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

1 00:00:01,903 --> 00:00:03,402 A puzzling pattern on the ocean floor... 2 00:00:03,404 --> 00:00:06,205 It absolutely did not look natural 3 00:00:06,207 --> 00:00:08,207 in any way, shape or form. 4 00:00:08,209 --> 00:00:12,077 ...a war time battle against an unlikely foe... 5 00:00:12,146 --> 00:00:16,749 The Navy was crippled by this strange bacon frying sound. 6 00:00:18,553 --> 00:00:20,886 ...and a terrifying tale of a real life sea serpent. 7 00:00:20,955 --> 00:00:24,022 They had never run into a creature like this before. 8 00:00:24,058 --> 00:00:27,894 These are the Mysteries at the Museum. 9 00:00:34,435 --> 00:00:35,701 Orlando, Florida, is home 10 00:00:35,703 --> 00:00:38,170 to the 400-foot-tall Ferris wheel known 11 00:00:38,306 --> 00:00:39,705 as the Orlando Eye. 12 00:00:39,774 --> 00:00:42,174 This iconic structure offers stunning views 13 00:00:42,210 --> 00:00:45,177 of central Florida for as far as 50 miles, 14 00:00:45,246 --> 00:00:49,115 and not far away is Orlando's most unusual attraction-- 15 00:00:49,250 --> 00:00:53,185 Skeletons Museum of Osteology. 16 00:00:55,456 --> 00:00:57,522 Dedicated to the study of bones, 17 00:00:57,559 --> 00:01:00,726 this collection of more than 500 real animal skeletons 18 00:01:00,861 --> 00:01:04,597 includes a two-toed sloth from South America, 19 00:01:04,732 --> 00:01:08,000 a Sumatran white rhinoceros, 20 00:01:08,002 --> 00:01:11,137 and the world's largest rodent, the capybara. 21 00:01:11,272 --> 00:01:14,606 But among these exotic creatures 22 00:01:14,642 --> 00:01:17,409 that walked on land is one specimen 23 00:01:17,445 --> 00:01:20,279 that plumbed the ocean's depths. 24 00:01:20,281 --> 00:01:22,615 The artifact is about 11 feet tall. 25 00:01:22,750 --> 00:01:26,218 It is off-white color made of calcified bone. 26 00:01:26,354 --> 00:01:29,154 It is smooth to the touch. 27 00:01:29,190 --> 00:01:33,893 This extraordinary skull recalls a mythical creature 28 00:01:33,895 --> 00:01:37,229 that tormented sailors on the high seas. 29 00:01:37,231 --> 00:01:39,431 This is a story about a sea captain, 30 00:01:39,467 --> 00:01:41,367 a legendary monster, 31 00:01:41,436 --> 00:01:43,703 and the debate left in its wake. 32 00:01:48,576 --> 00:01:51,644 August 6, 1848, 33 00:01:51,646 --> 00:01:54,046 in the South Atlantic. 34 00:01:54,115 --> 00:01:57,383 Captain Peter McQuhae is the commander of the HMS Daedalus . 35 00:01:57,452 --> 00:02:00,186 McQuhae was a sea captain that had 36 00:02:00,188 --> 00:02:03,456 an impeccable reputation-- he ran a very tight ship, 37 00:02:03,591 --> 00:02:06,025 and he was a no-nonsense type of guy. 38 00:02:08,696 --> 00:02:11,397 McQuhae's ship is en route from the East Indies 39 00:02:11,399 --> 00:02:13,532 to its home port in England. 40 00:02:13,601 --> 00:02:16,535 Three hundred miles off the southern coast of Africa, 41 00:02:16,571 --> 00:02:19,204 the captain is alerted to something off 42 00:02:19,273 --> 00:02:21,507 the vessel's starboard side. 43 00:02:23,645 --> 00:02:25,811 There in the water is a massive creature 44 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,214 unlike anything he has ever seen. 45 00:02:28,216 --> 00:02:30,483 The leviathan 46 00:02:30,485 --> 00:02:32,551 is more than 60 feet long, 47 00:02:32,587 --> 00:02:36,088 has a slender, serpentine body, and is dark brown in color, 48 00:02:36,090 --> 00:02:39,291 but the most frightening characteristic of all 49 00:02:39,293 --> 00:02:42,361 is the creature's massive head, 50 00:02:42,363 --> 00:02:46,098 which protrudes from the water with its jaws agape. 51 00:02:46,100 --> 00:02:48,901 Captain McQuhae had seen everything... 52 00:02:48,903 --> 00:02:52,037 but he hadn't seen this. 53 00:02:52,073 --> 00:02:55,640 For centuries, sailors have told stories 54 00:02:55,677 --> 00:02:59,244 of monstrous creatures that lurk in the depths of the ocean. 55 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,247 Some have even been said 56 00:03:02,316 --> 00:03:05,851 to sink entire ships and devour their crews. 57 00:03:05,853 --> 00:03:08,587 Like many others, Captain McQuhae has always 58 00:03:08,723 --> 00:03:12,191 assumed such tales to be little more than myths, 59 00:03:12,326 --> 00:03:16,128 but now, with just such a monster alongside his ship, 60 00:03:16,197 --> 00:03:18,864 the legends seem all too real. 61 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:21,333 He had heard about these stories, 62 00:03:21,335 --> 00:03:23,669 but he had never run into a creature like this before. 63 00:03:23,804 --> 00:03:27,473 Then, as suddenly as it appeared, 64 00:03:27,475 --> 00:03:30,409 the creature vanishes beneath the waves. 65 00:03:30,478 --> 00:03:33,945 When the Daedalus docks in England, 66 00:03:33,981 --> 00:03:36,548 the captain and crew share the story 67 00:03:36,617 --> 00:03:39,017 of their bizarre encounter. 68 00:03:39,053 --> 00:03:42,888 And soon, all of London buzzes with speculation. 69 00:03:42,924 --> 00:03:45,891 The news was an absolute sensation. 70 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,961 The creature becomes known as the Daedalus Sea Serpent. 71 00:03:49,997 --> 00:03:52,898 But as public fascination grows, 72 00:03:52,934 --> 00:03:55,868 some doubt the veracity of McQuhae's tale. 73 00:03:58,673 --> 00:04:01,240 A fellow ship captain claims the beast was nothing more 74 00:04:01,242 --> 00:04:03,976 than an enormous clump of seaweed. 75 00:04:04,111 --> 00:04:06,979 but McQuhae insists that what he saw 76 00:04:07,048 --> 00:04:09,448 was no tangle of plants. 77 00:04:09,583 --> 00:04:12,184 A seaweed didn't have a defined body, 78 00:04:12,253 --> 00:04:14,586 a head, and eyes. 79 00:04:14,655 --> 00:04:18,057 An English biologist suggests that what the men saw 80 00:04:18,059 --> 00:04:20,859 was just a particularly large elephant seal, 81 00:04:20,928 --> 00:04:23,996 a creature which has been known to reach 15 feet in length, 82 00:04:24,131 --> 00:04:27,399 but McQuhae swears that what he and his men witnessed 83 00:04:27,468 --> 00:04:30,536 was much larger than a big seal. 84 00:04:30,671 --> 00:04:33,606 He knew by the sheer size of the sea creature 85 00:04:33,741 --> 00:04:36,442 that there's no way it could have been an elephant seal. 86 00:04:39,346 --> 00:04:41,280 As the story spreads, 87 00:04:41,349 --> 00:04:43,415 artists and illustrators create their own 88 00:04:43,484 --> 00:04:46,619 terrifying depictions of the monstrous serpent, 89 00:04:46,621 --> 00:04:49,355 and McQuhae goes to his grave insisting 90 00:04:49,490 --> 00:04:52,758 that he and his crew had indeed encountered a sea monster. 91 00:04:52,827 --> 00:04:56,896 It remains one of the strangest mysteries of the high seas, 92 00:04:56,898 --> 00:05:00,966 but more than 160 years after the sighting, 93 00:05:01,002 --> 00:05:03,903 new information emerges that may finally 94 00:05:04,038 --> 00:05:05,971 shed light on the case. 95 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,039 A distant connection was about to change 96 00:05:08,075 --> 00:05:10,276 everything we knew about this monster. 97 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,579 It's 2015 in Chicago. 98 00:05:14,615 --> 00:05:17,917 Evolutionary biologist, Dr. Gary J. Galbreath, 99 00:05:18,052 --> 00:05:22,120 has long been captivated by the tale of the Daedalus Sea Monster. 100 00:05:22,190 --> 00:05:25,257 He had heard this story his entire life, 101 00:05:25,293 --> 00:05:27,826 so he's fascinated with the stories. 102 00:05:27,862 --> 00:05:30,395 One day, he is going through the diary 103 00:05:30,464 --> 00:05:33,131 of a lieutenant stationed on board the Daedalus 104 00:05:33,167 --> 00:05:36,268 when a sketch of the creature catches his attention. 105 00:05:39,707 --> 00:05:41,874 Unlike other drawings from the time, 106 00:05:41,876 --> 00:05:44,476 this one, drawn by an actual eyewitness, 107 00:05:44,612 --> 00:05:48,214 depicts the serpent with a distinct dorsal fin. 108 00:05:48,349 --> 00:05:51,417 The sketch showing the dorsal fin 109 00:05:51,552 --> 00:05:54,620 pretty much ruled out that it could be any type of serpent. 110 00:05:54,755 --> 00:05:57,222 The drawing shows the creature 111 00:05:57,291 --> 00:05:59,625 swimming on its side. 112 00:05:59,627 --> 00:06:02,561 Based on this information, Galbreath theorizes 113 00:06:02,630 --> 00:06:05,230 the sea serpent was actually a whale, 114 00:06:05,299 --> 00:06:09,434 but not just any whale-- he suggests this one 115 00:06:09,470 --> 00:06:11,970 was a rare and little known species called 116 00:06:12,006 --> 00:06:13,972 the sei whale. 117 00:06:14,008 --> 00:06:15,774 The sei whales are known 118 00:06:15,843 --> 00:06:18,376 as the fastest whales in the sea. 119 00:06:18,412 --> 00:06:20,779 And their appearance is strikingly different 120 00:06:20,915 --> 00:06:22,848 from other whales. 121 00:06:22,917 --> 00:06:25,050 Sei whales are dark brown 122 00:06:25,152 --> 00:06:27,386 with a distinct long, slender body 123 00:06:27,455 --> 00:06:30,456 that can reach up to 55 feet in length, 124 00:06:30,458 --> 00:06:33,258 characteristics that match 125 00:06:33,294 --> 00:06:36,262 the descriptions of the Daedalus Sea Serpent. 126 00:06:36,397 --> 00:06:39,131 Not only that, sei whales are known 127 00:06:39,133 --> 00:06:42,601 to swim on their sides as they feed on the surface. 128 00:06:42,670 --> 00:06:45,738 To Galbreath, it's conclusive proof 129 00:06:45,873 --> 00:06:48,073 that what the men of the Daedalus saw 130 00:06:48,142 --> 00:06:50,276 was no monster. 131 00:06:50,411 --> 00:06:52,678 With the sei whale on its side swimming with its mouth open 132 00:06:52,813 --> 00:06:56,749 and feeding, it looks like an intimidating sea serpent! 133 00:06:56,751 --> 00:06:59,184 It was the perfect match. 134 00:07:01,522 --> 00:07:04,490 Today, this preserved skull of a sei whale 135 00:07:04,492 --> 00:07:07,892 is on display at Skeletons Museum of Osteology 136 00:07:07,929 --> 00:07:10,095 in Orlando, Florida. 137 00:07:10,097 --> 00:07:12,765 It recalls the legendary sea monster 138 00:07:12,767 --> 00:07:14,900 that turned out to be nothing more 139 00:07:14,969 --> 00:07:16,635 than a gentle giant. 140 00:07:20,341 --> 00:07:21,774 Washington state's Puget Sound 141 00:07:21,909 --> 00:07:25,310 is known for its dramatic inlets, rocky islands, 142 00:07:25,379 --> 00:07:26,912 and mountain views. 143 00:07:26,981 --> 00:07:29,848 Every day, more than two million gallons of fresh water 144 00:07:29,917 --> 00:07:32,117 flow through this scenic estuary. 145 00:07:32,119 --> 00:07:34,519 And celebrating an unusual aspect 146 00:07:34,588 --> 00:07:36,988 of the region's maritime heritage 147 00:07:37,024 --> 00:07:39,358 is the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum. 148 00:07:43,464 --> 00:07:44,930 The collection documents 149 00:07:44,932 --> 00:07:49,068 the history of the Navy's undersea operations. 150 00:07:49,070 --> 00:07:51,870 On display is a re-creation of the control room 151 00:07:51,939 --> 00:07:55,474 from the Cold War submarine the USS Greenling, 152 00:07:55,543 --> 00:07:59,411 the Howell torpedo -- the first self-propelled torpedo 153 00:07:59,546 --> 00:08:02,748 to be mass-produced by the U.S. military -- 154 00:08:02,883 --> 00:08:05,817 and the Subhuman II, which was once 155 00:08:05,853 --> 00:08:09,688 the fastest human-powered submarine in the world. 156 00:08:09,823 --> 00:08:12,825 But among these hulking artifacts 157 00:08:12,827 --> 00:08:17,029 is one tiny object that tells an incredible story. 158 00:08:17,164 --> 00:08:19,098 MALLOY: It's about 4 1/2 inches in diameter, 159 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:22,034 metallic, and round in shape. 160 00:08:22,103 --> 00:08:24,970 It has a hard-rubber outer shell, 161 00:08:25,039 --> 00:08:27,840 and two cords coming out of one end. 162 00:08:27,975 --> 00:08:31,010 In its day, it was a highly advanced piece of technology. 163 00:08:34,281 --> 00:08:36,281 WILDMAN: This underwater microphone 164 00:08:36,283 --> 00:08:38,117 is linked to an extraordinary tale 165 00:08:38,252 --> 00:08:41,719 of a miniscule creature that played an oversized part 166 00:08:41,756 --> 00:08:44,456 in the world's greatest conflict. 167 00:08:44,525 --> 00:08:48,560 In war, your biggest allies might be practically invisible. 168 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:54,466 WILDMAN: It's 1942. 169 00:08:54,468 --> 00:08:57,469 The U.S. has just entered World War II, 170 00:08:57,505 --> 00:09:00,138 and the military is on high alert. 171 00:09:00,174 --> 00:09:02,207 Submarines patrol the Pacific 172 00:09:02,276 --> 00:09:05,610 to protect the American fleet in the vast ocean. 173 00:09:05,646 --> 00:09:08,547 And to listen for Japanese ships and subs, 174 00:09:08,682 --> 00:09:11,350 the U.S. relies heavily upon a new technology... 175 00:09:11,485 --> 00:09:14,352 ...sound navigation and ranging, 176 00:09:14,422 --> 00:09:16,688 better known as sonar. 177 00:09:16,724 --> 00:09:18,423 The system can pick up 178 00:09:18,459 --> 00:09:20,159 the propeller sounds of enemy vessels 179 00:09:20,294 --> 00:09:22,293 from miles away. 180 00:09:22,329 --> 00:09:24,829 MALLOY: Sonar was used to see and find things underwater. 181 00:09:24,865 --> 00:09:26,565 And, in the world's largest oceans, 182 00:09:26,700 --> 00:09:28,233 sonar is basically the difference 183 00:09:28,302 --> 00:09:32,071 between being blindfolded or having night-vision goggles. 184 00:09:35,810 --> 00:09:37,843 WILDMAN: One day, the crew of a submarine 185 00:09:37,845 --> 00:09:40,512 submerged off the coast of the Dutch East Indies 186 00:09:40,581 --> 00:09:42,580 detects something peculiar. 187 00:09:44,118 --> 00:09:45,917 A constant, crackling hum 188 00:09:45,953 --> 00:09:49,254 that drowns out all of the other sonar sounds, 189 00:09:49,290 --> 00:09:53,092 making it impossible to detect enemy vessels. 190 00:09:54,061 --> 00:09:56,594 Soon, submarines across the Pacific 191 00:09:56,630 --> 00:09:59,130 report encountering the same noise. 192 00:09:59,166 --> 00:10:02,668 And crews say it sounds like the crackling of a frying pan, 193 00:10:02,670 --> 00:10:07,739 and it's rendering their sonar useless. 194 00:10:07,808 --> 00:10:10,542 WILDMAN: Examination of the submarines' sonar systems 195 00:10:10,611 --> 00:10:13,144 reveals the noise is not a technical glitch. 196 00:10:13,180 --> 00:10:15,814 But the Navy cannot figure out what the sound is 197 00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:17,583 or where it's coming from. 198 00:10:20,888 --> 00:10:24,022 So they call in a marine biologist from California 199 00:10:24,024 --> 00:10:26,558 named Dr. Martin W. Johnson. 200 00:10:26,627 --> 00:10:29,895 He was the top scientist in oceanography at the time. 201 00:10:29,964 --> 00:10:34,933 He was a passionate guy and very respected. 202 00:10:35,068 --> 00:10:37,102 WILDMAN: And when Johnson first hears the sound, 203 00:10:37,171 --> 00:10:39,504 he's also baffled. 204 00:10:39,573 --> 00:10:42,040 MALLOY: This odd noise was as mysterious to Johnson 205 00:10:42,109 --> 00:10:43,508 as it was to the Navy. 206 00:10:43,577 --> 00:10:48,246 So his number-one goal was to figure out what this sound was 207 00:10:48,282 --> 00:10:50,282 and where it was coming from. 208 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,186 WILDMAN: Johnson examines survey reports 209 00:10:55,222 --> 00:10:57,322 of where these disturbances occurred, 210 00:10:57,457 --> 00:11:00,525 and he comes to an unexpected conclusion. 211 00:11:00,561 --> 00:11:02,728 The spots match known locations 212 00:11:02,730 --> 00:11:05,997 of massive colonies of pistol shrimp. 213 00:11:06,033 --> 00:11:09,334 Dr. Johnson cannot believe what he just discovered. 214 00:11:09,469 --> 00:11:12,638 The culprit was measly, little shrimp. 215 00:11:15,009 --> 00:11:17,742 WILDMAN: Though they are only an inch or two in size, 216 00:11:17,778 --> 00:11:22,146 thousands of pistol shrimp can live together in colonies. 217 00:11:22,183 --> 00:11:24,950 Each tiny shrimp has an oversized claw 218 00:11:25,085 --> 00:11:26,684 it uses to catch food. 219 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,820 When it clacks its claw together, 220 00:11:28,956 --> 00:11:31,089 it creates a loud popping sound. 221 00:11:31,125 --> 00:11:34,626 But if an entire colony does this at the same time, 222 00:11:34,695 --> 00:11:36,561 the noise is so deafening, 223 00:11:36,597 --> 00:11:41,366 it can disrupt even the most advanced sonar. 224 00:11:41,501 --> 00:11:44,102 So it was thousands of these small pistol shrimp 225 00:11:44,104 --> 00:11:45,304 snapping their claws. 226 00:11:45,306 --> 00:11:47,572 It was quite amazing. 227 00:11:47,575 --> 00:11:50,375 WILDMAN: But identifying the source of the problem 228 00:11:50,377 --> 00:11:51,176 is one thing. 229 00:11:51,245 --> 00:11:53,178 Solving it is another. 230 00:11:53,247 --> 00:11:55,714 MALLOY: It was impossible to silence the shrimp. 231 00:11:55,783 --> 00:11:58,083 They couldn't rightly eliminate all the shrimp in the ocean. 232 00:12:01,788 --> 00:12:04,256 WILDMAN: And until Johnson figures out a solution 233 00:12:04,325 --> 00:12:06,124 to this fishy predicament, 234 00:12:06,126 --> 00:12:09,328 American ships in the Pacific remain at risk. 235 00:12:09,330 --> 00:12:11,062 MALLOY: There was an extreme amount of pressure on Johnson. 236 00:12:11,131 --> 00:12:12,331 Winning the war 237 00:12:12,466 --> 00:12:15,400 was based on how effective their sonar system was. 238 00:12:15,436 --> 00:12:17,669 And, basically, the Navy was back to square one 239 00:12:17,705 --> 00:12:21,006 with their problem -- how to fix the sonar. 240 00:12:21,141 --> 00:12:23,575 WILDMAN: What will it take to defeat these noisy crustaceans? 241 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:31,074 242 00:12:36,557 --> 00:12:40,492 It's 1942. War is raging in the Pacific. 243 00:12:40,627 --> 00:12:43,228 U.S. Naval commanders have a problem -- 244 00:12:43,230 --> 00:12:45,497 Their sophisticated sonar systems 245 00:12:45,499 --> 00:12:47,165 have been rendered useless 246 00:12:47,201 --> 00:12:50,835 by the popping sounds produced by tiny pistol shrimp 247 00:12:50,904 --> 00:12:53,505 all clapping their claws in unison. 248 00:12:53,574 --> 00:12:57,308 The result is that the Navy can't detect enemy subs, 249 00:12:57,344 --> 00:13:00,512 leaving American sailors vulnerable to attack. 250 00:13:00,647 --> 00:13:06,385 So is the U.S. Navy about to be defeated by shrimp? 251 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,587 Tasked with solving the prawny problem 252 00:13:09,623 --> 00:13:12,858 is marine biologist Dr. Martin Johnson. 253 00:13:12,860 --> 00:13:15,060 Johnson knows the Navy can't kill off 254 00:13:15,195 --> 00:13:17,061 these colonies of shrimp, 255 00:13:17,097 --> 00:13:20,666 but the Navy could use the situation to its advantage. 256 00:13:20,801 --> 00:13:23,402 MALLOY: Dr. Johnson knew that the Japanese sonar 257 00:13:23,404 --> 00:13:25,537 was a lot weaker than the U.S. sonar. 258 00:13:25,539 --> 00:13:28,206 So if the shrimp affected the U.S. sonar equipment, 259 00:13:28,275 --> 00:13:30,608 it was definitely gonna affect the enemy's. 260 00:13:30,678 --> 00:13:32,477 WILDMAN: Johnson reasons 261 00:13:32,546 --> 00:13:36,548 that if U.S. subs hide near colonies of pistol shrimp, 262 00:13:36,683 --> 00:13:39,083 the Japanese will never be able to detect them 263 00:13:39,119 --> 00:13:40,818 through the noise. 264 00:13:40,854 --> 00:13:42,754 MALLOY: Dr. Johnson recommended 265 00:13:42,756 --> 00:13:44,756 they use the shrimp as camouflage 266 00:13:44,758 --> 00:13:46,491 against the Japanese sonar. 267 00:13:46,493 --> 00:13:49,561 The Navy thought Johnson's idea was absolutely brilliant. 268 00:13:54,301 --> 00:13:55,367 WILDMAN: With Johnson's help, 269 00:13:55,469 --> 00:13:58,436 the Navy distributes maps of pistol shrimp colonies 270 00:13:58,472 --> 00:14:01,039 to submarines throughout the Pacific. 271 00:14:01,041 --> 00:14:04,576 These maps provide a network of acoustic hiding places 272 00:14:04,711 --> 00:14:07,779 all along Japanese supply routes. 273 00:14:10,617 --> 00:14:14,452 By camouflaging their fleet in these underwater havens, 274 00:14:14,488 --> 00:14:18,123 the U.S. Navy gains a decisive advantage in the war. 275 00:14:18,192 --> 00:14:21,793 MALLOY: With all the technology that the U.S. had in World War II, 276 00:14:21,829 --> 00:14:24,662 the pistol shrimp were America's little secret weapon. 277 00:14:27,668 --> 00:14:29,400 WILDMAN: Today, this hydrophone, 278 00:14:29,436 --> 00:14:32,870 an underwater microphone used to listen to pistol shrimp, 279 00:14:32,906 --> 00:14:35,674 is at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum. 280 00:14:35,809 --> 00:14:37,943 It recalls the tiny crustaceans 281 00:14:38,078 --> 00:14:41,546 that almost torpedoed America's chance at victory. 282 00:14:46,086 --> 00:14:48,420 California's Pacific Coast Highway 283 00:14:48,422 --> 00:14:51,890 is one of the most scenic driving routes in the world. 284 00:14:51,959 --> 00:14:53,958 At 790 miles long, 285 00:14:53,994 --> 00:14:56,928 it offers views of such breathtaking shorelines 286 00:14:56,964 --> 00:15:00,165 as Monterey Bay, Big Sur, 287 00:15:00,234 --> 00:15:02,968 and Point Mugu State Park. 288 00:15:02,970 --> 00:15:05,637 And along this historic motorway, 289 00:15:05,639 --> 00:15:08,773 in the picturesque community of La Jolla 290 00:15:08,809 --> 00:15:12,444 is the nation's preeminent marine research facility-- 291 00:15:12,446 --> 00:15:15,580 the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 292 00:15:18,652 --> 00:15:22,187 The collection includes a cusk-eel, 293 00:15:22,256 --> 00:15:25,723 which lives two miles beneath the ocean's surface, 294 00:15:25,759 --> 00:15:28,993 a rare deep sea predator called a goblin shark, 295 00:15:29,062 --> 00:15:32,663 and an endangered prehistoric fish 296 00:15:32,699 --> 00:15:36,534 known as a coelacanth. 297 00:15:36,570 --> 00:15:40,071 But among these extraordinary creatures of the deep 298 00:15:40,140 --> 00:15:44,142 is a tiny specimen with the strangest story to tell. 299 00:15:44,277 --> 00:15:47,278 The artifact is about 7 and 1/2 inches long, 300 00:15:47,347 --> 00:15:49,881 and it weighs about 1/4 of a pound. 301 00:15:50,016 --> 00:15:51,816 It is brownish-yellow. 302 00:15:51,819 --> 00:15:54,285 It was preserved in a glass jar 303 00:15:54,321 --> 00:15:57,422 with a white plastic lid. 304 00:15:57,424 --> 00:16:01,292 This organism played a starring role 305 00:16:01,361 --> 00:16:04,095 in an underwater enigma that bamboozled 306 00:16:04,164 --> 00:16:06,364 the world of science. 307 00:16:06,433 --> 00:16:09,234 This is a story of passion, discovery, 308 00:16:09,369 --> 00:16:12,037 and unexplored mysteries of the deep ocean. 309 00:16:16,643 --> 00:16:20,111 Japan, 2012. 310 00:16:20,113 --> 00:16:23,781 Yoji Okata is an avid scuba diver 311 00:16:23,817 --> 00:16:26,651 and successful underwater photographer. 312 00:16:26,653 --> 00:16:29,854 Yoji was an adventurous person with a passion 313 00:16:29,923 --> 00:16:32,224 for the natural world. 314 00:16:34,261 --> 00:16:35,660 One day in September, 315 00:16:35,795 --> 00:16:38,063 Yoji is diving off the southern coast of Japan 316 00:16:38,198 --> 00:16:42,300 when he sees something unusual on the seabed. 317 00:16:45,439 --> 00:16:47,205 Etched into the sand below him 318 00:16:47,274 --> 00:16:49,608 is an intricate design. 319 00:16:49,610 --> 00:16:53,010 Yoji observed a strange, circular pattern 320 00:16:53,046 --> 00:16:56,948 about six feet wide with sort of sand ridges and hills 321 00:16:57,017 --> 00:16:59,351 throughout the circle. 322 00:16:59,353 --> 00:17:02,087 In his years of underwater photography, 323 00:17:02,222 --> 00:17:05,156 Yoji had never seen anything like this. 324 00:17:07,494 --> 00:17:09,694 The pattern seems too perfect to have 325 00:17:09,829 --> 00:17:12,697 any natural explanation. 326 00:17:12,766 --> 00:17:15,166 He was determined to try and figure out 327 00:17:15,302 --> 00:17:18,537 what actually was the cause of these underwater circles. 328 00:17:22,376 --> 00:17:23,775 Later, when he examines his photos, 329 00:17:23,844 --> 00:17:27,245 Yoji discovers that he is not the first 330 00:17:27,247 --> 00:17:30,315 to come across these complex underwater designs. 331 00:17:30,384 --> 00:17:34,385 These undersea circles were first documented by divers 332 00:17:34,421 --> 00:17:37,522 in the Pacific Ocean in 1995, 333 00:17:37,524 --> 00:17:40,926 but since then, their origin has remained a mystery. 334 00:17:41,061 --> 00:17:45,330 Some speculate that they're made by ocean currents 335 00:17:45,465 --> 00:17:48,199 forming patterns in the seabed. 336 00:17:48,201 --> 00:17:51,869 But this made no sense to anyone that understood physics of water. 337 00:17:51,905 --> 00:17:56,141 Sand ripples ought to occur in a typical linear fashion. 338 00:17:56,276 --> 00:17:58,877 This was a circle. 339 00:18:01,248 --> 00:18:03,548 Others believe the designs are merely a hoax 340 00:18:03,550 --> 00:18:06,217 created by mischievous divers, 341 00:18:06,286 --> 00:18:09,087 but this hypothesis doesn't hold water, either, 342 00:18:09,222 --> 00:18:12,223 as the circles have been found across a wide swath 343 00:18:12,225 --> 00:18:14,692 of the Pacific Ocean. 344 00:18:14,728 --> 00:18:17,095 No single diver or group of divers could possibly 345 00:18:17,230 --> 00:18:19,497 have made all of these strange formations 346 00:18:19,533 --> 00:18:22,834 on the bottom of the ocean in all of these different places. 347 00:18:25,372 --> 00:18:28,106 With no obvious explanation at hand, 348 00:18:28,175 --> 00:18:31,309 some note that these strange patterns on the seabed 349 00:18:31,311 --> 00:18:34,312 bear a striking resemblance to another bizarre, 350 00:18:34,447 --> 00:18:36,714 land-based phenomenon-- 351 00:18:36,750 --> 00:18:39,317 crop circles. 352 00:18:39,386 --> 00:18:41,786 In the 1970s and '80s, 353 00:18:41,822 --> 00:18:45,523 large, unexplained circular patterns began appearing 354 00:18:45,659 --> 00:18:48,326 in corn fields in the United States and Europe, 355 00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:51,129 leading many to suggest that the crop circles 356 00:18:51,264 --> 00:18:53,932 were the work of extraterrestrials. 357 00:18:54,067 --> 00:18:56,267 And if that theory is correct, 358 00:18:56,336 --> 00:18:59,270 then perhaps who, or whatever, made the crop circles 359 00:18:59,406 --> 00:19:03,174 also created these intricate patterns on the ocean floor. 360 00:19:06,546 --> 00:19:09,146 But none of these theories satisfy Yoji. 361 00:19:09,182 --> 00:19:12,016 Yoji did not feel that any of those explanations 362 00:19:12,085 --> 00:19:15,887 were rational, but he wanted to know 363 00:19:15,889 --> 00:19:19,357 what was causing these unusual, crop-like 364 00:19:19,359 --> 00:19:22,093 circular formations in the sand. 365 00:19:22,228 --> 00:19:24,295 So what's really behind 366 00:19:24,297 --> 00:19:26,931 these curious deep sea creations? 367 00:19:38,545 --> 00:19:40,712 Underwater photographer, Yoji Okata, 368 00:19:40,714 --> 00:19:43,581 has discovered something unusual while diving 369 00:19:43,617 --> 00:19:47,052 off the coast of Japan-- large, intricate patterns 370 00:19:47,187 --> 00:19:49,253 etched into the sand on the ocean floor. 371 00:19:49,322 --> 00:19:51,856 So what or who is responsible 372 00:19:51,892 --> 00:19:53,825 for these deep sea designs? 373 00:19:57,063 --> 00:19:59,397 To crack the enigma, Yoji Okata 374 00:19:59,399 --> 00:20:02,000 returns to the deep, along with an investigative 375 00:20:02,135 --> 00:20:03,768 team of divers. 376 00:20:06,039 --> 00:20:08,072 After days of searching, they find 377 00:20:08,141 --> 00:20:10,808 another ornate circular design. 378 00:20:10,844 --> 00:20:13,745 It's then that the divers see something moving 379 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:15,980 in the middle of the circle-- 380 00:20:18,485 --> 00:20:21,018 a tiny fish. 381 00:20:21,088 --> 00:20:24,689 The divers observe the small pufferfish flapping 382 00:20:24,824 --> 00:20:27,625 its fins frantically as it swam back and forth. 383 00:20:27,761 --> 00:20:30,361 The team watches 384 00:20:30,363 --> 00:20:33,231 as the fish uses its fins to create 385 00:20:33,366 --> 00:20:36,167 a circular pattern on the ocean floor. 386 00:20:36,302 --> 00:20:39,303 It didn't take long for the divers to recognize 387 00:20:39,372 --> 00:20:41,906 that the artist of these strange sand formations 388 00:20:42,041 --> 00:20:44,441 was, in fact, a small pufferfish. 389 00:20:44,478 --> 00:20:47,512 The creature is identified as a member of 390 00:20:47,647 --> 00:20:51,216 a newly discovered species called the white spotted pufferfish. 391 00:20:54,921 --> 00:20:56,921 But the question remains-- 392 00:20:56,923 --> 00:20:59,123 why do they make these intricate patterns? 393 00:20:59,159 --> 00:21:01,793 After careful observation, 394 00:21:01,928 --> 00:21:04,329 scientists conclude that the work is done 395 00:21:04,464 --> 00:21:08,333 by the male of the species as an elaborate courtship ritual. 396 00:21:10,771 --> 00:21:13,137 The sand formations attracted females, 397 00:21:13,173 --> 00:21:15,206 who swam down the grooves, 398 00:21:15,275 --> 00:21:18,209 where the male was waiting-- the females deposited 399 00:21:18,245 --> 00:21:20,478 their eggs, and the male fertilized them, 400 00:21:20,614 --> 00:21:23,114 and then the male protected those eggs until they hatched. 401 00:21:26,486 --> 00:21:28,919 Yoji Okata and his team are the first to witness 402 00:21:28,955 --> 00:21:31,489 one of the most unusual mating rituals 403 00:21:31,558 --> 00:21:33,624 in the natural world. 404 00:21:33,693 --> 00:21:36,427 Yoji was elated that he finally had discovered 405 00:21:36,429 --> 00:21:39,931 the culprit, the artist, of these strange sand formations. 406 00:21:43,470 --> 00:21:46,503 Today, this pufferfish, like the one responsible 407 00:21:46,540 --> 00:21:49,841 for making these underwater creations, is on display 408 00:21:49,976 --> 00:21:52,577 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography 409 00:21:52,646 --> 00:21:54,913 in San Diego, California. 410 00:21:55,048 --> 00:21:57,482 It recalls a remarkable quest 411 00:21:57,584 --> 00:22:01,385 to reveal the puzzling patterns of ocean life. 412 00:22:05,592 --> 00:22:08,259 Wooden Polynesian effigies, 413 00:22:08,394 --> 00:22:11,729 hand-carved Native American masks... 414 00:22:11,865 --> 00:22:16,200 and the 10,000 year old bones of the Mastodon. 415 00:22:16,203 --> 00:22:19,870 These and other wonders of the Pacific northwest 416 00:22:19,906 --> 00:22:21,872 are on display at the Burke Museum 417 00:22:21,908 --> 00:22:23,407 of Natural History and Culture 418 00:22:23,476 --> 00:22:25,143 in Seattle, Washington 419 00:22:29,216 --> 00:22:31,549 But amidst these earthly relics is one item 420 00:22:31,618 --> 00:22:34,752 that has no place on dry land. 421 00:22:34,821 --> 00:22:38,222 MASLENIKOV: It is about 6 inches long, about 3 1/2 inches wide. 422 00:22:38,291 --> 00:22:40,958 There is a rod coming out of the forehead 423 00:22:40,994 --> 00:22:45,029 with this glowing object at the end of it. 424 00:22:45,098 --> 00:22:47,866 And it has some very large teeth. 425 00:22:50,737 --> 00:22:53,371 WILDMAN: These frightening creatures once roamed unseen 426 00:22:53,506 --> 00:22:56,307 in the darkest depths of the ocean 427 00:22:56,442 --> 00:22:58,376 until they were brought into the light 428 00:22:58,445 --> 00:23:02,380 by one of the most incredible and dangerous expeditions 429 00:23:02,449 --> 00:23:05,115 the world has ever witnessed. 430 00:23:05,151 --> 00:23:07,651 This story tells us about the amazing impossibilities 431 00:23:07,687 --> 00:23:09,587 when we explore the unknown. 432 00:23:12,759 --> 00:23:16,127 WILDMAN: 1925 -- Bermuda. 433 00:23:16,196 --> 00:23:18,997 48-year-old explorer William Beebe is 434 00:23:19,132 --> 00:23:22,734 one of the world's most highly respected biologists. 435 00:23:22,869 --> 00:23:24,736 Throughout his career, he has discovered 436 00:23:24,871 --> 00:23:28,806 countless rare and exotic bird species. 437 00:23:28,808 --> 00:23:30,607 But now the scientist is planning 438 00:23:30,644 --> 00:23:33,277 his greatest adventure yet. 439 00:23:33,313 --> 00:23:35,546 He wants to unlock the secrets held 440 00:23:35,682 --> 00:23:39,083 in the darkest depths of the earth's oceans. 441 00:23:39,152 --> 00:23:42,219 The ocean is this vast, undiscovered frontier. 442 00:23:42,255 --> 00:23:44,155 And for Beebe, here was the chance 443 00:23:44,157 --> 00:23:48,892 to really make his mark in a whole new way. 444 00:23:48,929 --> 00:23:52,029 WILDMAN: But that's easier said than done. 445 00:23:52,098 --> 00:23:55,766 The most advanced diving suits of the day 446 00:23:55,835 --> 00:23:58,770 can only reach a depth of 500 feet. 447 00:23:58,905 --> 00:24:01,906 Anything below that, and the diver inside 448 00:24:01,908 --> 00:24:03,974 would be crushed by the pressure of the water. 449 00:24:04,010 --> 00:24:06,911 But Beebe is undeterred. 450 00:24:07,046 --> 00:24:09,380 MASLENIKOV: He wanted to get deeper and deeper. 451 00:24:09,382 --> 00:24:10,915 So Beebe decides that the only way 452 00:24:11,050 --> 00:24:14,051 he's going to get down there is if he builds a vessel. 453 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:15,586 WILDMAN: So Beebe teams up 454 00:24:15,722 --> 00:24:18,656 with an engineer named Otis Barton. 455 00:24:18,791 --> 00:24:21,659 Barton is this young engineering student. 456 00:24:21,661 --> 00:24:25,063 For him, it was all about going down as deep as they could. 457 00:24:25,198 --> 00:24:27,131 WILDMAN: Together, they come up with a simple 458 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:29,667 yet brilliant design. 459 00:24:29,669 --> 00:24:31,469 MASLENIKOV: They knew that it had to be a sphere 460 00:24:31,604 --> 00:24:36,340 because a sphere will distribute the pressure evenly. 461 00:24:36,409 --> 00:24:38,409 WILDMAN: For years, the men worked tirelessly 462 00:24:38,544 --> 00:24:41,479 to build their vessel. 463 00:24:41,614 --> 00:24:45,449 In 1930, it's finally ready. 464 00:24:45,485 --> 00:24:49,086 The craft is made of more than two tons of cast steel 465 00:24:49,122 --> 00:24:51,755 and features two solid-quartz windows, 466 00:24:51,791 --> 00:24:57,028 oxygen tanks, and a spotlight to illuminate the murky water. 467 00:24:57,097 --> 00:25:00,898 It's been carefully welded together so it won't leak. 468 00:25:00,967 --> 00:25:05,169 And it's only opening is a 400-pound door. 469 00:25:05,171 --> 00:25:07,104 If all goes well, it should be able 470 00:25:07,140 --> 00:25:11,108 to withstand depths of up to 4,000 feet. 471 00:25:11,144 --> 00:25:13,711 Beebe and Barton name it the bathysphere, 472 00:25:13,713 --> 00:25:15,713 Greek for "deep sphere." 473 00:25:15,782 --> 00:25:17,715 It was surprisingly small. 474 00:25:17,784 --> 00:25:20,284 It was only 4 1/2 feet across. 475 00:25:23,690 --> 00:25:27,058 WILDMAN: On June 6, 10 miles off the coast of Bermuda, 476 00:25:27,060 --> 00:25:30,994 Beebe and Barton squeeze into the bathysphere. 477 00:25:31,031 --> 00:25:33,263 The vessel is lowered into the ocean 478 00:25:33,299 --> 00:25:37,135 via a cable attached to a barge. 479 00:25:37,270 --> 00:25:39,870 A telephone line keeps them in constant communication 480 00:25:39,939 --> 00:25:41,706 with the ship's crew. 481 00:25:43,943 --> 00:25:46,611 They were so excited and so scared. 482 00:25:46,746 --> 00:25:50,281 They were alone in this steel sphere 483 00:25:50,350 --> 00:25:53,885 lowered where no one had ever been. 484 00:25:53,887 --> 00:25:55,419 WILDMAN: Inside the bathysphere, 485 00:25:55,455 --> 00:25:58,489 Beebe and Barton begin their descent. 486 00:25:58,525 --> 00:26:03,694 To their relief, the design appears to be working perfectly. 487 00:26:03,830 --> 00:26:06,230 But when they reach 300 feet, 488 00:26:06,266 --> 00:26:09,700 something goes terribly wrong. 489 00:26:09,836 --> 00:26:12,437 The door suddenly starts to leak. 490 00:26:14,841 --> 00:26:18,509 Trapped inside this sphere, the men could drown. 491 00:26:18,644 --> 00:26:22,313 If this situation is not solved, they will die. 492 00:26:32,659 --> 00:26:35,659 It's 1930 off the coast of Bermuda. 493 00:26:35,728 --> 00:26:38,863 Explorers William Beebe and Otis Barton are attempting 494 00:26:38,932 --> 00:26:41,331 an unprecedented journey beneath the sea 495 00:26:41,367 --> 00:26:43,267 in a new type of submersible. 496 00:26:43,336 --> 00:26:46,404 But when they reach the depth of 300 feet, 497 00:26:46,539 --> 00:26:48,139 disaster strikes. 498 00:26:48,274 --> 00:26:51,275 Water is suddenly seeping into the craft. 499 00:26:51,344 --> 00:26:54,745 So, can they survive this deadly breach? 500 00:26:57,550 --> 00:26:59,750 As the water pours in from the door, 501 00:26:59,886 --> 00:27:03,354 Beebe proposes an unbelievable solution. 502 00:27:03,489 --> 00:27:06,357 Beebe decides that, rather than go back up to surface 503 00:27:06,426 --> 00:27:11,629 and try and solve the problem, they should go down and fast. 504 00:27:11,764 --> 00:27:13,497 He believes that at a greater depth, 505 00:27:13,533 --> 00:27:15,899 the increased water pressure will actually 506 00:27:15,935 --> 00:27:19,837 push the door tight enough to stop the leak. 507 00:27:19,906 --> 00:27:23,841 It's a bit counterintuitive. You'd think you need to go up. 508 00:27:23,910 --> 00:27:26,911 But if you go down, the pressure will actually 509 00:27:26,913 --> 00:27:29,647 then compress where that problem is 510 00:27:29,782 --> 00:27:33,317 and seal the crack for you. 511 00:27:33,319 --> 00:27:36,120 WILDMAN: Beebe and Barton wait with baited breath 512 00:27:36,122 --> 00:27:39,457 as they descend deeper into the ocean. 513 00:27:39,459 --> 00:27:43,794 To their relief, the leak stops. 514 00:27:43,830 --> 00:27:45,263 With the crisis averted, 515 00:27:45,398 --> 00:27:49,399 Beebe and Barton are able to reach a record depth. 516 00:27:49,435 --> 00:27:51,402 MASLENIKOV: They made it down to 800 feet. 517 00:27:51,537 --> 00:27:53,137 And that was the deepest 518 00:27:53,272 --> 00:27:56,807 that any human had ever been alive. 519 00:27:56,876 --> 00:28:00,077 WILDMAN: The explorers spend an hour below the surface 520 00:28:00,113 --> 00:28:02,747 before being pulled safely back up to the ship. 521 00:28:05,952 --> 00:28:09,153 Over the next several years, Beebe and Barton complete 522 00:28:09,288 --> 00:28:12,623 a series of deeper and deeper dives. 523 00:28:12,758 --> 00:28:15,158 They eventually reach the staggering depth 524 00:28:15,195 --> 00:28:18,229 of 3,028 feet. 525 00:28:18,364 --> 00:28:21,098 Far beneath the surface, Beebe is able to observe 526 00:28:21,167 --> 00:28:24,568 deep-sea creatures in their natural environment, 527 00:28:24,637 --> 00:28:27,371 including the extraordinary anglerfish. 528 00:28:27,373 --> 00:28:31,842 He was so excited when he looked out that window 529 00:28:31,878 --> 00:28:34,645 and, for the first time, saw the anglerfish. 530 00:28:39,185 --> 00:28:41,719 WILDMAN: Today, this anglerfish remains preserved 531 00:28:41,854 --> 00:28:44,989 at the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle. 532 00:28:45,024 --> 00:28:47,992 It recalls a historic journey beneath the sea 533 00:28:48,127 --> 00:28:52,096 and the two daring men who exposed a brand-new world. 534 00:28:56,269 --> 00:28:58,336 New Bedford, Massachusetts. 535 00:28:58,338 --> 00:29:00,871 In 1841, author Herman Melville 536 00:29:00,940 --> 00:29:03,274 sailed from this port city on the expedition 537 00:29:03,276 --> 00:29:05,676 that inspired his great American novel, 538 00:29:05,678 --> 00:29:07,345 Moby-Dick . 539 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,081 Today, the area's nautical history is showcased 540 00:29:10,083 --> 00:29:12,250 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. 541 00:29:16,956 --> 00:29:19,156 Here, visitors can view scrimshaw carvings 542 00:29:19,158 --> 00:29:21,359 from the 18th century, 543 00:29:21,494 --> 00:29:24,161 the skeleton of a baby blue whale, 544 00:29:24,297 --> 00:29:26,163 and the world's largest model whaling ship. 545 00:29:28,701 --> 00:29:30,768 But one item here looks like it belongs 546 00:29:30,770 --> 00:29:34,905 not in a maritime museum but in a science fiction movie. 547 00:29:34,974 --> 00:29:37,441 It's a metallic cylinder. 548 00:29:37,443 --> 00:29:39,776 It's very thin. 549 00:29:39,812 --> 00:29:42,179 It's about two and a half feet high, 550 00:29:42,315 --> 00:29:44,448 and it almost looks like a big bullet. 551 00:29:47,053 --> 00:29:50,187 This strange instrument recalls a wondrous tale 552 00:29:50,223 --> 00:29:53,590 of adventure, exploration, and creatures from the deep. 553 00:29:53,660 --> 00:29:57,261 This is a story of the incredible possibilities 554 00:29:57,396 --> 00:29:59,263 beneath the Earth's oceans. 555 00:30:03,403 --> 00:30:06,203 1997, Newport, Oregon. 556 00:30:06,339 --> 00:30:09,140 Dr. Christopher Fox is a veteran researcher 557 00:30:09,275 --> 00:30:12,209 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 558 00:30:12,345 --> 00:30:14,412 or NOAA. 559 00:30:14,414 --> 00:30:17,682 Their role is to monitor and do scientific study 560 00:30:17,817 --> 00:30:20,484 of the oceans and atmosphere. 561 00:30:20,619 --> 00:30:23,621 One of NOAA's most powerful tools 562 00:30:23,623 --> 00:30:26,757 is a scientific instrument called the hydrophone. 563 00:30:26,793 --> 00:30:30,427 The listening device, like this one in the collection 564 00:30:30,496 --> 00:30:32,763 of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, 565 00:30:32,799 --> 00:30:35,566 is a microphone designed for recording or monitoring 566 00:30:35,668 --> 00:30:37,834 sound underwater. 567 00:30:37,870 --> 00:30:40,171 Most of the time, Fox and his fellow scientists 568 00:30:40,173 --> 00:30:42,840 pick up sounds of sea life or ships. 569 00:30:42,909 --> 00:30:45,710 But one day, 570 00:30:45,845 --> 00:30:47,978 they hear something louder and stranger 571 00:30:48,114 --> 00:30:50,247 than anything they've heard before. 572 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:55,919 They couldn't figure out what these sounds were. 573 00:30:56,021 --> 00:30:57,921 It had not previously been recorded. 574 00:30:57,990 --> 00:31:00,190 It actually sounded like a "bloop!" 575 00:31:03,863 --> 00:31:07,732 Fittingly, the scientists nickname the unusual sound 576 00:31:07,867 --> 00:31:10,868 the Bloop, and according to their data, 577 00:31:10,870 --> 00:31:14,404 it appears to originate from over 3,000 miles away. 578 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,141 Fox is astonished. 579 00:31:17,143 --> 00:31:19,944 For a sound to travel such a distance, 580 00:31:19,946 --> 00:31:22,813 its source must be deafeningly loud. 581 00:31:22,948 --> 00:31:25,750 When you find something so abnormal, 582 00:31:25,885 --> 00:31:29,153 it really gave people a lot of pause of what that 583 00:31:29,222 --> 00:31:31,354 could actually be. 584 00:31:31,391 --> 00:31:34,625 The short, seemingly random sound pattern 585 00:31:34,627 --> 00:31:38,495 bears no similarities to the long, steady hum of submarines 586 00:31:38,564 --> 00:31:41,165 or other man-made machines, 587 00:31:41,234 --> 00:31:43,967 and it doesn't match the pattern that would be expected 588 00:31:44,036 --> 00:31:46,370 from an underwater earthquake, volcano, 589 00:31:46,372 --> 00:31:48,972 or other geological phenomena. 590 00:31:49,008 --> 00:31:51,609 It was unknown where the sound was coming from. 591 00:31:54,514 --> 00:31:57,314 With these simple explanations ruled out, 592 00:31:57,383 --> 00:32:01,051 a more remote, even outlandish possibility, emerges-- 593 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,654 that the sound could be emanating 594 00:32:03,789 --> 00:32:06,390 from some kind of unknown sea creature. 595 00:32:08,594 --> 00:32:10,794 We know more about the surface of Mars and the moon 596 00:32:10,863 --> 00:32:13,130 than we know about the floors of the sea. 597 00:32:13,265 --> 00:32:16,199 There is life down there, and we don't necessarily 598 00:32:16,235 --> 00:32:19,002 know what it is. 599 00:32:19,038 --> 00:32:21,806 But for a marine animal to make a noise 600 00:32:21,941 --> 00:32:25,542 as powerful as the Bloop, it would have to be gargantuan in size. 601 00:32:25,578 --> 00:32:27,678 A blue whale, 602 00:32:27,813 --> 00:32:30,147 the largest known living creature on the planet, 603 00:32:30,249 --> 00:32:33,751 emits a call that's more deafening than a jet plane. 604 00:32:33,753 --> 00:32:37,154 And based on his calculations, 605 00:32:37,289 --> 00:32:41,157 Fox estimates that the Bloop is three times as loud. 606 00:32:41,194 --> 00:32:43,560 If we were to consider that this monster's 607 00:32:43,596 --> 00:32:45,963 about three times the size of a blue whale, 608 00:32:46,098 --> 00:32:49,500 it probably would've been the length of about eight to nine school buses. 609 00:32:49,569 --> 00:32:52,903 So is this thunderous sound really coming 610 00:32:52,939 --> 00:32:55,239 from a giant, undiscovered sea creature? 611 00:33:06,786 --> 00:33:08,719 It's 1997. 612 00:33:08,788 --> 00:33:11,322 Dr. Christopher Fox and a team of researchers 613 00:33:11,457 --> 00:33:14,658 have recorded an underwater sound in the Pacific Ocean. 614 00:33:14,793 --> 00:33:17,394 They've named it the Bloop. 615 00:33:17,463 --> 00:33:21,197 The sound is one of the loudest and most powerful ever recorded, 616 00:33:21,234 --> 00:33:24,001 leading some to suspect the source may be 617 00:33:24,136 --> 00:33:27,071 a giant marine creature that's never been seen before. 618 00:33:27,206 --> 00:33:31,008 So is there some massive, mysterious beast 619 00:33:31,077 --> 00:33:33,944 lurking in the deep? 620 00:33:33,946 --> 00:33:38,882 Fox and his fellow researchers continue to monitor the Bloop for weeks, 621 00:33:38,951 --> 00:33:42,819 but they cannot determine what is making the thunderous sound. 622 00:33:42,855 --> 00:33:45,756 Then, suddenly, 623 00:33:45,891 --> 00:33:48,291 it stops. 624 00:33:48,327 --> 00:33:50,761 And now that it's gone, it seems that finding the source 625 00:33:50,763 --> 00:33:53,497 of the strange sound will be impossible. 626 00:33:53,632 --> 00:33:57,468 No one hears the Bloop for years. 627 00:34:00,339 --> 00:34:02,506 Then, in 2008, 628 00:34:02,508 --> 00:34:05,976 scientists in the Antarctic are monitoring acoustic activity 629 00:34:05,978 --> 00:34:09,713 when they pick up the same unusually powerful sound, 630 00:34:09,782 --> 00:34:12,649 and this time, whatever is making it 631 00:34:12,718 --> 00:34:15,452 appears to be close by. 632 00:34:15,521 --> 00:34:18,455 This phenomenon happened again, and it happened to be recorded 633 00:34:18,491 --> 00:34:21,058 closer to their source. 634 00:34:21,060 --> 00:34:23,727 The researchers methodically search the region, 635 00:34:23,729 --> 00:34:26,997 yet they find no trace of a large marine creature. 636 00:34:27,033 --> 00:34:30,667 But they do notice an interesting natural phenomenon 637 00:34:30,736 --> 00:34:34,405 that might solve the mystery once and for all. 638 00:34:34,407 --> 00:34:38,409 They witness large glaciers moving and breaking apart, 639 00:34:38,411 --> 00:34:41,812 a geologic process known as cavving. 640 00:34:41,947 --> 00:34:43,747 So the glaciers were moving, 641 00:34:43,749 --> 00:34:45,883 and these have unique sounds. 642 00:34:45,885 --> 00:34:48,685 It was loud, and it wasn't terribly long, 643 00:34:48,754 --> 00:34:50,954 and it wasn't rhythmic. 644 00:34:51,023 --> 00:34:53,423 The noise created by the friction between 645 00:34:53,459 --> 00:34:55,959 the enormous slabs of ice is identical 646 00:34:55,995 --> 00:34:59,263 to the one first picked up by Fox and his team at NOAA. 647 00:35:02,268 --> 00:35:04,768 It had a similar signature, similar frequency, 648 00:35:04,804 --> 00:35:07,037 and similar volume to what they had heard 649 00:35:07,172 --> 00:35:10,040 in the '90s, so this actually was a sound 650 00:35:10,109 --> 00:35:12,042 made by ice breaking apart 651 00:35:12,111 --> 00:35:14,578 and not by an underwater sea creature. 652 00:35:17,350 --> 00:35:20,250 Scientists believe that glacial cavving 653 00:35:20,386 --> 00:35:23,120 is the most likely source of the Bloop. 654 00:35:23,122 --> 00:35:26,056 Still, many continue to wonder what unknown, 655 00:35:26,058 --> 00:35:28,859 magnificent creatures lurk in the deep. 656 00:35:28,928 --> 00:35:31,328 There's so much left to explore, 657 00:35:31,463 --> 00:35:34,531 and we don't really know what else we're gonna find. 658 00:35:38,037 --> 00:35:41,405 Today, this hydrophone, used to detect underwater sounds, 659 00:35:41,407 --> 00:35:44,207 is on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum 660 00:35:44,276 --> 00:35:46,009 in Massachusetts. 661 00:35:46,045 --> 00:35:48,144 It recalls the maritime mystery 662 00:35:48,180 --> 00:35:50,514 and the Bloop heard round the world. 663 00:35:54,086 --> 00:35:57,220 An 85 pound sturgeon from the Gulf of Mexico... 664 00:35:57,256 --> 00:36:00,423 A massive devil ray with a 4 foot wing span. 665 00:36:00,459 --> 00:36:03,427 and an alligator gar, 666 00:36:03,429 --> 00:36:07,164 one of the largest fish in North America 667 00:36:07,233 --> 00:36:10,234 are just some of the incredible aquatic creatures 668 00:36:10,236 --> 00:36:13,369 found at the Royal D. Suttkus fish collection 669 00:36:13,406 --> 00:36:16,907 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 670 00:36:16,909 --> 00:36:19,376 But among these spectacular specimens 671 00:36:19,511 --> 00:36:22,379 is a deceptively simple display. 672 00:36:24,116 --> 00:36:27,451 It's about 17 inches tall, it's made of glass 673 00:36:27,520 --> 00:36:29,319 and inside is an amber liquid. 674 00:36:29,388 --> 00:36:33,389 Suspended in the liquid are dozens of little creatures 675 00:36:33,426 --> 00:36:36,593 6 to 8 inches long each with beady little eyes 676 00:36:36,729 --> 00:36:38,528 and a scaly exterior. 677 00:36:38,597 --> 00:36:41,465 It's not often you come across a jar 678 00:36:41,467 --> 00:36:44,534 with 53 floating bodies inside. 679 00:36:46,472 --> 00:36:50,340 These tiny creatures took center stage in an international drama 680 00:36:50,476 --> 00:36:52,943 that played out in the ocean's depths. 681 00:36:53,012 --> 00:36:56,212 This is a story about Sweden, submarines, 682 00:36:56,248 --> 00:36:58,682 and an underwater mystery. 683 00:37:04,790 --> 00:37:08,092 WILDMAN: It's the 1990s. 684 00:37:08,227 --> 00:37:09,959 The Cold War is over, 685 00:37:09,995 --> 00:37:12,495 but, despite the apparent fall of communism, 686 00:37:12,531 --> 00:37:16,299 tensions across Europe remain high. 687 00:37:16,368 --> 00:37:19,036 Many fear that the destabilized Russian state 688 00:37:19,171 --> 00:37:20,904 will go on the offensive 689 00:37:21,039 --> 00:37:23,306 in a desperate bid to gain new territory 690 00:37:23,342 --> 00:37:25,909 following the breakup of the USSR, 691 00:37:25,978 --> 00:37:28,712 and one country in Russia's firing line 692 00:37:28,814 --> 00:37:29,746 is Sweden. 693 00:37:29,782 --> 00:37:32,649 Sweden was very close to the Soviet Union 694 00:37:32,685 --> 00:37:35,319 and had to be prepared, in case the worst happened. 695 00:37:39,591 --> 00:37:41,658 WILDMAN: Then, something happens that suggests 696 00:37:41,660 --> 00:37:45,328 the country's worst fears are about to come true. 697 00:37:47,066 --> 00:37:49,533 One day, in May 1994, 698 00:37:49,535 --> 00:37:51,868 while the Swedish Navy is doing a routine sweep 699 00:37:51,904 --> 00:37:54,738 of the Baltic Sea, 700 00:37:54,807 --> 00:37:59,676 sonar operators detect a suspicious sound. 701 00:37:59,678 --> 00:38:04,214 PORGES: It sounded like the static of a TV or radio. 702 00:38:04,283 --> 00:38:09,553 WILDMAN: To the navy officers, it can only mean one thing... 703 00:38:12,291 --> 00:38:15,092 ...an enemy submarine. 704 00:38:15,227 --> 00:38:17,627 The operators assumed the worst: that the vessel they detected 705 00:38:17,663 --> 00:38:20,297 was a Soviet nuclear submarine. 706 00:38:20,432 --> 00:38:23,300 It fit the audio signature of a submarine. 707 00:38:23,302 --> 00:38:24,902 That's because submarines, 708 00:38:24,904 --> 00:38:28,838 they release a lot of air bubbles. 709 00:38:28,874 --> 00:38:31,174 WILDMAN: The Swedish Navy dispatches a fleet of ships 710 00:38:31,177 --> 00:38:34,645 to intercept the lurking Russian vessel. 711 00:38:34,647 --> 00:38:38,782 But after an exhaustive search, they come up empty. 712 00:38:38,784 --> 00:38:40,517 They look for vessels in their water, 713 00:38:40,586 --> 00:38:44,454 and they don't find a thing. 714 00:38:44,490 --> 00:38:47,858 WILDMAN: But despite coming up empty-handed, 715 00:38:47,927 --> 00:38:50,126 the Swedish Navy continues 716 00:38:50,196 --> 00:38:53,663 to pick up traces of the weird noise. 717 00:38:53,699 --> 00:38:55,999 The Cold War was supposed to be over, 718 00:38:56,068 --> 00:38:58,735 but if the Swedish Navy couldn't figure out 719 00:38:58,771 --> 00:39:02,405 what was happening, it could mean war. 720 00:39:02,474 --> 00:39:04,808 WILDMAN: So what's making this strange sound? 721 00:39:16,288 --> 00:39:18,222 It's May 1994. 722 00:39:18,357 --> 00:39:22,358 The Swedish Navy has just intercepted a strange, 723 00:39:22,394 --> 00:39:24,228 underwater signal. 724 00:39:24,363 --> 00:39:25,828 They think it may originated 725 00:39:25,865 --> 00:39:28,498 from a Russian spy submarine lurking in the Baltic, 726 00:39:28,534 --> 00:39:31,368 but there's something even fishier afoot, 727 00:39:31,370 --> 00:39:33,103 far beneath the waves. 728 00:39:34,540 --> 00:39:36,973 With the source of the signal still unknown, 729 00:39:37,042 --> 00:39:38,441 the Swedish Navy appoints a team 730 00:39:38,510 --> 00:39:41,044 of esteemed scientists to investigate. 731 00:39:41,179 --> 00:39:43,113 The first thing the scientists do 732 00:39:43,115 --> 00:39:44,581 is listen to the audio recording. 733 00:39:44,650 --> 00:39:48,251 WILDMAN: But to these experts, the noise doesn't sound 734 00:39:48,287 --> 00:39:50,587 like it was created by a machine. 735 00:39:50,656 --> 00:39:53,390 They believe it has a natural source. 736 00:39:53,459 --> 00:39:57,394 The team hypothesizes that the sound could be made 737 00:39:57,396 --> 00:40:00,864 by tiny bubbles of methane gas 738 00:40:00,866 --> 00:40:03,934 released through cracks in the sea floor. 739 00:40:04,003 --> 00:40:06,002 They test the sediments at the bottom of the Baltic Sea 740 00:40:06,038 --> 00:40:07,871 to see if they can find any traces of gases 741 00:40:08,006 --> 00:40:10,007 that might match this sort of signal. 742 00:40:10,142 --> 00:40:12,409 They find nothing. 743 00:40:12,544 --> 00:40:16,079 WILDMAN: Then, a scientist named Magnus Wahlberg 744 00:40:16,148 --> 00:40:19,216 comes forward with a new theory. 745 00:40:19,351 --> 00:40:22,352 Magnus Wahlberg was a bioacoustics expert. 746 00:40:22,421 --> 00:40:24,421 Wahlberg had an idea. 747 00:40:24,556 --> 00:40:28,492 What if the cause of the sound wasn't a machine or sediment... 748 00:40:30,062 --> 00:40:31,828 but an animal? 749 00:40:31,830 --> 00:40:34,898 WILDMAN: And Wahlberg thinks he knows the creature that's responsible. 750 00:40:34,900 --> 00:40:39,235 It's a mainstay of Swedish cuisine: 751 00:40:39,271 --> 00:40:41,571 the herring. 752 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:43,707 Herring gather in massive schools 753 00:40:43,776 --> 00:40:45,575 in the waters off Sweden. 754 00:40:45,644 --> 00:40:48,912 Like many other fish, they have a special organ, 755 00:40:48,914 --> 00:40:52,316 called a swim bladder, to help them stay afloat, 756 00:40:52,451 --> 00:40:54,984 but there is one unique difference. 757 00:40:55,020 --> 00:40:58,922 While most swim bladders are connected to a fish's lungs, 758 00:40:58,991 --> 00:41:02,726 the herring's is connected to its rear end. 759 00:41:04,196 --> 00:41:06,195 When they squeeze that swim bladder, 760 00:41:06,231 --> 00:41:09,199 maybe to communicate or to express alarm, 761 00:41:09,268 --> 00:41:12,735 gas comes out through their anal duct. 762 00:41:12,771 --> 00:41:15,138 WILDMAN: Wahlberg suspects the noise is made 763 00:41:15,174 --> 00:41:19,609 by air being squeezed through the fish's sphincter 764 00:41:19,678 --> 00:41:22,278 and that, if a school of fish was large enough, 765 00:41:22,348 --> 00:41:24,881 it could create the steady stream of noise 766 00:41:25,017 --> 00:41:27,417 heard by the Swedish Navy. 767 00:41:27,552 --> 00:41:31,687 To test his hypothesis, he fills an aquarium with herring 768 00:41:31,724 --> 00:41:34,290 and gently squeezes each one by hand. 769 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:36,760 The resulting sound is recorded 770 00:41:36,895 --> 00:41:40,430 and sent to the Swedish Navy for comparison. 771 00:41:40,432 --> 00:41:43,032 Sure enough, perfect match. 772 00:41:46,305 --> 00:41:48,104 There was no submarine to worry about. 773 00:41:48,140 --> 00:41:49,439 It was just a bunch of 774 00:41:49,475 --> 00:41:52,942 herring farts. 775 00:41:58,450 --> 00:42:00,717 Today, this jar of preserved herring 776 00:42:00,719 --> 00:42:04,721 is kept at the Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection in New Orleans. 777 00:42:04,790 --> 00:42:08,791 It recalls the international incident that, in the end, 778 00:42:08,827 --> 00:42:11,795 was caused by a school of flatulent fish. 779 00:42:14,533 --> 00:42:15,999 From a legendary sea monster 780 00:42:16,134 --> 00:42:18,802 to shrimpy sonar... 781 00:42:18,937 --> 00:42:20,404 a descent to the bottom of the ocean, 782 00:42:20,539 --> 00:42:23,206 to the ultimate red herring. 783 00:42:23,242 --> 00:42:27,110 I'm Don Wildman, and these are the Mysteries at the Museum. 783 00:42:28,305 --> 00:43:28,327