Anyone who is into fishing will understand what it means when someone talks about a “fisherman’s tale.” We’re pretty sure you’ve all heard one too – and it doesn’t necessarily need to have anything to do with fishing! It comes from those times when someone catches an enormous, prize fish and tells everyone about it – but nobody was actually around to see it! “I’m tellin’ ya – it was THIS BIG!” Yeah – right buddy, pull the other one!
If it wasn’t for the video footage you’re about to watch, you’d probably have some difficulty believing this fisherman’s tale too. Steve Townson is known as “the fish finder,” has built up a solid reputation as a pro fisherman. He’s probably got a few tall tales in his locker, but thankfully this one was captured on video – and you’re going to be amazed at what he reels in this time.
Amazon River Monsters is an episode taken from Bill’s Channel, a You Tuber specializing in outrageous wildlife videos and “real or fake” footage from around the animal kingdom. The river Amazon is no stranger to its fair share of bizarre critters and creatures – some of them you need to see in order to believe. In this incredible eco-system, there are thousands of fascinating lifeforms that most people won’t ever see or even have heard of. As Bill says, perhaps the most famous river monster is the deadly Piranha – a favorite weapon of James Bond baddies everywhere – but in this episode, they’re hunting a monster of a different kind.
The gigantic Arapaima is around 250 million years old, ancestors of some of the very first recognizable fish on earth. They can grow up to two and a half meters in length (around 8 feet) and weigh as much as 200KG (440 LBS)! If you want to land one of these suckers – you better have the right kit to do it!
Scientists have been very interested in the Arapaima because of its unique skin – which is quite possibly the reason it has survived for so long. Its scaly body is like plate armor, so strong that even the vicious Piranha can’t bite through it. Added to that, it’s super light, and experts are keen to learn its composition and potential uses in learning its secrets.
But these creatures are gentle giants, and fisherman Steve Townson is very respectful of the beast, realizing his caught Arapaima back into his watery home in the video. If he told you this story otherwise – you wouldn’t believe a word of it!
