is the executive producer for Icon Films, and Mick Kaczorowski is the executive producer for Animal Planet.