"Mysteries at the Museum" Secrets of the Deep - Mysteries at the Museum Special

1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,400 A puzzling pattern on the ocean floor... 2 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:06,200 It absolutely did not look natural 3 00:00:06,300 --> 00:00:08,200 in any way, shape or form. 4 00:00:08,340 --> 00:00:12,140 ...a war time battle against an unlikely foe... 5 00:00:12,270 --> 00:00:16,880 The Navy was crippled by this strange bacon frying sound. 6 00:00:16,910 --> 00:00:18,550 [ popping and cracking ] 7 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:20,950 ...and a terrifying tale of a real life sea serpent. 8 00:00:21,050 --> 00:00:24,120 They had never run into a creature like this before. 9 00:00:24,150 --> 00:00:28,020 These are the Mysteries at the Museum. 10 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:35,760 Orlando, Florida, is home 11 00:00:35,830 --> 00:00:38,360 to the 400-foot-tall Ferris wheel known 12 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:39,900 as the Orlando Eye. 13 00:00:39,900 --> 00:00:42,240 This iconic structure offers stunning views 14 00:00:42,370 --> 00:00:45,370 of central Florida for as far as 50 miles, 15 00:00:45,370 --> 00:00:49,240 and not far away is Orlando's most unusual attraction-- 16 00:00:49,350 --> 00:00:53,310 Skeletons Museum of Osteology. 17 00:00:55,580 --> 00:00:57,580 Dedicated to the study of bones, 18 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,920 this collection of more than 500 real animal skeletons 19 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,720 includes a two-toed sloth from South America, 20 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,030 a Sumatran white rhinoceros, 21 00:01:08,100 --> 00:01:11,260 and the world's largest rodent, the capybara. 22 00:01:11,330 --> 00:01:14,740 But among these exotic creatures 23 00:01:14,740 --> 00:01:17,440 that walked on land is one specimen 24 00:01:17,570 --> 00:01:20,410 that plumbed the ocean's depths. 25 00:01:20,410 --> 00:01:22,740 (woman) The artifact is about 11 feet tall. 26 00:01:22,810 --> 00:01:26,380 It is off-white color made of calcified bone. 27 00:01:26,420 --> 00:01:29,220 It is smooth to the touch. 28 00:01:29,290 --> 00:01:33,950 (Don) This extraordinary skull recalls a mythical creature 29 00:01:33,990 --> 00:01:37,260 that tormented sailors on the high seas. 30 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:39,460 (Ting) This is a story about a sea captain, 31 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:41,560 a legendary monster, 32 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:43,830 and the debate left in its wake. 33 00:01:48,700 --> 00:01:51,710 (Don) August 6, 1848, 34 00:01:51,770 --> 00:01:54,140 in the South Atlantic. 35 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,580 Captain Peter McQuhae is the commander of the HMS Daedalus . 36 00:01:57,580 --> 00:02:00,250 (Ting) McQuhae was a sea captain that had 37 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,520 an impeccable reputation-- he ran a very tight ship, 38 00:02:03,650 --> 00:02:06,090 and he was a no-nonsense type of guy. 39 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,390 (Don) McQuhae's ship is en route from the East Indies 40 00:02:11,460 --> 00:02:13,590 to its home port in England. 41 00:02:13,700 --> 00:02:16,600 Three hundred miles off the southern coast of Africa, 42 00:02:16,670 --> 00:02:19,230 the captain is alerted to something off 43 00:02:19,340 --> 00:02:21,600 the vessel's starboard side. 44 00:02:23,740 --> 00:02:25,910 There in the water is a massive creature 45 00:02:25,980 --> 00:02:28,270 unlike anything he has ever seen. 46 00:02:28,310 --> 00:02:30,480 The leviathan 47 00:02:30,580 --> 00:02:32,610 is more than 60 feet long, 48 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,080 has a slender, serpentine body, and is dark brown in color, 49 00:02:36,190 --> 00:02:39,290 but the most frightening characteristic of all 50 00:02:39,390 --> 00:02:42,360 is the creature's massive head, 51 00:02:42,460 --> 00:02:46,090 which protrudes from the water with its jaws agape. 52 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,960 (Ting) Captain McQuhae had seen everything... 53 00:02:49,030 --> 00:02:52,100 but he hadn't seen this. 54 00:02:52,230 --> 00:02:55,700 (Don) For centuries, sailors have told stories 55 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,310 of monstrous creatures that lurk in the depths of the ocean. 56 00:02:59,410 --> 00:03:02,310 Some have even been said 57 00:03:02,380 --> 00:03:05,910 to sink entire ships and devour their crews. 58 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:08,650 Like many others, Captain McQuhae has always 59 00:03:08,780 --> 00:03:12,250 assumed such tales to be little more than myths, 60 00:03:12,350 --> 00:03:16,190 but now, with just such a monster alongside his ship, 61 00:03:16,260 --> 00:03:18,860 the legends seem all too real. 62 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,360 (Ting) He had heard about these stories, 63 00:03:21,430 --> 00:03:23,800 but he had never run into a creature like this before. 64 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:27,470 (Don) Then, as suddenly as it appeared, 65 00:03:27,570 --> 00:03:30,470 the creature vanishes beneath the waves. 66 00:03:30,570 --> 00:03:34,070 When the Daedalus docks in England, 67 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,610 the captain and crew share the story 68 00:03:36,710 --> 00:03:39,080 of their bizarre encounter. 69 00:03:39,150 --> 00:03:42,920 And soon, all of London buzzes with speculation. 70 00:03:43,050 --> 00:03:45,950 The news was an absolute sensation. 71 00:03:46,090 --> 00:03:50,090 (Don) The creature becomes known as the Daedalus Sea Serpent. 72 00:03:50,090 --> 00:03:52,930 But as public fascination grows, 73 00:03:53,030 --> 00:03:56,000 some doubt the veracity of McQuhae's tale. 74 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,230 A fellow ship captain claims the beast was nothing more 75 00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:04,040 than an enormous clump of seaweed. 76 00:04:04,140 --> 00:04:07,040 but McQuhae insists that what he saw 77 00:04:07,110 --> 00:04:09,510 was no tangle of plants. 78 00:04:09,610 --> 00:04:12,250 (Ting) A seaweed didn't have a defined body, 79 00:04:12,310 --> 00:04:14,650 a head, and eyes. 80 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,120 (Don) An English biologist suggests that what the men saw 81 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,920 was just a particularly large elephant seal, 82 00:04:20,990 --> 00:04:24,060 a creature which has been known to reach 15 feet in length, 83 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,460 but McQuhae swears that what he and his men witnessed 84 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,660 was much larger than a big seal. 85 00:04:30,730 --> 00:04:33,730 (Ting) He knew by the sheer size of the sea creature 86 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,540 that there's no way it could have been an elephant seal. 87 00:04:39,410 --> 00:04:41,470 (Don) As the story spreads, 88 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:43,540 artists and illustrators create their own 89 00:04:43,580 --> 00:04:46,710 terrifying depictions of the monstrous serpent, 90 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,480 and McQuhae goes to his grave insisting 91 00:04:49,550 --> 00:04:52,890 that he and his crew had indeed encountered a sea monster. 92 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,890 It remains one of the strangest mysteries of the high seas, 93 00:04:57,030 --> 00:05:01,030 but more than 160 years after the sighting, 94 00:05:01,060 --> 00:05:03,960 new information emerges that may finally 95 00:05:04,100 --> 00:05:06,030 shed light on the case. 96 00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:08,100 A distant connection was about to change 97 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,340 everything we knew about this monster. 98 00:05:12,540 --> 00:05:14,640 It's 2015 in Chicago. 99 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:18,040 Evolutionary biologist, Dr. Gary J. Galbreath, 100 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,180 has long been captivated by the tale of the Daedalus Sea Monster. 101 00:05:22,250 --> 00:05:25,320 (Ting) He had heard this story his entire life, 102 00:05:25,350 --> 00:05:27,920 so he's fascinated with the stories. 103 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,460 (Don) One day, he is going through the diary 104 00:05:30,530 --> 00:05:33,190 of a lieutenant stationed on board the Daedalus 105 00:05:33,230 --> 00:05:36,360 when a sketch of the creature catches his attention. 106 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,870 Unlike other drawings from the time, 107 00:05:41,970 --> 00:05:44,670 this one, drawn by an actual eyewitness, 108 00:05:44,670 --> 00:05:48,340 depicts the serpent with a distinct dorsal fin. 109 00:05:48,410 --> 00:05:51,580 The sketch showing the dorsal fin 110 00:05:51,610 --> 00:05:54,750 pretty much ruled out that it could be any type of serpent. 111 00:05:54,820 --> 00:05:57,350 (Don) The drawing shows the creature 112 00:05:57,390 --> 00:05:59,620 swimming on its side. 113 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,590 Based on this information, Galbreath theorizes 114 00:06:02,660 --> 00:06:05,290 the sea serpent was actually a whale, 115 00:06:05,330 --> 00:06:09,500 but not just any whale-- he suggests this one 116 00:06:09,530 --> 00:06:11,970 was a rare and little known species called 117 00:06:12,070 --> 00:06:14,030 the sei whale. 118 00:06:14,070 --> 00:06:15,970 (Ting) The sei whales are known 119 00:06:15,970 --> 00:06:18,470 as the fastest whales in the sea. 120 00:06:18,470 --> 00:06:20,840 (Don) And their appearance is strikingly different 121 00:06:20,980 --> 00:06:22,910 from other whales. 122 00:06:22,980 --> 00:06:25,180 Sei whales are dark brown 123 00:06:25,180 --> 00:06:27,450 with a distinct long, slender body 124 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,450 that can reach up to 55 feet in length, 125 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,250 characteristics that match 126 00:06:33,390 --> 00:06:36,320 the descriptions of the Daedalus Sea Serpent. 127 00:06:36,460 --> 00:06:39,190 Not only that, sei whales are known 128 00:06:39,190 --> 00:06:42,730 to swim on their sides as they feed on the surface. 129 00:06:42,770 --> 00:06:45,870 To Galbreath, it's conclusive proof 130 00:06:45,930 --> 00:06:48,200 that what the men of the Daedalus saw 131 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,400 was no monster. 132 00:06:50,470 --> 00:06:52,810 (Ting) With the sei whale on its side swimming with its mouth open 133 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,740 and feeding, it looks like an intimidating sea serpent! 134 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:59,280 It was the perfect match. 135 00:07:01,550 --> 00:07:04,480 (Don) Today, this preserved skull of a sei whale 136 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,890 is on display at Skeletons Museum of Osteology 137 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:10,090 in Orlando, Florida. 138 00:07:10,130 --> 00:07:12,760 It recalls the legendary sea monster 139 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:14,960 that turned out to be nothing more 140 00:07:15,030 --> 00:07:16,700 than a gentle giant. 141 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:21,840 Washington state's Puget Sound 142 00:07:21,940 --> 00:07:25,370 is known for its dramatic inlets, rocky islands, 143 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:26,970 and mountain views. 144 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,910 Every day, more than two million gallons of fresh water 145 00:07:29,980 --> 00:07:32,180 flow through this scenic estuary. 146 00:07:32,180 --> 00:07:34,580 And celebrating an unusual aspect 147 00:07:34,650 --> 00:07:37,020 of the region's maritime heritage 148 00:07:37,090 --> 00:07:39,420 is the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum. 149 00:07:43,530 --> 00:07:44,990 The collection documents 150 00:07:44,990 --> 00:07:49,060 the history of the Navy's undersea operations. 151 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,000 On display is a re-creation of the control room 152 00:07:52,030 --> 00:07:55,570 from the Cold War submarine the USS Greenling, 153 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,540 the Howell torpedo -- the first self-propelled torpedo 154 00:07:59,610 --> 00:08:02,880 to be mass-produced by the U.S. military -- 155 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,810 and the Subhuman II, which was once 156 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,820 the fastest human-powered submarine in the world. 157 00:08:09,820 --> 00:08:12,820 But among these hulking artifacts 158 00:08:12,860 --> 00:08:17,160 is one tiny object that tells an incredible story. 159 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,030 MALLOY: It's about 4 1/2 inches in diameter, 160 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,100 metallic, and round in shape. 161 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,030 It has a hard-rubber outer shell, 162 00:08:25,100 --> 00:08:27,900 and two cords coming out of one end. 163 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,070 In its day, it was a highly advanced piece of technology. 164 00:08:34,340 --> 00:08:36,310 WILDMAN: This underwater microphone 165 00:08:36,350 --> 00:08:38,210 is linked to an extraordinary tale 166 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,720 of a miniscule creature that played an oversized part 167 00:08:41,820 --> 00:08:44,520 in the world's greatest conflict. 168 00:08:44,590 --> 00:08:48,620 In war, your biggest allies might be practically invisible. 169 00:08:53,060 --> 00:08:54,460 WILDMAN: It's 1942. 170 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,600 The U.S. has just entered World War II, 171 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,270 and the military is on high alert. 172 00:09:00,270 --> 00:09:02,200 Submarines patrol the Pacific 173 00:09:02,300 --> 00:09:05,610 to protect the American fleet in the vast ocean. 174 00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:08,610 And to listen for Japanese ships and subs, 175 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:11,440 the U.S. relies heavily upon a new technology... 176 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,350 [ Sonar pinging ] ...sound navigation and ranging, 177 00:09:14,450 --> 00:09:16,680 better known as sonar. 178 00:09:16,750 --> 00:09:18,420 The system can pick up 179 00:09:18,490 --> 00:09:20,290 the propeller sounds of enemy vessels 180 00:09:20,290 --> 00:09:22,290 from miles away. 181 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:24,790 MALLOY: Sonar was used to see and find things underwater. 182 00:09:24,930 --> 00:09:26,590 And, in the world's largest oceans, 183 00:09:26,700 --> 00:09:28,260 sonar is basically the difference 184 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,130 between being blindfolded or having night-vision goggles. 185 00:09:35,870 --> 00:09:37,900 WILDMAN: One day, the crew of a submarine 186 00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:40,570 submerged off the coast of the Dutch East Indies 187 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,640 detects something peculiar. 188 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:44,180 [ Crackling ] 189 00:09:44,180 --> 00:09:45,910 A constant, crackling hum 190 00:09:46,010 --> 00:09:49,250 that drowns out all of the other sonar sounds, 191 00:09:49,380 --> 00:09:53,150 making it impossible to detect enemy vessels. 192 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,590 Soon, submarines across the Pacific 193 00:09:56,690 --> 00:09:59,160 report encountering the same noise. 194 00:09:59,230 --> 00:10:02,660 And crews say it sounds like the crackling of a frying pan, 195 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:07,800 and it's rendering their sonar useless. 196 00:10:07,900 --> 00:10:10,600 WILDMAN: Examination of the submarines' sonar systems 197 00:10:10,710 --> 00:10:13,170 reveals the noise is not a technical glitch. 198 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:15,940 But the Navy cannot figure out what the sound is 199 00:10:16,010 --> 00:10:17,680 or where it's coming from. 200 00:10:20,980 --> 00:10:24,020 So they call in a marine biologist from California 201 00:10:24,150 --> 00:10:26,690 named Dr. Martin W. Johnson. 202 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,020 He was the top scientist in oceanography at the time. 203 00:10:30,060 --> 00:10:35,030 He was a passionate guy and very respected. 204 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,300 WILDMAN: And when Johnson first hears the sound, 205 00:10:37,300 --> 00:10:39,600 he's also baffled. 206 00:10:39,700 --> 00:10:42,240 MALLOY: This odd noise was as mysterious to Johnson 207 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:43,600 as it was to the Navy. 208 00:10:43,740 --> 00:10:48,310 So his number-one goal was to figure out what this sound was 209 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:50,410 and where it was coming from. 210 00:10:53,020 --> 00:10:55,250 WILDMAN: Johnson examines survey reports 211 00:10:55,350 --> 00:10:57,480 of where these disturbances occurred, 212 00:10:57,550 --> 00:11:00,590 and he comes to an unexpected conclusion. 213 00:11:00,690 --> 00:11:02,790 The spots match known locations 214 00:11:02,790 --> 00:11:06,060 of massive colonies of pistol shrimp. 215 00:11:06,090 --> 00:11:09,530 Dr. Johnson cannot believe what he just discovered. 216 00:11:09,530 --> 00:11:12,730 The culprit was measly, little shrimp. 217 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:17,800 WILDMAN: Though they are only an inch or two in size, 218 00:11:17,870 --> 00:11:22,210 thousands of pistol shrimp can live together in colonies. 219 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,050 Each tiny shrimp has an oversized claw 220 00:11:25,150 --> 00:11:26,710 it uses to catch food. 221 00:11:26,820 --> 00:11:28,980 When it clacks its claw together, 222 00:11:29,020 --> 00:11:31,220 it creates a loud popping sound. 223 00:11:31,220 --> 00:11:34,720 But if an entire colony does this at the same time, 224 00:11:34,790 --> 00:11:36,590 the noise is so deafening, 225 00:11:36,730 --> 00:11:41,530 it can disrupt even the most advanced sonar. 226 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,160 So it was thousands of these small pistol shrimp 227 00:11:44,230 --> 00:11:45,360 snapping their claws. 228 00:11:45,430 --> 00:11:47,630 It was quite amazing. 229 00:11:47,700 --> 00:11:50,440 WILDMAN: But identifying the source of the problem 230 00:11:50,510 --> 00:11:51,300 is one thing. 231 00:11:51,370 --> 00:11:53,270 Solving it is another. 232 00:11:53,380 --> 00:11:55,810 MALLOY: It was impossible to silence the shrimp. 233 00:11:55,940 --> 00:11:58,210 They couldn't rightly eliminate all the shrimp in the ocean. 234 00:12:01,850 --> 00:12:04,320 WILDMAN: And until Johnson figures out a solution 235 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:06,190 to this fishy predicament, 236 00:12:06,190 --> 00:12:09,390 American ships in the Pacific remain at risk. 237 00:12:09,390 --> 00:12:11,120 MALLOY: There was an extreme amount of pressure on Johnson. 238 00:12:11,190 --> 00:12:12,390 Winning the war 239 00:12:12,530 --> 00:12:15,460 was based on how effective their sonar system was. 240 00:12:15,530 --> 00:12:17,700 And, basically, the Navy was back to square one 241 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:21,130 with their problem -- how to fix the sonar. 242 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,670 WILDMAN: What will it take to defeat these noisy crustaceans? 243 00:12:30,980 --> 00:12:34,980 It's 1942. War is raging in the Pacific. 244 00:12:35,020 --> 00:12:37,550 U.S. Naval commanders have a problem -- 245 00:12:37,690 --> 00:12:39,850 Their sophisticated sonar systems 246 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:41,550 have been rendered useless 247 00:12:41,620 --> 00:12:45,360 by the popping sounds produced by tiny pistol shrimp 248 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,990 all clapping their claws in unison. 249 00:12:48,030 --> 00:12:51,800 The result is that the Navy can't detect enemy subs, 250 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,970 leaving American sailors vulnerable to attack. 251 00:12:55,070 --> 00:13:00,770 So is the U.S. Navy about to be defeated by shrimp? 252 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,940 Tasked with solving the prawny problem 253 00:13:04,010 --> 00:13:07,210 is marine biologist Dr. Martin Johnson. 254 00:13:07,250 --> 00:13:09,450 Johnson knows the Navy can't kill off 255 00:13:09,550 --> 00:13:11,380 these colonies of shrimp, 256 00:13:11,490 --> 00:13:15,120 but the Navy could use the situation to its advantage. 257 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,720 MALLOY: Dr. Johnson knew that the Japanese sonar 258 00:13:17,860 --> 00:13:19,860 was a lot weaker than the U.S. sonar. 259 00:13:19,990 --> 00:13:22,660 So if the shrimp affected the U.S. sonar equipment, 260 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:25,060 it was definitely gonna affect the enemy's. 261 00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:26,930 WILDMAN: Johnson reasons 262 00:13:26,970 --> 00:13:31,000 that if U.S. subs hide near colonies of pistol shrimp, 263 00:13:31,070 --> 00:13:33,470 the Japanese will never be able to detect them 264 00:13:33,540 --> 00:13:35,280 through the noise. 265 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,080 MALLOY: Dr. Johnson recommended 266 00:13:37,210 --> 00:13:39,080 they use the shrimp as camouflage 267 00:13:39,210 --> 00:13:40,810 against the Japanese sonar. 268 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,980 The Navy thought Johnson's idea was absolutely brilliant. 269 00:13:48,690 --> 00:13:49,820 WILDMAN: With Johnson's help, 270 00:13:49,890 --> 00:13:52,860 the Navy distributes maps of pistol shrimp colonies 271 00:13:52,930 --> 00:13:55,400 to submarines throughout the Pacific. 272 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:58,970 These maps provide a network of acoustic hiding places 273 00:13:59,070 --> 00:14:02,170 all along Japanese supply routes. 274 00:14:02,270 --> 00:14:04,970 [ Crackling ] 275 00:14:05,010 --> 00:14:08,840 By camouflaging their fleet in these underwater havens, 276 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,580 the U.S. Navy gains a decisive advantage in the war. 277 00:14:12,580 --> 00:14:16,120 MALLOY: With all the technology that the U.S. had in World War II, 278 00:14:16,250 --> 00:14:19,050 the pistol shrimp were America's little secret weapon. 279 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,960 [ Clacking ] 280 00:14:22,060 --> 00:14:23,790 WILDMAN: Today, this hydrophone, 281 00:14:23,860 --> 00:14:27,230 an underwater microphone used to listen to pistol shrimp, 282 00:14:27,330 --> 00:14:30,130 is at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum. 283 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:32,400 It recalls the tiny crustaceans 284 00:14:32,470 --> 00:14:35,970 that almost torpedoed America's chance at victory. 285 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,740 California's Pacific Coast Highway 286 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:46,280 is one of the most scenic driving routes in the world. 287 00:14:46,380 --> 00:14:48,350 At 790 miles long, 288 00:14:48,420 --> 00:14:51,280 it offers views of such breathtaking shorelines 289 00:14:51,420 --> 00:14:54,620 as Monterey Bay, Big Sur, 290 00:14:54,660 --> 00:14:57,360 and Point Mugu State Park. 291 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,930 And along this historic motorway, 292 00:15:00,060 --> 00:15:03,160 in the picturesque community of La Jolla 293 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,730 is the nation's preeminent marine research facility-- 294 00:15:06,870 --> 00:15:09,970 the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 295 00:15:13,070 --> 00:15:16,580 The collection includes a cusk-eel, 296 00:15:16,650 --> 00:15:20,050 which lives two miles beneath the ocean's surface, 297 00:15:20,150 --> 00:15:23,450 a rare deep sea predator called a goblin shark, 298 00:15:23,450 --> 00:15:27,050 and an endangered prehistoric fish 299 00:15:27,090 --> 00:15:30,920 known as a coelacanth. 300 00:15:30,990 --> 00:15:34,530 But among these extraordinary creatures of the deep 301 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:38,600 is a tiny specimen with the strangest story to tell. 302 00:15:38,670 --> 00:15:41,730 (man) The artifact is about 7 and 1/2 inches long, 303 00:15:41,770 --> 00:15:44,340 and it weighs about 1/4 of a pound. 304 00:15:44,410 --> 00:15:46,140 It is brownish-yellow. 305 00:15:46,270 --> 00:15:48,740 It was preserved in a glass jar 306 00:15:48,740 --> 00:15:51,780 with a white plastic lid. 307 00:15:51,850 --> 00:15:55,620 (Don) This organism played a starring role 308 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:58,420 in an underwater enigma that bamboozled 309 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:00,690 the world of science. 310 00:16:00,790 --> 00:16:03,720 (Paul) This is a story of passion, discovery, 311 00:16:03,730 --> 00:16:06,430 and unexplored mysteries of the deep ocean. 312 00:16:11,030 --> 00:16:14,500 (Don) Japan, 2012. 313 00:16:14,500 --> 00:16:18,170 Yoji Okata is an avid scuba diver 314 00:16:18,210 --> 00:16:21,040 and successful underwater photographer. 315 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,240 Yoji was an adventurous person with a passion 316 00:16:24,310 --> 00:16:26,610 for the natural world. 317 00:16:28,650 --> 00:16:30,050 (Don) One day in September, 318 00:16:30,150 --> 00:16:32,490 Yoji is diving off the southern coast of Japan 319 00:16:32,550 --> 00:16:36,720 when he sees something unusual on the seabed. 320 00:16:39,860 --> 00:16:41,660 Etched into the sand below him 321 00:16:41,700 --> 00:16:43,930 is an intricate design. 322 00:16:44,070 --> 00:16:47,470 Yoji observed a strange, circular pattern 323 00:16:47,470 --> 00:16:51,400 about six feet wide with sort of sand ridges and hills 324 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:53,740 throughout the circle. 325 00:16:53,780 --> 00:16:56,540 In his years of underwater photography, 326 00:16:56,540 --> 00:16:59,510 Yoji had never seen anything like this. 327 00:17:01,850 --> 00:17:04,150 (Don) The pattern seems too perfect to have 328 00:17:04,150 --> 00:17:07,120 any natural explanation. 329 00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:09,560 He was determined to try and figure out 330 00:17:09,690 --> 00:17:12,930 what actually was the cause of these underwater circles. 331 00:17:16,770 --> 00:17:18,160 (Don) Later, when he examines his photos, 332 00:17:18,230 --> 00:17:21,630 Yoji discovers that he is not the first 333 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,670 to come across these complex underwater designs. 334 00:17:24,810 --> 00:17:28,770 These undersea circles were first documented by divers 335 00:17:28,810 --> 00:17:31,910 in the Pacific Ocean in 1995, 336 00:17:31,910 --> 00:17:35,350 but since then, their origin has remained a mystery. 337 00:17:35,420 --> 00:17:39,720 Some speculate that they're made by ocean currents 338 00:17:39,820 --> 00:17:42,520 forming patterns in the seabed. 339 00:17:42,620 --> 00:17:46,330 But this made no sense to anyone that understood physics of water. 340 00:17:46,330 --> 00:17:50,600 Sand ripples ought to occur in a typical linear fashion. 341 00:17:50,670 --> 00:17:53,300 This was a circle. 342 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,870 (Don) Others believe the designs are merely a hoax 343 00:17:57,910 --> 00:18:00,540 created by mischievous divers, 344 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,540 but this hypothesis doesn't hold water, either, 345 00:18:03,550 --> 00:18:06,550 as the circles have been found across a wide swath 346 00:18:06,580 --> 00:18:09,010 of the Pacific Ocean. 347 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,550 No single diver or group of divers could possibly 348 00:18:11,550 --> 00:18:13,820 have made all of these strange formations 349 00:18:13,890 --> 00:18:17,220 on the bottom of the ocean in all of these different places. 350 00:18:19,730 --> 00:18:22,500 (Don) With no obvious explanation at hand, 351 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,700 some note that these strange patterns on the seabed 352 00:18:25,700 --> 00:18:28,700 bear a striking resemblance to another bizarre, 353 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:31,040 land-based phenomenon-- 354 00:18:31,140 --> 00:18:33,670 crop circles. 355 00:18:33,780 --> 00:18:36,110 In the 1970s and '80s, 356 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,910 large, unexplained circular patterns began appearing 357 00:18:40,050 --> 00:18:42,720 in corn fields in the United States and Europe, 358 00:18:42,850 --> 00:18:45,520 leading many to suggest that the crop circles 359 00:18:45,650 --> 00:18:48,320 were the work of extraterrestrials. 360 00:18:48,460 --> 00:18:50,720 And if that theory is correct, 361 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,730 then perhaps who, or whatever, made the crop circles 362 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,530 also created these intricate patterns on the ocean floor. 363 00:19:00,900 --> 00:19:03,470 But none of these theories satisfy Yoji. 364 00:19:03,540 --> 00:19:06,340 Yoji did not feel that any of those explanations 365 00:19:06,470 --> 00:19:10,210 were rational, but he wanted to know 366 00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:13,680 what was causing these unusual, crop-like 367 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,550 circular formations in the sand. 368 00:19:16,550 --> 00:19:18,620 (Don) So what's really behind 369 00:19:18,650 --> 00:19:21,290 these curious deep sea creations? 370 00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:29,360 Underwater photographer, Yoji Okata, 371 00:19:29,430 --> 00:19:32,260 has discovered something unusual while diving 372 00:19:32,330 --> 00:19:35,830 off the coast of Japan-- large, intricate patterns 373 00:19:35,870 --> 00:19:38,040 etched into the sand on the ocean floor. 374 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,540 So what or who is responsible 375 00:19:40,610 --> 00:19:42,540 for these deep sea designs? 376 00:19:45,750 --> 00:19:48,010 To crack the enigma, Yoji Okata 377 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:50,750 returns to the deep, along with an investigative 378 00:19:50,850 --> 00:19:52,520 team of divers. 379 00:19:54,790 --> 00:19:56,820 After days of searching, they find 380 00:19:56,890 --> 00:19:59,490 another ornate circular design. 381 00:19:59,630 --> 00:20:02,560 It's then that the divers see something moving 382 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,730 in the middle of the circle-- 383 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,800 a tiny fish. 384 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,470 (Paul) The divers observe the small pufferfish flapping 385 00:20:13,540 --> 00:20:16,410 its fins frantically as it swam back and forth. 386 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:19,040 (Don) The team watches 387 00:20:19,110 --> 00:20:22,010 as the fish uses its fins to create 388 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,950 a circular pattern on the ocean floor. 389 00:20:25,050 --> 00:20:28,090 (Paul) It didn't take long for the divers to recognize 390 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,760 that the artist of these strange sand formations 391 00:20:30,790 --> 00:20:33,160 was, in fact, a small pufferfish. 392 00:20:33,290 --> 00:20:36,360 (Don) The creature is identified as a member of 393 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:40,000 a newly discovered species called the white spotted pufferfish. 394 00:20:43,710 --> 00:20:45,710 But the question remains-- 395 00:20:45,710 --> 00:20:47,840 why do they make these intricate patterns? 396 00:20:47,940 --> 00:20:50,510 After careful observation, 397 00:20:50,610 --> 00:20:53,050 scientists conclude that the work is done 398 00:20:53,180 --> 00:20:57,080 by the male of the species as an elaborate courtship ritual. 399 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:01,920 (Paul) The sand formations attracted females, 400 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:03,990 who swam down the grooves, 401 00:21:04,030 --> 00:21:06,930 where the male was waiting-- the females deposited 402 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,260 their eggs, and the male fertilized them, 403 00:21:09,330 --> 00:21:11,860 and then the male protected those eggs until they hatched. 404 00:21:15,270 --> 00:21:17,600 (Don) Yoji Okata and his team are the first to witness 405 00:21:17,740 --> 00:21:20,210 one of the most unusual mating rituals 406 00:21:20,310 --> 00:21:22,340 in the natural world. 407 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,080 Yoji was elated that he finally had discovered 408 00:21:25,210 --> 00:21:28,680 the culprit, the artist, of these strange sand formations. 409 00:21:32,250 --> 00:21:35,220 (Don) Today, this pufferfish, like the one responsible 410 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:38,690 for making these underwater creations, is on display 411 00:21:38,730 --> 00:21:41,430 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography 412 00:21:41,430 --> 00:21:43,760 in San Diego, California. 413 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,300 It recalls a remarkable quest 414 00:21:46,330 --> 00:21:50,100 to reveal the puzzling patterns of ocean life. 415 00:21:54,310 --> 00:21:57,040 Wooden Polynesian effigies, 416 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,450 hand-carved Native American masks... 417 00:22:00,550 --> 00:22:04,850 and the 10,000 year old bones of the Mastodon. 418 00:22:04,950 --> 00:22:08,550 These and other wonders of the Pacific northwest 419 00:22:08,690 --> 00:22:10,660 are on display at the Burke Museum 420 00:22:10,660 --> 00:22:12,190 of Natural History and Culture 421 00:22:12,230 --> 00:22:13,830 in Seattle, Washington 422 00:22:17,970 --> 00:22:20,300 But amidst these earthly relics is one item 423 00:22:20,370 --> 00:22:23,540 that has no place on dry land. 424 00:22:23,570 --> 00:22:27,010 MASLENIKOV: It is about 6 inches long, about 3 1/2 inches wide. 425 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,740 There is a rod coming out of the forehead 426 00:22:29,740 --> 00:22:33,810 with this glowing object at the end of it. 427 00:22:33,850 --> 00:22:36,620 And it has some very large teeth. 428 00:22:39,490 --> 00:22:42,150 WILDMAN: These frightening creatures once roamed unseen 429 00:22:42,260 --> 00:22:45,190 in the darkest depths of the ocean 430 00:22:45,190 --> 00:22:47,160 until they were brought into the light 431 00:22:47,230 --> 00:22:51,060 by one of the most incredible and dangerous expeditions 432 00:22:51,170 --> 00:22:53,800 the world has ever witnessed. 433 00:22:53,870 --> 00:22:56,340 This story tells us about the amazing impossibilities 434 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,300 when we explore the unknown. 435 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:04,840 WILDMAN: 1925 -- Bermuda. 436 00:23:04,910 --> 00:23:07,710 48-year-old explorer William Beebe is 437 00:23:07,850 --> 00:23:11,520 one of the world's most highly respected biologists. 438 00:23:11,590 --> 00:23:13,520 Throughout his career, he has discovered 439 00:23:13,590 --> 00:23:17,460 countless rare and exotic bird species. 440 00:23:17,590 --> 00:23:19,320 But now the scientist is planning 441 00:23:19,390 --> 00:23:21,990 his greatest adventure yet. 442 00:23:22,060 --> 00:23:24,400 He wants to unlock the secrets held 443 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,870 in the darkest depths of the earth's oceans. 444 00:23:27,900 --> 00:23:31,000 The ocean is this vast, undiscovered frontier. 445 00:23:31,010 --> 00:23:32,840 And for Beebe, here was the chance 446 00:23:32,910 --> 00:23:37,610 to really make his mark in a whole new way. 447 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,780 WILDMAN: But that's easier said than done. 448 00:23:40,850 --> 00:23:44,620 The most advanced diving suits of the day 449 00:23:44,620 --> 00:23:47,620 can only reach a depth of 500 feet. 450 00:23:47,660 --> 00:23:50,620 Anything below that, and the diver inside 451 00:23:50,630 --> 00:23:52,690 would be crushed by the pressure of the water. 452 00:23:52,730 --> 00:23:55,630 But Beebe is undeterred. 453 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,100 MASLENIKOV: He wanted to get deeper and deeper. 454 00:23:58,100 --> 00:23:59,630 So Beebe decides that the only way 455 00:23:59,770 --> 00:24:02,800 he's going to get down there is if he builds a vessel. 456 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,340 WILDMAN: So Beebe teams up 457 00:24:04,410 --> 00:24:07,370 with an engineer named Otis Barton. 458 00:24:07,510 --> 00:24:10,380 Barton is this young engineering student. 459 00:24:10,380 --> 00:24:13,880 For him, it was all about going down as deep as they could. 460 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:15,850 WILDMAN: Together, they come up with a simple 461 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,380 yet brilliant design. 462 00:24:18,420 --> 00:24:20,250 MASLENIKOV: They knew that it had to be a sphere 463 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:25,160 because a sphere will distribute the pressure evenly. 464 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,230 WILDMAN: For years, the men worked tirelessly 465 00:24:27,260 --> 00:24:30,230 to build their vessel. 466 00:24:30,330 --> 00:24:34,130 In 1930, it's finally ready. 467 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:37,870 The craft is made of more than two tons of cast steel 468 00:24:37,870 --> 00:24:40,540 and features two solid-quartz windows, 469 00:24:40,540 --> 00:24:45,810 oxygen tanks, and a spotlight to illuminate the murky water. 470 00:24:45,850 --> 00:24:49,580 It's been carefully welded together so it won't leak. 471 00:24:49,650 --> 00:24:53,890 And it's only opening is a 400-pound door. 472 00:24:53,890 --> 00:24:55,820 If all goes well, it should be able 473 00:24:55,860 --> 00:24:59,820 to withstand depths of up to 4,000 feet. 474 00:24:59,860 --> 00:25:02,430 Beebe and Barton name it the bathysphere, 475 00:25:02,430 --> 00:25:04,430 Greek for "deep sphere." 476 00:25:04,500 --> 00:25:06,400 It was surprisingly small. 477 00:25:06,530 --> 00:25:09,000 It was only 4 1/2 feet across. 478 00:25:12,410 --> 00:25:15,770 WILDMAN: On June 6, 10 miles off the coast of Bermuda, 479 00:25:15,780 --> 00:25:19,710 Beebe and Barton squeeze into the bathysphere. 480 00:25:19,750 --> 00:25:21,980 The vessel is lowered into the ocean 481 00:25:22,020 --> 00:25:25,920 via a cable attached to a barge. 482 00:25:25,990 --> 00:25:28,590 A telephone line keeps them in constant communication 483 00:25:28,690 --> 00:25:30,460 with the ship's crew. 484 00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:35,390 They were so excited and so scared. 485 00:25:35,460 --> 00:25:39,000 They were alone in this steel sphere 486 00:25:39,130 --> 00:25:42,570 lowered where no one had ever been. 487 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:44,140 WILDMAN: Inside the bathysphere, 488 00:25:44,210 --> 00:25:47,210 Beebe and Barton begin their descent. 489 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:52,410 To their relief, the design appears to be working perfectly. 490 00:25:52,550 --> 00:25:54,880 But when they reach 300 feet, 491 00:25:54,950 --> 00:25:58,550 something goes terribly wrong. 492 00:25:58,550 --> 00:26:01,150 The door suddenly starts to leak. 493 00:26:03,620 --> 00:26:07,230 Trapped inside this sphere, the men could drown. 494 00:26:07,330 --> 00:26:11,030 If this situation is not solved, they will die. 495 00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:18,770 It's 1930 off the coast of Bermuda. 496 00:26:18,770 --> 00:26:21,970 Explorers William Beebe and Otis Barton are attempting 497 00:26:21,980 --> 00:26:24,310 an unprecedented journey beneath the sea 498 00:26:24,410 --> 00:26:26,310 in a new type of submersible. 499 00:26:26,450 --> 00:26:29,610 But when they reach the depth of 300 feet, 500 00:26:29,620 --> 00:26:31,320 disaster strikes. 501 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:34,320 Water is suddenly seeping into the craft. 502 00:26:34,460 --> 00:26:37,820 So, can they survive this deadly breach? 503 00:26:40,630 --> 00:26:42,860 As the water pours in from the door, 504 00:26:42,930 --> 00:26:46,370 Beebe proposes an unbelievable solution. 505 00:26:46,470 --> 00:26:49,440 Beebe decides that, rather than go back up to surface 506 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:54,710 and try and solve the problem, they should go down and fast. 507 00:26:54,740 --> 00:26:56,540 He believes that at a greater depth, 508 00:26:56,540 --> 00:26:58,880 the increased water pressure will actually 509 00:26:59,010 --> 00:27:02,950 push the door tight enough to stop the leak. 510 00:27:02,950 --> 00:27:06,890 It's a bit counterintuitive. You'd think you need to go up. 511 00:27:06,950 --> 00:27:09,890 But if you go down, the pressure will actually 512 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,690 then compress where that problem is 513 00:27:12,790 --> 00:27:16,260 and seal the crack for you. 514 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,130 WILDMAN: Beebe and Barton wait with baited breath 515 00:27:19,170 --> 00:27:22,470 as they descend deeper into the ocean. 516 00:27:22,500 --> 00:27:26,770 To their relief, the leak stops. 517 00:27:26,910 --> 00:27:28,370 With the crisis averted, 518 00:27:28,410 --> 00:27:32,440 Beebe and Barton are able to reach a record depth. 519 00:27:32,510 --> 00:27:34,580 MASLENIKOV: They made it down to 800 feet. 520 00:27:34,580 --> 00:27:36,250 And that was the deepest 521 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:39,850 that any human had ever been alive. 522 00:27:39,990 --> 00:27:43,120 WILDMAN: The explorers spend an hour below the surface 523 00:27:43,190 --> 00:27:45,760 before being pulled safely back up to the ship. 524 00:27:48,930 --> 00:27:52,200 Over the next several years, Beebe and Barton complete 525 00:27:52,270 --> 00:27:55,670 a series of deeper and deeper dives. 526 00:27:55,740 --> 00:27:58,140 They eventually reach the staggering depth 527 00:27:58,210 --> 00:28:01,270 of 3,028 feet. 528 00:28:01,340 --> 00:28:04,080 Far beneath the surface, Beebe is able to observe 529 00:28:04,210 --> 00:28:07,610 deep-sea creatures in their natural environment, 530 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:10,350 including the extraordinary anglerfish. 531 00:28:10,420 --> 00:28:14,820 He was so excited when he looked out that window 532 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,690 and, for the first time, saw the anglerfish. 533 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,860 WILDMAN: Today, this anglerfish remains preserved 534 00:28:24,870 --> 00:28:28,030 at the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle. 535 00:28:28,070 --> 00:28:31,100 It recalls a historic journey beneath the sea 536 00:28:31,140 --> 00:28:35,140 and the two daring men who exposed a brand-new world. 537 00:28:39,380 --> 00:28:41,310 New Bedford, Massachusetts. 538 00:28:41,450 --> 00:28:43,920 In 1841, author Herman Melville 539 00:28:44,050 --> 00:28:46,190 sailed from this port city on the expedition 540 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,590 that inspired his great American novel, 541 00:28:48,690 --> 00:28:50,360 Moby-Dick . 542 00:28:50,460 --> 00:28:53,060 Today, the area's nautical history is showcased 543 00:28:53,090 --> 00:28:55,260 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. 544 00:28:59,930 --> 00:29:02,100 Here, visitors can view scrimshaw carvings 545 00:29:02,170 --> 00:29:04,440 from the 18th century, 546 00:29:04,470 --> 00:29:07,240 the skeleton of a baby blue whale, 547 00:29:07,270 --> 00:29:09,170 and the world's largest model whaling ship. 548 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:13,750 But one item here looks like it belongs 549 00:29:13,810 --> 00:29:18,020 not in a maritime museum but in a science fiction movie. 550 00:29:18,020 --> 00:29:20,420 It's a metallic cylinder. 551 00:29:20,490 --> 00:29:22,850 It's very thin. 552 00:29:22,860 --> 00:29:25,220 It's about two and a half feet high, 553 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:27,490 and it almost looks like a big bullet. 554 00:29:30,100 --> 00:29:33,270 (Don) This strange instrument recalls a wondrous tale 555 00:29:33,270 --> 00:29:36,670 of adventure, exploration, and creatures from the deep. 556 00:29:36,700 --> 00:29:40,310 This is a story of the incredible possibilities 557 00:29:40,410 --> 00:29:42,310 beneath the Earth's oceans. 558 00:29:42,410 --> 00:29:44,410 [growling noises] 559 00:29:46,510 --> 00:29:49,280 (Don) 1997, Newport, Oregon. 560 00:29:49,380 --> 00:29:52,320 Dr. Christopher Fox is a veteran researcher 561 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,390 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 562 00:29:55,390 --> 00:29:57,460 or NOAA. 563 00:29:57,490 --> 00:30:00,860 Their role is to monitor and do scientific study 564 00:30:00,860 --> 00:30:03,660 of the oceans and atmosphere. 565 00:30:03,660 --> 00:30:06,660 (Don) One of NOAA's most powerful tools 566 00:30:06,700 --> 00:30:09,870 is a scientific instrument called the hydrophone. 567 00:30:09,870 --> 00:30:13,470 The listening device, like this one in the collection 568 00:30:13,610 --> 00:30:15,810 of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, 569 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:18,740 is a microphone designed for recording or monitoring 570 00:30:18,750 --> 00:30:20,910 sound underwater. 571 00:30:20,980 --> 00:30:23,280 Most of the time, Fox and his fellow scientists 572 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,950 pick up sounds of sea life or ships. 573 00:30:26,020 --> 00:30:28,920 But one day, 574 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:31,090 they hear something louder and stranger 575 00:30:31,190 --> 00:30:33,330 than anything they've heard before. 576 00:30:33,390 --> 00:30:36,930 [deep whooshing noises] 577 00:30:37,060 --> 00:30:39,000 (Christina) They couldn't figure out what these sounds were. 578 00:30:39,100 --> 00:30:41,100 It had not previously been recorded. 579 00:30:41,100 --> 00:30:43,270 It actually sounded like a "bloop!" 580 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:46,770 [deep whooshing noises] 581 00:30:46,870 --> 00:30:50,780 (Don) Fittingly, the scientists nickname the unusual sound 582 00:30:50,910 --> 00:30:53,910 the Bloop, and according to their data, 583 00:30:53,950 --> 00:30:57,450 it appears to originate from over 3,000 miles away. 584 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,120 Fox is astonished. 585 00:31:00,250 --> 00:31:02,920 For a sound to travel such a distance, 586 00:31:03,020 --> 00:31:05,990 its source must be deafeningly loud. 587 00:31:05,990 --> 00:31:08,930 When you find something so abnormal, 588 00:31:08,930 --> 00:31:12,260 it really gave people a lot of pause of what that 589 00:31:12,300 --> 00:31:14,470 could actually be. 590 00:31:14,470 --> 00:31:17,670 (Don) The short, seemingly random sound pattern 591 00:31:17,710 --> 00:31:21,540 bears no similarities to the long, steady hum of submarines 592 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,210 or other man-made machines, 593 00:31:24,340 --> 00:31:27,050 and it doesn't match the pattern that would be expected 594 00:31:27,180 --> 00:31:29,410 from an underwater earthquake, volcano, 595 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,020 or other geological phenomena. 596 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:34,720 It was unknown where the sound was coming from. 597 00:31:37,660 --> 00:31:40,430 (Don) With these simple explanations ruled out, 598 00:31:40,490 --> 00:31:44,100 a more remote, even outlandish possibility, emerges-- 599 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,700 that the sound could be emanating 600 00:31:46,830 --> 00:31:49,430 from some kind of unknown sea creature. 601 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:51,570 [growling noises] 602 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:53,910 We know more about the surface of Mars and the moon 603 00:31:53,910 --> 00:31:56,270 than we know about the floors of the sea. 604 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:59,280 There is life down there, and we don't necessarily 605 00:31:59,310 --> 00:32:02,050 know what it is. 606 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,950 (Don) But for a marine animal to make a noise 607 00:32:04,990 --> 00:32:08,650 as powerful as the Bloop, it would have to be gargantuan in size. 608 00:32:08,660 --> 00:32:10,760 A blue whale, 609 00:32:10,860 --> 00:32:13,260 the largest known living creature on the planet, 610 00:32:13,290 --> 00:32:16,730 emits a call that's more deafening than a jet plane. 611 00:32:16,830 --> 00:32:20,230 And based on his calculations, 612 00:32:20,370 --> 00:32:24,200 Fox estimates that the Bloop is three times as loud. 613 00:32:24,270 --> 00:32:26,600 If we were to consider that this monster's 614 00:32:26,670 --> 00:32:29,140 about three times the size of a blue whale, 615 00:32:29,140 --> 00:32:32,610 it probably would've been the length of about eight to nine school buses. 616 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:36,010 (Don) So is this thunderous sound really coming 617 00:32:36,050 --> 00:32:38,350 from a giant, undiscovered sea creature? 618 00:32:38,420 --> 00:32:40,320 [growling noises] 619 00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,160 It's 1997. 620 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,690 Dr. Christopher Fox and a team of researchers 621 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,100 have recorded an underwater sound in the Pacific Ocean. 622 00:32:52,130 --> 00:32:54,800 They've named it the Bloop. 623 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:58,500 The sound is one of the loudest and most powerful ever recorded, 624 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:01,410 leading some to suspect the source may be 625 00:33:01,510 --> 00:33:04,580 a giant marine creature that's never been seen before. 626 00:33:04,580 --> 00:33:08,380 So is there some massive, mysterious beast 627 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:11,250 lurking in the deep? 628 00:33:11,350 --> 00:33:16,250 (Don) Fox and his fellow researchers continue to monitor the Bloop for weeks, 629 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:20,160 but they cannot determine what is making the thunderous sound. 630 00:33:20,290 --> 00:33:23,260 Then, suddenly, 631 00:33:23,260 --> 00:33:25,660 it stops. 632 00:33:25,730 --> 00:33:28,070 And now that it's gone, it seems that finding the source 633 00:33:28,170 --> 00:33:30,940 of the strange sound will be impossible. 634 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:34,910 No one hears the Bloop for years. 635 00:33:37,780 --> 00:33:39,810 Then, in 2008, 636 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,280 scientists in the Antarctic are monitoring acoustic activity 637 00:33:43,350 --> 00:33:47,090 when they pick up the same unusually powerful sound, 638 00:33:47,150 --> 00:33:50,090 and this time, whatever is making it 639 00:33:50,090 --> 00:33:52,820 appears to be close by. 640 00:33:52,890 --> 00:33:55,760 (Christina) This phenomenon happened again, and it happened to be recorded 641 00:33:55,900 --> 00:33:58,400 closer to their source. 642 00:33:58,430 --> 00:34:01,030 (Don) The researchers methodically search the region, 643 00:34:01,100 --> 00:34:04,300 yet they find no trace of a large marine creature. 644 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:08,040 But they do notice an interesting natural phenomenon 645 00:34:08,180 --> 00:34:11,710 that might solve the mystery once and for all. 646 00:34:11,810 --> 00:34:15,780 They witness large glaciers moving and breaking apart, 647 00:34:15,820 --> 00:34:19,320 a geologic process known as cavving. 648 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:21,120 So the glaciers were moving, 649 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:23,250 and these have unique sounds. 650 00:34:23,290 --> 00:34:26,060 It was loud, and it wasn't terribly long, 651 00:34:26,190 --> 00:34:28,430 and it wasn't rhythmic. 652 00:34:28,430 --> 00:34:30,800 (Don) The noise created by the friction between 653 00:34:30,860 --> 00:34:33,330 the enormous slabs of ice is identical 654 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:36,670 to the one first picked up by Fox and his team at NOAA. 655 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,070 It had a similar signature, similar frequency, 656 00:34:42,210 --> 00:34:44,410 and similar volume to what they had heard 657 00:34:44,510 --> 00:34:47,480 in the '90s, so this actually was a sound 658 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:49,380 made by ice breaking apart 659 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:51,950 and not by an underwater sea creature. 660 00:34:54,720 --> 00:34:57,690 (Don) Scientists believe that glacial cavving 661 00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:00,390 is the most likely source of the Bloop. 662 00:35:00,490 --> 00:35:03,360 Still, many continue to wonder what unknown, 663 00:35:03,430 --> 00:35:06,200 magnificent creatures lurk in the deep. 664 00:35:06,300 --> 00:35:08,770 (Christina) There's so much left to explore, 665 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:11,900 and we don't really know what else we're gonna find. 666 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,780 (Don) Today, this hydrophone, used to detect underwater sounds, 667 00:35:18,810 --> 00:35:21,580 is on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum 668 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:23,350 in Massachusetts. 669 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:25,580 It recalls the maritime mystery 670 00:35:25,590 --> 00:35:27,920 and the Bloop heard round the world. 671 00:35:31,490 --> 00:35:34,660 An 85 pound sturgeon from the Gulf of Mexico... 672 00:35:34,660 --> 00:35:37,800 A massive devil ray with a 4 foot wing span. 673 00:35:37,870 --> 00:35:40,730 and an alligator gar, 674 00:35:40,770 --> 00:35:44,500 one of the largest fish in North America 675 00:35:44,570 --> 00:35:47,540 are just some of the incredible aquatic creatures 676 00:35:47,610 --> 00:35:50,780 found at the Royal D. Suttkus fish collection 677 00:35:50,780 --> 00:35:54,250 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 678 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,810 But among these spectacular specimens 679 00:35:56,850 --> 00:35:59,750 is a deceptively simple display. 680 00:36:01,490 --> 00:36:04,820 It's about 17 inches tall, it's made of glass 681 00:36:04,890 --> 00:36:06,690 and inside is an amber liquid. 682 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:10,760 Suspended in the liquid are dozens of little creatures 683 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:14,030 6 to 8 inches long each with beady little eyes 684 00:36:14,070 --> 00:36:15,870 and a scaly exterior. 685 00:36:15,970 --> 00:36:18,800 It's not often you come across a jar 686 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,910 with 53 floating bodies inside. 687 00:36:23,910 --> 00:36:27,850 These tiny creatures took center stage in an international drama 688 00:36:27,850 --> 00:36:30,380 that played out in the ocean's depths. 689 00:36:30,420 --> 00:36:33,590 This is a story about Sweden, submarines, 690 00:36:33,650 --> 00:36:36,090 and an underwater mystery. 691 00:36:36,090 --> 00:36:39,060 [ Suspenseful music climbs ] 692 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:45,430 WILDMAN: It's the 1990s. 693 00:36:45,530 --> 00:36:47,330 The Cold War is over, 694 00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:49,870 but, despite the apparent fall of communism, 695 00:36:49,870 --> 00:36:53,670 tensions across Europe remain high. 696 00:36:53,740 --> 00:36:56,440 Many fear that the destabilized Russian state 697 00:36:56,510 --> 00:36:58,380 will go on the offensive 698 00:36:58,380 --> 00:37:00,610 in a desperate bid to gain new territory 699 00:37:00,710 --> 00:37:03,350 following the breakup of the USSR, 700 00:37:03,350 --> 00:37:06,080 and one country in Russia's firing line 701 00:37:06,150 --> 00:37:07,120 is Sweden. 702 00:37:07,150 --> 00:37:09,960 Sweden was very close to the Soviet Union 703 00:37:10,090 --> 00:37:12,790 and had to be prepared, in case the worst happened. 704 00:37:12,790 --> 00:37:15,160 [ Suspenseful chord strikes ] 705 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:16,830 [ Ominous music plays ] 706 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:19,030 WILDMAN: Then, something happens that suggests 707 00:37:19,030 --> 00:37:22,700 the country's worst fears are about to come true. 708 00:37:22,740 --> 00:37:24,440 [ Suspenseful music plays ] 709 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:26,870 One day, in May 1994, 710 00:37:26,940 --> 00:37:29,270 while the Swedish Navy is doing a routine sweep 711 00:37:29,310 --> 00:37:32,110 of the Baltic Sea, 712 00:37:32,250 --> 00:37:37,080 sonar operators detect a suspicious sound. 713 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:41,590 [Sizzling] PORGES: It sounded like the static of a TV or radio. 714 00:37:41,620 --> 00:37:46,890 WILDMAN: To the navy officers, it can only mean one thing... 715 00:37:49,630 --> 00:37:52,530 ...an enemy submarine. 716 00:37:52,530 --> 00:37:54,900 The operators assumed the worst: that the vessel they detected 717 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:57,670 was a Soviet nuclear submarine. 718 00:37:57,740 --> 00:38:00,610 It fit the audio signature of a submarine. 719 00:38:00,670 --> 00:38:02,210 That's because submarines, 720 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:06,140 they release a lot of air bubbles. 721 00:38:06,250 --> 00:38:08,480 WILDMAN: The Swedish Navy dispatches a fleet of ships 722 00:38:08,550 --> 00:38:12,020 to intercept the lurking Russian vessel. 723 00:38:12,020 --> 00:38:16,090 But after an exhaustive search, they come up empty. 724 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:17,890 They look for vessels in their water, 725 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:21,790 and they don't find a thing. 726 00:38:21,860 --> 00:38:25,300 WILDMAN: But despite coming up empty-handed, 727 00:38:25,300 --> 00:38:27,500 the Swedish Navy continues 728 00:38:27,570 --> 00:38:31,000 to pick up traces of the weird noise. 729 00:38:31,070 --> 00:38:33,440 The Cold War was supposed to be over, 730 00:38:33,470 --> 00:38:36,110 but if the Swedish Navy couldn't figure out 731 00:38:36,180 --> 00:38:39,740 what was happening, it could mean war. 732 00:38:39,810 --> 00:38:42,050 WILDMAN: So what's making this strange sound? 733 00:38:42,180 --> 00:38:44,920 [ Suspenseful music plays ] 734 00:38:47,990 --> 00:38:49,920 It's May 1994. 735 00:38:50,020 --> 00:38:53,990 The Swedish Navy has just intercepted a strange, 736 00:38:54,090 --> 00:38:55,930 underwater signal. 737 00:38:56,030 --> 00:38:57,460 They think it may originated 738 00:38:57,560 --> 00:39:00,200 from a Russian spy submarine lurking in the Baltic, 739 00:39:00,230 --> 00:39:03,100 but there's something even fishier afoot, 740 00:39:03,100 --> 00:39:04,840 far beneath the waves. 741 00:39:04,910 --> 00:39:06,240 [ Suspenseful music plays ] 742 00:39:06,270 --> 00:39:08,710 With the source of the signal still unknown, 743 00:39:08,780 --> 00:39:10,170 the Swedish Navy appoints a team 744 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:12,780 of esteemed scientists to investigate. 745 00:39:12,910 --> 00:39:14,810 The first thing the scientists do 746 00:39:14,850 --> 00:39:16,310 is listen to the audio recording. 747 00:39:16,380 --> 00:39:19,920 WILDMAN: But to these experts, the noise doesn't sound 748 00:39:20,050 --> 00:39:22,320 like it was created by a machine. 749 00:39:22,390 --> 00:39:25,160 They believe it has a natural source. 750 00:39:25,190 --> 00:39:29,060 The team hypothesizes that the sound could be made 751 00:39:29,130 --> 00:39:32,500 by tiny bubbles of methane gas 752 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:35,670 released through cracks in the sea floor. 753 00:39:35,770 --> 00:39:37,700 They test the sediments at the bottom of the Baltic Sea 754 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:39,740 to see if they can find any traces of gases 755 00:39:39,740 --> 00:39:41,770 that might match this sort of signal. 756 00:39:41,910 --> 00:39:44,180 They find nothing. 757 00:39:44,310 --> 00:39:47,850 WILDMAN: Then, a scientist named Magnus Wahlberg 758 00:39:47,910 --> 00:39:50,980 comes forward with a new theory. 759 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:54,150 Magnus Wahlberg was a bioacoustics expert. 760 00:39:54,190 --> 00:39:56,190 Wahlberg had an idea. 761 00:39:56,290 --> 00:40:00,190 What if the cause of the sound wasn't a machine or sediment... 762 00:40:00,260 --> 00:40:01,730 [ Suspenseful chord strikes ] 763 00:40:01,860 --> 00:40:03,500 but an animal? 764 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:06,660 WILDMAN: And Wahlberg thinks he knows the creature that's responsible. 765 00:40:06,670 --> 00:40:11,000 It's a mainstay of Swedish cuisine: 766 00:40:11,070 --> 00:40:13,400 the herring. 767 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:15,470 [Whimsical tune plays] Herring gather in massive schools 768 00:40:15,580 --> 00:40:17,340 in the waters off Sweden. 769 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:20,610 Like many other fish, they have a special organ, 770 00:40:20,710 --> 00:40:24,150 called a swim bladder, to help them stay afloat, 771 00:40:24,220 --> 00:40:26,820 but there is one unique difference. 772 00:40:26,820 --> 00:40:30,750 While most swim bladders are connected to a fish's lungs, 773 00:40:30,790 --> 00:40:34,560 the herring's is connected to its rear end. 774 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:35,890 [ Horn tooting ] 775 00:40:35,900 --> 00:40:37,900 When they squeeze that swim bladder, 776 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,970 maybe to communicate or to express alarm, 777 00:40:41,030 --> 00:40:44,500 gas comes out through their anal duct. 778 00:40:44,540 --> 00:40:46,900 WILDMAN: Wahlberg suspects the noise is made 779 00:40:46,940 --> 00:40:51,380 by air being squeezed through the fish's sphincter 780 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:54,050 and that, if a school of fish was large enough, 781 00:40:54,110 --> 00:40:56,650 it could create the steady stream of noise 782 00:40:56,750 --> 00:40:59,180 heard by the Swedish Navy. 783 00:40:59,290 --> 00:41:03,450 To test his hypothesis, he fills an aquarium with herring 784 00:41:03,490 --> 00:41:06,120 and gently squeezes each one by hand. 785 00:41:06,130 --> 00:41:08,530 The resulting sound is recorded 786 00:41:08,630 --> 00:41:12,100 and sent to the Swedish Navy for comparison. 787 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:14,870 Sure enough, perfect match. 788 00:41:18,100 --> 00:41:19,870 There was no submarine to worry about. 789 00:41:19,940 --> 00:41:21,210 It was just a bunch of 790 00:41:21,270 --> 00:41:24,680 herring farts. 791 00:41:24,740 --> 00:41:28,050 [ Outro plays ] 792 00:41:28,150 --> 00:41:30,150 [ Jazz plays ] 793 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:32,420 Today, this jar of preserved herring 794 00:41:32,550 --> 00:41:36,420 is kept at the Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection in New Orleans. 795 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:40,620 It recalls the international incident that, in the end, 796 00:41:40,630 --> 00:41:43,490 was caused by a school of flatulent fish. 797 00:41:43,630 --> 00:41:46,160 [ Outro plays ] 798 00:41:46,230 --> 00:41:47,870 From a legendary sea monster 799 00:41:47,870 --> 00:41:50,600 to shrimpy sonar... 800 00:41:50,670 --> 00:41:52,170 a descent to the bottom of the ocean, 801 00:41:52,270 --> 00:41:54,910 to the ultimate red herring. 802 00:41:55,010 --> 00:41:58,880 I'm Don Wildman, and these are the Mysteries at the Museum.