River Monsters True Stories of the Ones that Didn't Get Away

by Wade, Jeremy

• ISBN13: 9780306820816
• ISBN10: 0306820811
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-27
• Publisher: Da Capo Press

Summary

I’m Jeremy Wade, biologist and fishing detective. For twenty-five years, I’ve explored our planet’s remotest rivers and lakes, hunting for monster-sized fish. It’s become something of an obsession for me. . . . Called “the greatest angling explorer of his generation” ( Independent on Sunday), Jeremy Wade, host of Animal Planet’s wildly popular TV series River Monsters, takes viewers where no wildlife program has gone before, revealing the creatures that lurk in the murky depths of our planet’s inland waterways. Now, Wade goes truly beneath the surface, disclosing full details of how he tracks down and catches each species while also recounting the off-camera highlights of his extraordinary life. From his arrest as a suspected spy in Southeast Asia to a plane crash in the Amazon, every page of River Monstersis packed with adventure. Each chapter unfolds an enthralling detective story, where fishermen’s tales of underwater man-eaters and aquatic killers are subjected to scientific scrutiny. Follow Wade step-by-step as, armed with just a fishing line, he closes in on his prey and separates fact from fiction. From the heart of the Congo, where he wrestles with supernatural goliath tigerfish, to the depths of the Amazon, where the most feared creature is one that could fit in your palm, the results are fish of staggering proportions and terrifying demeanor. Wade also reveals monsters from upcoming episodes, including deadly electric eels, a giant described as a cross between a shark and a chainsaw, and a snake-like beast that truly is the stuff of legend. In the tradition of the most gripping adventure writing, River Monstersshows that there’s more to this world than what’s visible on the surface. As Wade says, with a fishing line anything is possible-sometimes it can even reveal the future, or at least one possible version of it. In similar fashion, Wade’s writings are much more than exhilarating stories: they reveal a vision of the world more awe-inspiring than any individual myth made flesh. Ultimately, River Monstersexplores the real mysteries that still exist, capturing the story of one man’s obsession-and his relentless pursuit of the truth.

Author Biography

Jeremy Wade is a former biology teacher who has been travelling to the world's remoter rivers and lakes for thirty years; He has written for publications including The Times, Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, and BBC Wildlife magazine. He lives in southern England.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Why some fishermen's tales are true	p. 1
Goonch	p. 8
Wels	p. 33
Goliath tigerfish	p. 48
Piranha	p. 68
Arapaima	p. 75
Piraiba	p. 95
Candiru	p. 104
Nile perch	p. 111
Alligator gar	p. 124
Freshwater shark	p. 135
River stingray	p. 147
The Lake lliamna monster	p. 167
Snakehead	p. 190
River shark revisited	p. 200
Bol kata	p. 213
Electric eel	p. 222
Sawfish	p. 233
Captain Cook's man-eater	p. 246
Epilogue: What else is down there?	p. 262
References and further reading	p. 267
Acknowledgments	p. 269
Photo credits	p. 271
About the author	p. 273
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