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

1 00:00:01,935 --> 00:00:03,336 A puzzling pattern on the ocean floor... 2 00:00:03,436 --> 00:00:06,139 It absolutely did not look natural 3 00:00:06,239 --> 00:00:08,141 in any way, shape or form. 4 00:00:08,241 --> 00:00:12,078 ...a war time battle against an unlikely foe... 5 00:00:12,178 --> 00:00:16,750 The Navy was crippled by this strange bacon frying sound. 6 00:00:16,850 --> 00:00:18,485 [ popping and cracking ] 7 00:00:18,585 --> 00:00:20,887 ...and a terrifying tale of a real life sea serpent. 8 00:00:20,987 --> 00:00:23,990 They had never run into a creature like this before. 9 00:00:24,090 --> 00:00:27,927 These are the Mysteries at the Museum. 10 00:00:28,028 --> 00:00:34,401 ♪♪ 11 00:00:34,501 --> 00:00:35,669 Orlando, Florida, is home 12 00:00:35,769 --> 00:00:38,238 to the 400-foot-tall Ferris wheel known 13 00:00:38,338 --> 00:00:39,739 as the Orlando Eye. 14 00:00:39,839 --> 00:00:42,175 This iconic structure offers stunning views 15 00:00:42,275 --> 00:00:45,211 of central Florida for as far as 50 miles, 16 00:00:45,311 --> 00:00:49,182 and not far away is Orlando's most unusual attraction-- 17 00:00:49,282 --> 00:00:53,253 Skeletons Museum of Osteology. 18 00:00:55,522 --> 00:00:57,524 Dedicated to the study of bones, 19 00:00:57,624 --> 00:01:00,794 this collection of more than 500 real animal skeletons 20 00:01:00,894 --> 00:01:04,597 includes a two-toed sloth from South America, 21 00:01:04,698 --> 00:01:07,934 a Sumatran white rhinoceros, 22 00:01:08,034 --> 00:01:11,171 and the world's largest rodent, the capybara. 23 00:01:11,271 --> 00:01:14,574 But among these exotic creatures 24 00:01:14,674 --> 00:01:17,377 that walked on land is one specimen 25 00:01:17,477 --> 00:01:20,213 that plumbed the ocean's depths. 26 00:01:20,313 --> 00:01:22,649 (woman) The artifact is about 11 feet tall. 27 00:01:22,749 --> 00:01:26,252 It is off-white color made of calcified bone. 28 00:01:26,353 --> 00:01:29,122 It is smooth to the touch. 29 00:01:29,222 --> 00:01:33,827 (Don) This extraordinary skull recalls a mythical creature 30 00:01:33,927 --> 00:01:37,163 that tormented sailors on the high seas. 31 00:01:37,263 --> 00:01:39,399 (Ting) This is a story about a sea captain, 32 00:01:39,499 --> 00:01:41,401 a legendary monster, 33 00:01:41,501 --> 00:01:43,770 and the debate left in its wake. 34 00:01:48,641 --> 00:01:51,611 (Don) August 6, 1848, 35 00:01:51,711 --> 00:01:54,080 in the South Atlantic. 36 00:01:54,180 --> 00:01:57,417 Captain Peter McQuhae is the commander of the HMS Daedalus . 37 00:01:57,517 --> 00:02:00,153 (Ting) McQuhae was a sea captain that had 38 00:02:00,253 --> 00:02:03,456 an impeccable reputation-- he ran a very tight ship, 39 00:02:03,556 --> 00:02:06,026 and he was a no-nonsense type of guy. 40 00:02:08,695 --> 00:02:11,297 (Don) McQuhae's ship is en route from the East Indies 41 00:02:11,398 --> 00:02:13,533 to its home port in England. 42 00:02:13,633 --> 00:02:16,503 Three hundred miles off the southern coast of Africa, 43 00:02:16,603 --> 00:02:19,172 the captain is alerted to something off 44 00:02:19,272 --> 00:02:21,541 the vessel's starboard side. 45 00:02:23,677 --> 00:02:25,812 There in the water is a massive creature 46 00:02:25,912 --> 00:02:28,148 unlike anything he has ever seen. 47 00:02:28,248 --> 00:02:30,417 The leviathan 48 00:02:30,517 --> 00:02:32,519 is more than 60 feet long, 49 00:02:32,619 --> 00:02:36,022 has a slender, serpentine body, and is dark brown in color, 50 00:02:36,122 --> 00:02:39,225 but the most frightening characteristic of all 51 00:02:39,325 --> 00:02:42,295 is the creature's massive head, 52 00:02:42,395 --> 00:02:46,032 which protrudes from the water with its jaws agape. 53 00:02:46,132 --> 00:02:48,868 (Ting) Captain McQuhae had seen everything... 54 00:02:48,968 --> 00:02:52,038 but he hadn't seen this. 55 00:02:52,138 --> 00:02:55,642 (Don) For centuries, sailors have told stories 56 00:02:55,742 --> 00:02:59,245 of monstrous creatures that lurk in the depths of the ocean. 57 00:02:59,346 --> 00:03:02,215 Some have even been said 58 00:03:02,315 --> 00:03:05,752 to sink entire ships and devour their crews. 59 00:03:05,852 --> 00:03:08,588 Like many others, Captain McQuhae has always 60 00:03:08,688 --> 00:03:12,192 assumed such tales to be little more than myths, 61 00:03:12,292 --> 00:03:16,096 but now, with just such a monster alongside his ship, 62 00:03:16,196 --> 00:03:18,798 the legends seem all too real. 63 00:03:18,898 --> 00:03:21,267 (Ting) He had heard about these stories, 64 00:03:21,368 --> 00:03:23,703 but he had never run into a creature like this before. 65 00:03:23,803 --> 00:03:27,407 (Don) Then, as suddenly as it appeared, 66 00:03:27,507 --> 00:03:30,410 the creature vanishes beneath the waves. 67 00:03:30,510 --> 00:03:33,913 When the Daedalus docks in England, 68 00:03:34,014 --> 00:03:36,549 the captain and crew share the story 69 00:03:36,649 --> 00:03:38,985 of their bizarre encounter. 70 00:03:39,085 --> 00:03:42,856 And soon, all of London buzzes with speculation. 71 00:03:42,956 --> 00:03:45,892 The news was an absolute sensation. 72 00:03:45,992 --> 00:03:49,929 (Don) The creature becomes known as the Daedalus Sea Serpent. 73 00:03:50,030 --> 00:03:52,866 But as public fascination grows, 74 00:03:52,966 --> 00:03:55,935 some doubt the veracity of McQuhae's tale. 75 00:03:58,738 --> 00:04:01,141 A fellow ship captain claims the beast was nothing more 76 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:03,977 than an enormous clump of seaweed. 77 00:04:04,077 --> 00:04:06,946 but McQuhae insists that what he saw 78 00:04:07,047 --> 00:04:09,449 was no tangle of plants. 79 00:04:09,549 --> 00:04:12,152 (Ting) A seaweed didn't have a defined body, 80 00:04:12,252 --> 00:04:14,554 a head, and eyes. 81 00:04:14,654 --> 00:04:17,957 (Don) An English biologist suggests that what the men saw 82 00:04:18,058 --> 00:04:20,827 was just a particularly large elephant seal, 83 00:04:20,927 --> 00:04:23,997 a creature which has been known to reach 15 feet in length, 84 00:04:24,097 --> 00:04:27,400 but McQuhae swears that what he and his men witnessed 85 00:04:27,500 --> 00:04:30,570 was much larger than a big seal. 86 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:33,640 (Ting) He knew by the sheer size of the sea creature 87 00:04:33,740 --> 00:04:36,476 that there's no way it could have been an elephant seal. 88 00:04:39,346 --> 00:04:41,281 (Don) As the story spreads, 89 00:04:41,381 --> 00:04:43,416 artists and illustrators create their own 90 00:04:43,516 --> 00:04:46,553 terrifying depictions of the monstrous serpent, 91 00:04:46,653 --> 00:04:49,389 and McQuhae goes to his grave insisting 92 00:04:49,489 --> 00:04:52,759 that he and his crew had indeed encountered a sea monster. 93 00:04:52,859 --> 00:04:56,830 It remains one of the strangest mysteries of the high seas, 94 00:04:56,930 --> 00:05:00,900 but more than 160 years after the sighting, 95 00:05:01,001 --> 00:05:03,903 new information emerges that may finally 96 00:05:04,004 --> 00:05:05,939 shed light on the case. 97 00:05:06,039 --> 00:05:07,974 A distant connection was about to change 98 00:05:08,074 --> 00:05:10,276 everything we knew about this monster. 99 00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:14,514 It's 2015 in Chicago. 100 00:05:14,614 --> 00:05:17,917 Evolutionary biologist, Dr. Gary J. Galbreath, 101 00:05:18,018 --> 00:05:22,088 has long been captivated by the tale of the Daedalus Sea Monster. 102 00:05:22,188 --> 00:05:25,191 (Ting) He had heard this story his entire life, 103 00:05:25,291 --> 00:05:27,761 so he's fascinated with the stories. 104 00:05:27,861 --> 00:05:30,363 (Don) One day, he is going through the diary 105 00:05:30,463 --> 00:05:33,066 of a lieutenant stationed on board the Daedalus 106 00:05:33,166 --> 00:05:36,302 when a sketch of the creature catches his attention. 107 00:05:39,739 --> 00:05:41,808 Unlike other drawings from the time, 108 00:05:41,908 --> 00:05:44,511 this one, drawn by an actual eyewitness, 109 00:05:44,611 --> 00:05:48,248 depicts the serpent with a distinct dorsal fin. 110 00:05:48,348 --> 00:05:51,451 The sketch showing the dorsal fin 111 00:05:51,551 --> 00:05:54,654 pretty much ruled out that it could be any type of serpent. 112 00:05:54,754 --> 00:05:57,223 (Don) The drawing shows the creature 113 00:05:57,323 --> 00:05:59,559 swimming on its side. 114 00:05:59,659 --> 00:06:02,495 Based on this information, Galbreath theorizes 115 00:06:02,595 --> 00:06:05,165 the sea serpent was actually a whale, 116 00:06:05,265 --> 00:06:09,369 but not just any whale-- he suggests this one 117 00:06:09,469 --> 00:06:11,905 was a rare and little known species called 118 00:06:12,005 --> 00:06:13,907 the sei whale. 119 00:06:14,007 --> 00:06:15,742 (Ting) The sei whales are known 120 00:06:15,842 --> 00:06:18,311 as the fastest whales in the sea. 121 00:06:18,411 --> 00:06:20,780 (Don) And their appearance is strikingly different 122 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:22,816 from other whales. 123 00:06:22,916 --> 00:06:25,018 Sei whales are dark brown 124 00:06:25,118 --> 00:06:27,354 with a distinct long, slender body 125 00:06:27,454 --> 00:06:30,357 that can reach up to 55 feet in length, 126 00:06:30,457 --> 00:06:33,193 characteristics that match 127 00:06:33,293 --> 00:06:36,262 the descriptions of the Daedalus Sea Serpent. 128 00:06:36,363 --> 00:06:39,032 Not only that, sei whales are known 129 00:06:39,132 --> 00:06:42,602 to swim on their sides as they feed on the surface. 130 00:06:42,702 --> 00:06:45,772 To Galbreath, it's conclusive proof 131 00:06:45,872 --> 00:06:48,074 that what the men of the Daedalus saw 132 00:06:48,174 --> 00:06:50,310 was no monster. 133 00:06:50,410 --> 00:06:52,712 (Ting) With the sei whale on its side swimming with its mouth open 134 00:06:52,812 --> 00:06:56,683 and feeding, it looks like an intimidating sea serpent! 135 00:06:56,783 --> 00:06:59,219 It was the perfect match. 136 00:07:01,488 --> 00:07:04,357 (Don) Today, this preserved skull of a sei whale 137 00:07:04,457 --> 00:07:07,794 is on display at Skeletons Museum of Osteology 138 00:07:07,894 --> 00:07:09,963 in Orlando, Florida. 139 00:07:10,063 --> 00:07:12,632 It recalls the legendary sea monster 140 00:07:12,732 --> 00:07:14,868 that turned out to be nothing more 141 00:07:14,968 --> 00:07:16,603 than a gentle giant. 142 00:07:16,703 --> 00:07:20,240 ♪♪ 143 00:07:20,340 --> 00:07:21,775 Washington state's Puget Sound 144 00:07:21,875 --> 00:07:25,278 is known for its dramatic inlets, rocky islands, 145 00:07:25,378 --> 00:07:26,880 and mountain views. 146 00:07:26,980 --> 00:07:29,816 Every day, more than two million gallons of fresh water 147 00:07:29,916 --> 00:07:32,018 flow through this scenic estuary. 148 00:07:32,118 --> 00:07:34,487 And celebrating an unusual aspect 149 00:07:34,587 --> 00:07:36,923 of the region's maritime heritage 150 00:07:37,023 --> 00:07:39,359 is the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum. 151 00:07:43,463 --> 00:07:44,831 The collection documents 152 00:07:44,931 --> 00:07:49,002 the history of the Navy's undersea operations. 153 00:07:49,102 --> 00:07:51,871 On display is a re-creation of the control room 154 00:07:51,971 --> 00:07:55,475 from the Cold War submarine the USS Greenling, 155 00:07:55,575 --> 00:07:59,446 the Howell torpedo -- the first self-propelled torpedo 156 00:07:59,546 --> 00:08:02,716 to be mass-produced by the U.S. military -- 157 00:08:02,816 --> 00:08:05,719 and the Subhuman II, which was once 158 00:08:05,819 --> 00:08:09,656 the fastest human-powered submarine in the world. 159 00:08:09,756 --> 00:08:12,692 But among these hulking artifacts 160 00:08:12,792 --> 00:08:16,996 is one tiny object that tells an incredible story. 161 00:08:17,097 --> 00:08:18,965 MALLOY: It's about 4 1/2 inches in diameter, 162 00:08:19,065 --> 00:08:22,002 metallic, and round in shape. 163 00:08:22,102 --> 00:08:24,938 It has a hard-rubber outer shell, 164 00:08:25,038 --> 00:08:27,841 and two cords coming out of one end. 165 00:08:27,941 --> 00:08:31,011 In its day, it was a highly advanced piece of technology. 166 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:36,182 WILDMAN: This underwater microphone 167 00:08:36,282 --> 00:08:38,118 is linked to an extraordinary tale 168 00:08:38,218 --> 00:08:41,654 of a miniscule creature that played an oversized part 169 00:08:41,755 --> 00:08:44,424 in the world's greatest conflict. 170 00:08:44,524 --> 00:08:48,561 In war, your biggest allies might be practically invisible. 171 00:08:52,999 --> 00:08:54,401 WILDMAN: It's 1942. 172 00:08:54,501 --> 00:08:57,437 The U.S. has just entered World War II, 173 00:08:57,537 --> 00:09:00,106 and the military is on high alert. 174 00:09:00,206 --> 00:09:02,142 Submarines patrol the Pacific 175 00:09:02,242 --> 00:09:05,512 to protect the American fleet in the vast ocean. 176 00:09:05,612 --> 00:09:08,515 And to listen for Japanese ships and subs, 177 00:09:08,615 --> 00:09:11,317 the U.S. relies heavily upon a new technology... 178 00:09:11,418 --> 00:09:14,287 [ Sonar pinging ] ...sound navigation and ranging, 179 00:09:14,387 --> 00:09:16,589 better known as sonar. 180 00:09:16,690 --> 00:09:18,324 The system can pick up 181 00:09:18,425 --> 00:09:20,126 the propeller sounds of enemy vessels 182 00:09:20,226 --> 00:09:22,195 from miles away. 183 00:09:22,295 --> 00:09:24,731 MALLOY: Sonar was used to see and find things underwater. 184 00:09:24,831 --> 00:09:26,533 And, in the world's largest oceans, 185 00:09:26,633 --> 00:09:28,201 sonar is basically the difference 186 00:09:28,301 --> 00:09:32,072 between being blindfolded or having night-vision goggles. 187 00:09:35,809 --> 00:09:37,744 WILDMAN: One day, the crew of a submarine 188 00:09:37,844 --> 00:09:40,480 submerged off the coast of the Dutch East Indies 189 00:09:40,580 --> 00:09:42,515 detects something peculiar. 190 00:09:42,615 --> 00:09:44,017 [ Crackling ] 191 00:09:44,117 --> 00:09:45,852 A constant, crackling hum 192 00:09:45,952 --> 00:09:49,189 that drowns out all of the other sonar sounds, 193 00:09:49,289 --> 00:09:53,093 making it impossible to detect enemy vessels. 194 00:09:54,060 --> 00:09:56,529 Soon, submarines across the Pacific 195 00:09:56,629 --> 00:09:59,065 report encountering the same noise. 196 00:09:59,165 --> 00:10:02,602 And crews say it sounds like the crackling of a frying pan, 197 00:10:02,702 --> 00:10:07,741 and it's rendering their sonar useless. 198 00:10:07,841 --> 00:10:10,543 WILDMAN: Examination of the submarines' sonar systems 199 00:10:10,643 --> 00:10:13,113 reveals the noise is not a technical glitch. 200 00:10:13,213 --> 00:10:15,849 But the Navy cannot figure out what the sound is 201 00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:17,617 or where it's coming from. 202 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,957 So they call in a marine biologist from California 203 00:10:24,057 --> 00:10:26,559 named Dr. Martin W. Johnson. 204 00:10:26,659 --> 00:10:29,896 He was the top scientist in oceanography at the time. 205 00:10:29,996 --> 00:10:34,968 He was a passionate guy and very respected. 206 00:10:35,068 --> 00:10:37,137 WILDMAN: And when Johnson first hears the sound, 207 00:10:37,237 --> 00:10:39,539 he's also baffled. 208 00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:42,075 MALLOY: This odd noise was as mysterious to Johnson 209 00:10:42,175 --> 00:10:43,543 as it was to the Navy. 210 00:10:43,643 --> 00:10:48,248 So his number-one goal was to figure out what this sound was 211 00:10:48,348 --> 00:10:50,350 and where it was coming from. 212 00:10:52,952 --> 00:10:55,188 WILDMAN: Johnson examines survey reports 213 00:10:55,288 --> 00:10:57,390 of where these disturbances occurred, 214 00:10:57,490 --> 00:11:00,527 and he comes to an unexpected conclusion. 215 00:11:00,627 --> 00:11:02,629 The spots match known locations 216 00:11:02,729 --> 00:11:05,932 of massive colonies of pistol shrimp. 217 00:11:06,032 --> 00:11:09,369 Dr. Johnson cannot believe what he just discovered. 218 00:11:09,469 --> 00:11:12,672 The culprit was measly, little shrimp. 219 00:11:15,041 --> 00:11:17,711 WILDMAN: Though they are only an inch or two in size, 220 00:11:17,811 --> 00:11:22,115 thousands of pistol shrimp can live together in colonies. 221 00:11:22,215 --> 00:11:24,984 Each tiny shrimp has an oversized claw 222 00:11:25,085 --> 00:11:26,653 it uses to catch food. 223 00:11:26,753 --> 00:11:28,855 When it clacks its claw together, 224 00:11:28,955 --> 00:11:31,057 it creates a loud popping sound. 225 00:11:31,157 --> 00:11:34,627 But if an entire colony does this at the same time, 226 00:11:34,728 --> 00:11:36,529 the noise is so deafening, 227 00:11:36,629 --> 00:11:41,434 it can disrupt even the most advanced sonar. 228 00:11:41,534 --> 00:11:44,070 So it was thousands of these small pistol shrimp 229 00:11:44,170 --> 00:11:45,271 snapping their claws. 230 00:11:45,372 --> 00:11:47,540 It was quite amazing. 231 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,343 WILDMAN: But identifying the source of the problem 232 00:11:50,443 --> 00:11:51,211 is one thing. 233 00:11:51,311 --> 00:11:53,213 Solving it is another. 234 00:11:53,313 --> 00:11:55,749 MALLOY: It was impossible to silence the shrimp. 235 00:11:55,849 --> 00:11:58,151 They couldn't rightly eliminate all the shrimp in the ocean. 236 00:12:01,755 --> 00:12:04,224 WILDMAN: And until Johnson figures out a solution 237 00:12:04,324 --> 00:12:06,026 to this fishy predicament,to this fishy predicament, 238 00:12:06,126 --> 00:12:09,229 American ships in the Pacific remain at risk. 239 00:12:09,329 --> 00:12:11,031 MALLOY: There was an extreme amount of pressure on Johnson. 240 00:12:11,131 --> 00:12:12,332 Winning the war 241 00:12:12,432 --> 00:12:15,368 was based on how effective their sonar system was. 242 00:12:15,468 --> 00:12:17,637 And, basically, the Navy was back to square one 243 00:12:17,737 --> 00:12:21,041 with their problem -- how to fix the sonar. 244 00:12:21,141 --> 00:12:23,610 WILDMAN: What will it take to defeat these noisy crustaceans? 245 00:12:31,284 --> 00:12:35,221 It's 1942. War is raging in the Pacific. 246 00:12:35,321 --> 00:12:37,857 U.S. Naval commanders have a problem -- 247 00:12:37,957 --> 00:12:40,126 Their sophisticated sonar systems 248 00:12:40,226 --> 00:12:41,828 have been rendered useless 249 00:12:41,928 --> 00:12:45,565 by the popping sounds produced by tiny pistol shrimp 250 00:12:45,665 --> 00:12:48,234 all clapping their claws in unison. 251 00:12:48,335 --> 00:12:52,005 The result is that the Navy can't detect enemy subs, 252 00:12:52,105 --> 00:12:55,275 leaving American sailors vulnerable to attack. 253 00:12:55,375 --> 00:13:01,081 So is the U.S. Navy about to be defeated by shrimp? 254 00:13:01,181 --> 00:13:04,217 Tasked with solving the prawny problem 255 00:13:04,317 --> 00:13:07,454 is marine biologist Dr. Martin Johnson. 256 00:13:07,554 --> 00:13:09,756 Johnson knows the Navy can't kill off 257 00:13:09,856 --> 00:13:11,691 these colonies of shrimp, 258 00:13:11,791 --> 00:13:15,362 but the Navy could use the situation to its advantage. 259 00:13:15,462 --> 00:13:18,031 MALLOY: Dr. Johnson knew that the Japanese sonar 260 00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:20,166 was a lot weaker than the U.S. sonar. 261 00:13:20,266 --> 00:13:22,902 So if the shrimp affected the U.S. sonar equipment, 262 00:13:23,003 --> 00:13:25,305 it was definitely gonna affect the enemy's. 263 00:13:25,405 --> 00:13:27,173 WILDMAN: Johnson reasons 264 00:13:27,273 --> 00:13:31,277 that if U.S. subs hide near colonies of pistol shrimp, 265 00:13:31,378 --> 00:13:33,747 the Japanese will never be able to detect them 266 00:13:33,847 --> 00:13:35,482 through the noise. 267 00:13:35,582 --> 00:13:37,384 MALLOY: Dr. Johnson recommended 268 00:13:37,484 --> 00:13:39,386 they use the shrimp as camouflage 269 00:13:39,486 --> 00:13:41,121 against the Japanese sonar. 270 00:13:41,221 --> 00:13:44,290 The Navy thought Johnson's idea was absolutely brilliant. 271 00:13:48,995 --> 00:13:50,096 WILDMAN: With Johnson's help, 272 00:13:50,196 --> 00:13:53,133 the Navy distributes maps of pistol shrimp colonies 273 00:13:53,233 --> 00:13:55,702 to submarines throughout the Pacific. 274 00:13:55,802 --> 00:13:59,272 These maps provide a network of acoustic hiding places 275 00:13:59,372 --> 00:14:02,475 all along Japanese supply routes. 276 00:14:02,575 --> 00:14:05,211 [ Crackling ] 277 00:14:05,311 --> 00:14:09,082 By camouflaging their fleet in these underwater havens, 278 00:14:09,182 --> 00:14:12,786 the U.S. Navy gains a decisive advantage in the war. 279 00:14:12,886 --> 00:14:16,423 MALLOY: With all the technology that the U.S. had in World War II, 280 00:14:16,523 --> 00:14:19,325 the pistol shrimp were America's little secret weapon. 281 00:14:19,426 --> 00:14:22,262 [ Clacking ] 282 00:14:22,362 --> 00:14:24,064 WILDMAN: Today, this hydrophone, 283 00:14:24,164 --> 00:14:27,534 an underwater microphone used to listen to pistol shrimp, 284 00:14:27,634 --> 00:14:30,403 is at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum. 285 00:14:30,503 --> 00:14:32,672 It recalls the tiny crustaceans 286 00:14:32,772 --> 00:14:36,276 that almost torpedoed America's chance at victory. 287 00:14:40,780 --> 00:14:43,049 California's Pacific Coast Highway 288 00:14:43,149 --> 00:14:46,586 is one of the most scenic driving routes in the world. 289 00:14:46,686 --> 00:14:48,621 At 790 miles long, 290 00:14:48,722 --> 00:14:51,591 it offers views of such breathtaking shorelines 291 00:14:51,691 --> 00:14:54,861 as Monterey Bay, Big Sur, 292 00:14:54,961 --> 00:14:57,564 and Point Mugu State Park. 293 00:14:57,664 --> 00:15:00,233 And along this historic motorway, 294 00:15:00,333 --> 00:15:03,403 in the picturesque community of La Jolla 295 00:15:03,503 --> 00:15:07,040 is the nation's preeminent marine research facility-- 296 00:15:07,140 --> 00:15:10,276 the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 297 00:15:13,346 --> 00:15:16,850 The collection includes a cusk-eel, 298 00:15:16,950 --> 00:15:20,353 which lives two miles beneath the ocean's surface, 299 00:15:20,453 --> 00:15:23,656 a rare deep sea predator called a goblin shark, 300 00:15:23,757 --> 00:15:27,293 and an endangered prehistoric fish 301 00:15:27,394 --> 00:15:31,197 known as a coelacanth. 302 00:15:31,297 --> 00:15:34,768 But among these extraordinary creatures of the deep 303 00:15:34,868 --> 00:15:38,872 is a tiny specimen with the strangest story to tell. 304 00:15:38,972 --> 00:15:41,975 (man) The artifact is about 7 and 1/2 inches long, 305 00:15:42,075 --> 00:15:44,611 and it weighs about 1/4 of a pound. 306 00:15:44,711 --> 00:15:46,446 It is brownish-yellow. 307 00:15:46,546 --> 00:15:48,948 It was preserved in a glass jar 308 00:15:49,049 --> 00:15:52,052 with a white plastic lid. 309 00:15:52,152 --> 00:15:55,922 (Don) This organism played a starring role 310 00:15:56,022 --> 00:15:58,725 in an underwater enigma that bamboozled 311 00:15:58,825 --> 00:16:00,994 the world of science. 312 00:16:01,094 --> 00:16:03,930 (Paul) This is a story of passion, discovery, 313 00:16:04,030 --> 00:16:06,733 and unexplored mysteries of the deep ocean. 314 00:16:11,338 --> 00:16:14,708 (Don) Japan, 2012. 315 00:16:14,808 --> 00:16:18,411 Yoji Okata is an avid scuba diver 316 00:16:18,511 --> 00:16:21,247 and successful underwater photographer. 317 00:16:21,348 --> 00:16:24,517 Yoji was an adventurous person with a passion 318 00:16:24,617 --> 00:16:26,920 for the natural world. 319 00:16:28,955 --> 00:16:30,357 (Don) One day in September, 320 00:16:30,457 --> 00:16:32,759 Yoji is diving off the southern coast of Japan 321 00:16:32,859 --> 00:16:37,030 when he sees something unusual on the seabed. 322 00:16:40,166 --> 00:16:41,901 Etched into the sand below him 323 00:16:42,002 --> 00:16:44,237 is an intricate design. 324 00:16:44,337 --> 00:16:47,674 Yoji observed a strange, circular pattern 325 00:16:47,774 --> 00:16:51,644 about six feet wide with sort of sand ridges and hills 326 00:16:51,745 --> 00:16:53,980 throughout the circle. 327 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:56,750 In his years of underwater photography, 328 00:16:56,850 --> 00:16:59,819 Yoji had never seen anything like this. 329 00:17:02,155 --> 00:17:04,357 (Don) The pattern seems too perfect to have 330 00:17:04,457 --> 00:17:07,327 any natural explanation. 331 00:17:07,427 --> 00:17:09,863 He was determined to try and figure out 332 00:17:09,963 --> 00:17:13,233 what actually was the cause of these underwater circles. 333 00:17:17,070 --> 00:17:18,438 (Don) Later, when he examines his photos, 334 00:17:18,538 --> 00:17:21,841 Yoji discovers that he is not the first 335 00:17:21,941 --> 00:17:24,978 to come across these complex underwater designs. 336 00:17:25,078 --> 00:17:29,015 These undersea circles were first documented by divers 337 00:17:29,115 --> 00:17:32,118 in the Pacific Ocean in 1995, 338 00:17:32,218 --> 00:17:35,622 but since then, their origin has remained a mystery. 339 00:17:35,722 --> 00:17:40,026 Some speculate that they're made by ocean currents 340 00:17:40,126 --> 00:17:42,829 forming patterns in the seabed. 341 00:17:42,929 --> 00:17:46,533 But this made no sense to anyone that understood physics of water. 342 00:17:46,633 --> 00:17:50,870 Sand ripples ought to occur in a typical linear fashion. 343 00:17:50,970 --> 00:17:53,606 This was a circle. 344 00:17:55,909 --> 00:17:58,111 (Don) Others believe the designs are merely a hoax 345 00:17:58,211 --> 00:18:00,847 created by mischievous divers, 346 00:18:00,947 --> 00:18:03,750 but this hypothesis doesn't hold water, either, 347 00:18:03,850 --> 00:18:06,786 as the circles have been found across a wide swath 348 00:18:06,886 --> 00:18:09,289 of the Pacific Ocean. 349 00:18:09,389 --> 00:18:11,758 No single diver or group of divers could possibly 350 00:18:11,858 --> 00:18:14,094 have made all of these strange formations 351 00:18:14,194 --> 00:18:17,530 on the bottom of the ocean in all of these different places. 352 00:18:20,033 --> 00:18:22,769 (Don) With no obvious explanation at hand, 353 00:18:22,869 --> 00:18:25,905 some note that these strange patterns on the seabed 354 00:18:26,006 --> 00:18:29,009 bear a striking resemblance to another bizarre, 355 00:18:29,109 --> 00:18:31,344 land-based phenomenon-- 356 00:18:31,444 --> 00:18:33,980 crop circles. 357 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:36,416 In the 1970s and '80s, 358 00:18:36,516 --> 00:18:40,220 large, unexplained circular patterns began appearing 359 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,023 in corn fields in the United States and Europe, 360 00:18:43,123 --> 00:18:45,825 leading many to suggest that the crop circles 361 00:18:45,925 --> 00:18:48,628 were the work of extraterrestrials. 362 00:18:48,728 --> 00:18:50,964 And if that theory is correct, 363 00:18:51,064 --> 00:18:54,000 then perhaps who, or whatever, made the crop circles 364 00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:57,837 also created these intricate patterns on the ocean floor. 365 00:19:01,207 --> 00:19:03,743 But none of these theories satisfy Yoji. 366 00:19:03,843 --> 00:19:06,646 Yoji did not feel that any of those explanations 367 00:19:06,746 --> 00:19:10,450 were rational, but he wanted to know 368 00:19:10,550 --> 00:19:13,920 what was causing these unusual, crop-like 369 00:19:14,020 --> 00:19:16,756 circular formations in the sand. 370 00:19:16,856 --> 00:19:18,858 (Don) So what's really behind 371 00:19:18,958 --> 00:19:21,594 these curious deep sea creations? 372 00:19:27,934 --> 00:19:30,003 Underwater photographer, Yoji Okata, 373 00:19:30,103 --> 00:19:32,906 has discovered something unusual while diving 374 00:19:33,006 --> 00:19:36,443 off the coast of Japan-- large, intricate patterns 375 00:19:36,543 --> 00:19:38,611 etched into the sand on the ocean floor. 376 00:19:38,712 --> 00:19:41,181 So what or who is responsible 377 00:19:41,281 --> 00:19:43,216 for these deep sea designs? 378 00:19:46,419 --> 00:19:48,688 To crack the enigma, Yoji Okata 379 00:19:48,788 --> 00:19:51,424 returns to the deep, along with an investigative 380 00:19:51,524 --> 00:19:53,193 team of divers. 381 00:19:55,462 --> 00:19:57,464 After days of searching, they find 382 00:19:57,564 --> 00:20:00,166 another ornate circular design. 383 00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:03,169 It's then that the divers see something moving 384 00:20:03,269 --> 00:20:05,405 in the middle of the circle-- 385 00:20:07,907 --> 00:20:10,410 a tiny fish. 386 00:20:10,510 --> 00:20:14,114 (Paul) The divers observe the small pufferfish flapping 387 00:20:14,214 --> 00:20:17,050 its fins frantically as it swam back and forth. 388 00:20:17,150 --> 00:20:19,686 (Don) The team watches 389 00:20:19,786 --> 00:20:22,655 as the fish uses its fins to create 390 00:20:22,756 --> 00:20:25,625 a circular pattern on the ocean floor. 391 00:20:25,725 --> 00:20:28,728 (Paul) It didn't take long for the divers to recognize 392 00:20:28,828 --> 00:20:31,364 that the artist of these strange sand formations 393 00:20:31,464 --> 00:20:33,833 was, in fact, a small pufferfish. 394 00:20:33,933 --> 00:20:36,970 (Don) The creature is identified as a member of 395 00:20:37,070 --> 00:20:40,674 a newly discovered species called the white spotted pufferfish. 396 00:20:44,377 --> 00:20:46,279 But the question remains-- 397 00:20:46,379 --> 00:20:48,515 why do they make these intricate patterns? 398 00:20:48,615 --> 00:20:51,184 After careful observation, 399 00:20:51,284 --> 00:20:53,720 scientists conclude that the work is done 400 00:20:53,820 --> 00:20:57,757 by the male of the species as an elaborate courtship ritual. 401 00:21:00,193 --> 00:21:02,495 (Paul) The sand formations attracted females, 402 00:21:02,595 --> 00:21:04,597 who swam down the grooves, 403 00:21:04,698 --> 00:21:07,567 where the male was waiting-- the females deposited 404 00:21:07,667 --> 00:21:09,903 their eggs, and the male fertilized them, 405 00:21:10,003 --> 00:21:12,539 and then the male protected those eggs until they hatched. 406 00:21:15,909 --> 00:21:18,278 (Don) Yoji Okata and his team are the first to witness 407 00:21:18,378 --> 00:21:20,880 one of the most unusual mating rituals 408 00:21:20,980 --> 00:21:23,016 in the natural world. 409 00:21:23,116 --> 00:21:25,752 Yoji was elated that he finally had discovered 410 00:21:25,852 --> 00:21:29,356 the culprit, the artist, of these strange sand formations. 411 00:21:32,926 --> 00:21:35,895 (Don) Today, this pufferfish, like the one responsible 412 00:21:35,995 --> 00:21:39,299 for making these underwater creations, is on display 413 00:21:39,399 --> 00:21:42,002 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography 414 00:21:42,102 --> 00:21:44,371 in San Diego, California. 415 00:21:44,471 --> 00:21:46,906 It recalls a remarkable quest 416 00:21:47,007 --> 00:21:50,744 to reveal the puzzling patterns of ocean life. 417 00:21:50,844 --> 00:21:54,848 ♪♪ 418 00:21:54,948 --> 00:21:57,650 Wooden Polynesian effigies, 419 00:21:57,751 --> 00:22:01,121 hand-carved Native American masks... 420 00:22:01,221 --> 00:22:05,525 and the 10,000 year old bones of the Mastodon. 421 00:22:05,625 --> 00:22:09,229 These and other wonders of the Pacific northwest 422 00:22:09,329 --> 00:22:11,231 are on display at the Burke Museum 423 00:22:11,331 --> 00:22:12,799 of Natural History and Culture 424 00:22:12,899 --> 00:22:14,467 in Seattle, Washington 425 00:22:14,567 --> 00:22:18,538 ♪♪ 426 00:22:18,638 --> 00:22:20,940 But amidst these earthly relics is one item 427 00:22:21,041 --> 00:22:24,144 that has no place on dry land. 428 00:22:24,244 --> 00:22:27,614 MASLENIKOV: It is about 6 inches long, about 3 1/2 inches wide. 429 00:22:27,714 --> 00:22:30,316 There is a rod coming out of the forehead 430 00:22:30,417 --> 00:22:34,421 with this glowing object at the end of it. 431 00:22:34,521 --> 00:22:37,290 And it has some very large teeth. 432 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:42,829 WILDMAN: These frightening creatures once roamed unseen 433 00:22:42,929 --> 00:22:45,765 in the darkest depths of the ocean 434 00:22:45,865 --> 00:22:47,801 until they were brought into the light 435 00:22:47,901 --> 00:22:51,738 by one of the most incredible and dangerous expeditions 436 00:22:51,838 --> 00:22:54,441 the world has ever witnessed. 437 00:22:54,541 --> 00:22:56,976 This story tells us about the amazing impossibilities 438 00:22:57,077 --> 00:22:58,978 when we explore the unknown. 439 00:23:02,148 --> 00:23:05,485 WILDMAN: 1925 -- Bermuda. 440 00:23:05,585 --> 00:23:08,388 48-year-old explorer William Beebe is 441 00:23:08,488 --> 00:23:12,158 one of the world's most highly respected biologists. 442 00:23:12,258 --> 00:23:14,160 Throughout his career, he has discovered 443 00:23:14,260 --> 00:23:18,131 countless rare and exotic bird species. 444 00:23:18,231 --> 00:23:19,966 But now the scientist is planning 445 00:23:20,066 --> 00:23:22,635 his greatest adventure yet. 446 00:23:22,736 --> 00:23:24,971 He wants to unlock the secrets held 447 00:23:25,071 --> 00:23:28,475 in the darkest depths of the earth's oceans. 448 00:23:28,575 --> 00:23:31,578 The ocean is this vast, undiscovered frontier. 449 00:23:31,678 --> 00:23:33,480 And for Beebe, here was the chance 450 00:23:33,580 --> 00:23:38,251 to really make his mark in a whole new way. 451 00:23:38,351 --> 00:23:41,421 WILDMAN: But that's easier said than done. 452 00:23:41,521 --> 00:23:45,191 The most advanced diving suits of the day 453 00:23:45,291 --> 00:23:48,228 can only reach a depth of 500 feet. 454 00:23:48,328 --> 00:23:51,197 Anything below that, and the diver inside 455 00:23:51,297 --> 00:23:53,299 would be crushed by the pressure of the water. 456 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,302 But Beebe is undeterred. 457 00:23:56,403 --> 00:23:58,672 MASLENIKOV: He wanted to get deeper and deeper. 458 00:23:58,772 --> 00:24:00,306 So Beebe decides that the only way 459 00:24:00,407 --> 00:24:03,410 he's going to get down there is if he builds a vessel. 460 00:24:03,510 --> 00:24:04,978 WILDMAN: So Beebe teams up 461 00:24:05,078 --> 00:24:08,048 with an engineer named Otis Barton. 462 00:24:08,148 --> 00:24:10,950 Barton is this young engineering student. 463 00:24:11,051 --> 00:24:14,454 For him, it was all about going down as deep as they could. 464 00:24:14,554 --> 00:24:16,489 WILDMAN: Together, they come up with a simple 465 00:24:16,589 --> 00:24:18,992 yet brilliant design. 466 00:24:19,092 --> 00:24:20,894 MASLENIKOV: They knew that it had to be a sphere 467 00:24:20,994 --> 00:24:25,732 because a sphere will distribute the pressure evenly. 468 00:24:25,832 --> 00:24:27,834 WILDMAN: For years, the men worked tirelessly 469 00:24:27,934 --> 00:24:30,904 to build their vessel. 470 00:24:31,004 --> 00:24:34,808 In 1930, it's finally ready. 471 00:24:34,908 --> 00:24:38,445 The craft is made of more than two tons of cast steel 472 00:24:38,545 --> 00:24:41,114 and features two solid-quartz windows, 473 00:24:41,214 --> 00:24:46,419 oxygen tanks, and a spotlight to illuminate the murky water. 474 00:24:46,519 --> 00:24:50,223 It's been carefully welded together so it won't leak. 475 00:24:50,323 --> 00:24:54,461 And it's only opening is a 400-pound door. 476 00:24:54,561 --> 00:24:56,429 If all goes well, it should be able 477 00:24:56,529 --> 00:25:00,433 to withstand depths of up to 4,000 feet. 478 00:25:00,533 --> 00:25:03,003 Beebe and Barton name it the bathysphere, 479 00:25:03,103 --> 00:25:05,071 Greek for "deep sphere." 480 00:25:05,171 --> 00:25:07,073 It was surprisingly small. 481 00:25:07,173 --> 00:25:09,676 It was only 4 1/2 feet across. 482 00:25:13,079 --> 00:25:16,349 WILDMAN: On June 6, 10 miles off the coast of Bermuda, 483 00:25:16,449 --> 00:25:20,320 Beebe and Barton squeeze into the bathysphere. 484 00:25:20,420 --> 00:25:22,589 The vessel is lowered into the ocean 485 00:25:22,689 --> 00:25:26,559 via a cable attached to a barge. 486 00:25:26,659 --> 00:25:29,262 A telephone line keeps them in constant communication 487 00:25:29,362 --> 00:25:31,131 with the ship's crew. 488 00:25:33,333 --> 00:25:36,036 They were so excited and so scared. 489 00:25:36,136 --> 00:25:39,673 They were alone in this steel sphere 490 00:25:39,773 --> 00:25:43,209 lowered where no one had ever been. 491 00:25:43,309 --> 00:25:44,778 WILDMAN: Inside the bathysphere, 492 00:25:44,878 --> 00:25:47,847 Beebe and Barton begin their descent. 493 00:25:47,947 --> 00:25:53,053 To their relief, the design appears to be working perfectly. 494 00:25:53,153 --> 00:25:55,522 But when they reach 300 feet, 495 00:25:55,622 --> 00:25:59,092 something goes terribly wrong. 496 00:25:59,192 --> 00:26:01,828 The door suddenly starts to leak. 497 00:26:04,230 --> 00:26:07,901 Trapped inside this sphere, the men could drown. 498 00:26:08,001 --> 00:26:11,705 If this situation is not solved, they will die. 499 00:26:16,743 --> 00:26:19,713 It's 1930 off the coast of Bermuda. 500 00:26:19,813 --> 00:26:22,916 Explorers William Beebe and Otis Barton are attempting 501 00:26:23,016 --> 00:26:25,352 an unprecedented journey beneath the sea 502 00:26:25,452 --> 00:26:27,354 in a new type of submersible. 503 00:26:27,454 --> 00:26:30,523 But when they reach the depth of 300 feet, 504 00:26:30,623 --> 00:26:32,258 disaster strikes. 505 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:35,362 Water is suddenly seeping into the craft. 506 00:26:35,462 --> 00:26:38,865 So, can they survive this deadly breach? 507 00:26:41,668 --> 00:26:43,870 As the water pours in from the door, 508 00:26:43,970 --> 00:26:47,407 Beebe proposes an unbelievable solution. 509 00:26:47,507 --> 00:26:50,377 Beebe decides that, rather than go back up to surface 510 00:26:50,477 --> 00:26:55,682 and try and solve the problem, they should go down and fast. 511 00:26:55,782 --> 00:26:57,484 He believes that at a greater depth, 512 00:26:57,584 --> 00:26:59,919 the increased water pressure will actually 513 00:27:00,020 --> 00:27:03,890 push the door tight enough to stop the leak. 514 00:27:03,990 --> 00:27:07,894 It's a bit counterintuitive. You'd think you need to go up. 515 00:27:07,994 --> 00:27:10,897 But if you go down, the pressure will actually 516 00:27:10,997 --> 00:27:13,733 then compress where that problem is 517 00:27:13,833 --> 00:27:17,303 and seal the crack for you. 518 00:27:17,404 --> 00:27:20,106 WILDMAN: Beebe and Barton wait with baited breath 519 00:27:20,206 --> 00:27:23,443 as they descend deeper into the ocean. 520 00:27:23,543 --> 00:27:27,814 To their relief, the leak stops. 521 00:27:27,914 --> 00:27:29,349 With the crisis averted, 522 00:27:29,449 --> 00:27:33,453 Beebe and Barton are able to reach a record depth. 523 00:27:33,553 --> 00:27:35,522 MASLENIKOV: They made it down to 800 feet. 524 00:27:35,622 --> 00:27:37,257 And that was the deepest 525 00:27:37,357 --> 00:27:40,894 that any human had ever been alive. 526 00:27:40,994 --> 00:27:44,130 WILDMAN: The explorers spend an hour below the surface 527 00:27:44,230 --> 00:27:46,800 before being pulled safely back up to the ship. 528 00:27:49,969 --> 00:27:53,206 Over the next several years, Beebe and Barton complete 529 00:27:53,306 --> 00:27:56,676 a series of deeper and deeper dives. 530 00:27:56,776 --> 00:27:59,145 They eventually reach the staggering depth 531 00:27:59,245 --> 00:28:02,282 of 3,028 feet. 532 00:28:02,382 --> 00:28:05,118 Far beneath the surface, Beebe is able to observe 533 00:28:05,218 --> 00:28:08,621 deep-sea creatures in their natural environment, 534 00:28:08,722 --> 00:28:11,358 including the extraordinary anglerfish. 535 00:28:11,458 --> 00:28:15,862 He was so excited when he looked out that window 536 00:28:15,962 --> 00:28:18,732 and, for the first time, saw the anglerfish. 537 00:28:23,236 --> 00:28:25,805 WILDMAN: Today, this anglerfish remains preserved 538 00:28:25,905 --> 00:28:29,009 at the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle. 539 00:28:29,109 --> 00:28:32,078 It recalls a historic journey beneath the sea 540 00:28:32,178 --> 00:28:36,182 and the two daring men who exposed a brand-new world. 541 00:28:40,387 --> 00:28:42,355 New Bedford, Massachusetts. 542 00:28:42,455 --> 00:28:44,958 In 1841, author Herman Melville 543 00:28:45,058 --> 00:28:47,227 sailed from this port city on the expedition 544 00:28:47,327 --> 00:28:49,629 that inspired his great American novel, 545 00:28:49,729 --> 00:28:51,398 Moby-Dick . 546 00:28:51,498 --> 00:28:54,034 Today, the area's nautical history is showcased 547 00:28:54,134 --> 00:28:56,302 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. 548 00:29:00,974 --> 00:29:03,109 Here, visitors can view scrimshaw carvings 549 00:29:03,209 --> 00:29:05,412 from the 18th century, 550 00:29:05,512 --> 00:29:08,214 the skeleton of a baby blue whale, 551 00:29:08,314 --> 00:29:10,216 and the world's largest model whaling ship. 552 00:29:12,719 --> 00:29:14,754 But one item here looks like it belongs 553 00:29:14,854 --> 00:29:18,958 not in a maritime museum but in a science fiction movie. 554 00:29:19,059 --> 00:29:21,428 It's a metallic cylinder. 555 00:29:21,528 --> 00:29:23,797 It's very thin. 556 00:29:23,897 --> 00:29:26,266 It's about two and a half feet high, 557 00:29:26,366 --> 00:29:28,535 and it almost looks like a big bullet. 558 00:29:31,137 --> 00:29:34,207 (Don) This strange instrument recalls a wondrous tale 559 00:29:34,307 --> 00:29:37,644 of adventure, exploration, and creatures from the deep. 560 00:29:37,744 --> 00:29:41,348 This is a story of the incredible possibilities 561 00:29:41,448 --> 00:29:43,350 beneath the Earth's oceans. 562 00:29:43,450 --> 00:29:45,452 [growling noises] 563 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,323 (Don) 1997, Newport, Oregon. 564 00:29:50,423 --> 00:29:53,259 Dr. Christopher Fox is a veteran researcher 565 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:56,329 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 566 00:29:56,429 --> 00:29:58,431 or NOAA. 567 00:29:58,531 --> 00:30:01,801 Their role is to monitor and do scientific study 568 00:30:01,901 --> 00:30:04,604 of the oceans and atmosphere. 569 00:30:04,704 --> 00:30:07,640 (Don) One of NOAA's most powerful tools 570 00:30:07,741 --> 00:30:10,810 is a scientific instrument called the hydrophone. 571 00:30:10,910 --> 00:30:14,514 The listening device, like this one in the collection 572 00:30:14,614 --> 00:30:16,816 of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, 573 00:30:16,916 --> 00:30:19,686 is a microphone designed for recording or monitoring 574 00:30:19,786 --> 00:30:21,921 sound underwater. 575 00:30:22,022 --> 00:30:24,224 Most of the time, Fox and his fellow scientists 576 00:30:24,324 --> 00:30:26,960 pick up sounds of sea life or ships. 577 00:30:27,060 --> 00:30:29,863 But one day, 578 00:30:29,963 --> 00:30:32,132 they hear something louder and stranger 579 00:30:32,232 --> 00:30:34,334 than anything they've heard before. 580 00:30:34,434 --> 00:30:37,971 [deep whooshing noises] 581 00:30:38,071 --> 00:30:40,040 (Christina) They couldn't figure out what these sounds were. 582 00:30:40,140 --> 00:30:42,042 It had not previously been recorded. 583 00:30:42,142 --> 00:30:44,310 It actually sounded like a "bloop!" 584 00:30:44,411 --> 00:30:47,814 [deep whooshing noises] 585 00:30:47,914 --> 00:30:51,818 (Don) Fittingly, the scientists nickname the unusual sound 586 00:30:51,918 --> 00:30:54,888 the Bloop, and according to their data, 587 00:30:54,988 --> 00:30:58,458 it appears to originate from over 3,000 miles away. 588 00:30:58,558 --> 00:31:01,161 Fox is astonished. 589 00:31:01,261 --> 00:31:03,963 For a sound to travel such a distance, 590 00:31:04,064 --> 00:31:06,933 its source must be deafeningly loud. 591 00:31:07,033 --> 00:31:09,869 When you find something so abnormal, 592 00:31:09,969 --> 00:31:13,239 it really gave people a lot of pause of what that 593 00:31:13,340 --> 00:31:15,408 could actually be. 594 00:31:15,508 --> 00:31:18,645 (Don) The short, seemingly random sound pattern 595 00:31:18,745 --> 00:31:22,582 bears no similarities to the long, steady hum of submarines 596 00:31:22,682 --> 00:31:25,251 or other man-made machines, 597 00:31:25,352 --> 00:31:28,088 and it doesn't match the pattern that would be expected 598 00:31:28,188 --> 00:31:30,423 from an underwater earthquake, volcano, 599 00:31:30,523 --> 00:31:33,059 or other geological phenomena. 600 00:31:33,159 --> 00:31:35,762 It was unknown where the sound was coming from. 601 00:31:38,665 --> 00:31:41,434 (Don) With these simple explanations ruled out, 602 00:31:41,534 --> 00:31:45,105 a more remote, even outlandish possibility, emerges-- 603 00:31:45,205 --> 00:31:47,741 that the sound could be emanating 604 00:31:47,841 --> 00:31:50,443 from some kind of unknown sea creature. 605 00:31:50,543 --> 00:31:52,579 [growling noises] 606 00:31:52,679 --> 00:31:54,848 We know more about the surface of Mars and the moon 607 00:31:54,948 --> 00:31:57,217 than we know about the floors of the sea. 608 00:31:57,317 --> 00:32:00,253 There is life down there, and we don't necessarily 609 00:32:00,353 --> 00:32:03,056 know what it is. 610 00:32:03,156 --> 00:32:05,925 (Don) But for a marine animal to make a noise 611 00:32:06,026 --> 00:32:09,596 as powerful as the Bloop, it would have to be gargantuan in size. 612 00:32:09,696 --> 00:32:11,798 A blue whale, 613 00:32:11,898 --> 00:32:14,234 the largest known living creature on the planet, 614 00:32:14,334 --> 00:32:17,771 emits a call that's more deafening than a jet plane. 615 00:32:17,871 --> 00:32:21,274 And based on his calculations, 616 00:32:21,374 --> 00:32:25,211 Fox estimates that the Bloop is three times as loud. 617 00:32:25,311 --> 00:32:27,614 If we were to consider that this monster's 618 00:32:27,714 --> 00:32:30,083 about three times the size of a blue whale, 619 00:32:30,183 --> 00:32:33,620 it probably would've been the length of about eight to nine school buses. 620 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,990 (Don) So is this thunderous sound really coming 621 00:32:37,090 --> 00:32:39,359 from a giant, undiscovered sea creature? 622 00:32:39,459 --> 00:32:41,361 [growling noises] 623 00:32:45,565 --> 00:32:47,467 It's 1997. 624 00:32:47,567 --> 00:32:50,103 Dr. Christopher Fox and a team of researchers 625 00:32:50,203 --> 00:32:53,440 have recorded an underwater sound in the Pacific Ocean. 626 00:32:53,540 --> 00:32:56,142 They've named it the Bloop. 627 00:32:56,242 --> 00:32:59,913 The sound is one of the loudest and most powerful ever recorded, 628 00:33:00,013 --> 00:33:02,816 leading some to suspect the source may be 629 00:33:02,916 --> 00:33:05,885 a giant marine creature that's never been seen before. 630 00:33:05,985 --> 00:33:09,789 So is there some massive, mysterious beast 631 00:33:09,889 --> 00:33:12,659 lurking in the deep? 632 00:33:12,759 --> 00:33:17,664 (Don) Fox and his fellow researchers continue to monitor the Bloop for weeks, 633 00:33:17,764 --> 00:33:21,568 but they cannot determine what is making the thunderous sound. 634 00:33:21,668 --> 00:33:24,571 Then, suddenly, 635 00:33:24,671 --> 00:33:27,040 it stops. 636 00:33:27,140 --> 00:33:29,476 And now that it's gone, it seems that finding the source 637 00:33:29,576 --> 00:33:32,312 of the strange sound will be impossible. 638 00:33:32,412 --> 00:33:36,316 No one hears the Bloop for years. 639 00:33:39,185 --> 00:33:41,187 Then, in 2008, 640 00:33:41,287 --> 00:33:44,657 scientists in the Antarctic are monitoring acoustic activity 641 00:33:44,758 --> 00:33:48,461 when they pick up the same unusually powerful sound, 642 00:33:48,561 --> 00:33:51,398 and this time, whatever is making it 643 00:33:51,498 --> 00:33:54,200 appears to be close by. 644 00:33:54,300 --> 00:33:57,170 (Christina) This phenomenon happened again, and it happened to be recorded 645 00:33:57,270 --> 00:33:59,739 closer to their source. 646 00:33:59,839 --> 00:34:02,409 (Don) The researchers methodically search the region, 647 00:34:02,509 --> 00:34:05,712 yet they find no trace of a large marine creature. 648 00:34:05,812 --> 00:34:09,449 But they do notice an interesting natural phenomenon 649 00:34:09,549 --> 00:34:13,119 that might solve the mystery once and for all. 650 00:34:13,219 --> 00:34:17,123 They witness large glaciers moving and breaking apart, 651 00:34:17,223 --> 00:34:20,627 a geologic process known as cavving. 652 00:34:20,727 --> 00:34:22,462 So the glaciers were moving, 653 00:34:22,562 --> 00:34:24,597 and these have unique sounds. 654 00:34:24,698 --> 00:34:27,467 It was loud, and it wasn't terribly long, 655 00:34:27,567 --> 00:34:29,736 and it wasn't rhythmic. 656 00:34:29,836 --> 00:34:32,172 (Don) The noise created by the friction between 657 00:34:32,272 --> 00:34:34,708 the enormous slabs of ice is identical 658 00:34:34,808 --> 00:34:38,078 to the one first picked up by Fox and his team at NOAA. 659 00:34:41,047 --> 00:34:43,483 It had a similar signature, similar frequency, 660 00:34:43,583 --> 00:34:45,819 and similar volume to what they had heard 661 00:34:45,919 --> 00:34:48,788 in the '90s, so this actually was a sound 662 00:34:48,888 --> 00:34:50,790 made by ice breaking apart 663 00:34:50,890 --> 00:34:53,360 and not by an underwater sea creature. 664 00:34:56,129 --> 00:34:59,032 (Don) Scientists believe that glacial cavving 665 00:34:59,132 --> 00:35:01,801 is the most likely source of the Bloop. 666 00:35:01,901 --> 00:35:04,738 Still, many continue to wonder what unknown, 667 00:35:04,838 --> 00:35:07,607 magnificent creatures lurk in the deep. 668 00:35:07,707 --> 00:35:10,110 (Christina) There's so much left to explore, 669 00:35:10,210 --> 00:35:13,313 and we don't really know what else we're gonna find. 670 00:35:16,850 --> 00:35:20,120 (Don) Today, this hydrophone, used to detect underwater sounds, 671 00:35:20,220 --> 00:35:22,989 is on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum 672 00:35:23,089 --> 00:35:24,758 in Massachusetts. 673 00:35:24,858 --> 00:35:26,893 It recalls the maritime mystery 674 00:35:26,993 --> 00:35:29,329 and the Bloop heard round the world. 675 00:35:32,899 --> 00:35:35,969 An 85 pound sturgeon from the Gulf of Mexico... 676 00:35:36,069 --> 00:35:39,172 A massive devil ray with a 4 foot wing span. 677 00:35:39,272 --> 00:35:42,075 and an alligator gar, 678 00:35:42,175 --> 00:35:45,879 one of the largest fish in North America 679 00:35:45,979 --> 00:35:48,915 are just some of the incredible aquatic creatures 680 00:35:49,015 --> 00:35:52,085 found at the Royal D. Suttkus fish collection 681 00:35:52,185 --> 00:35:55,588 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 682 00:35:55,689 --> 00:35:58,158 But among these spectacular specimens 683 00:35:58,258 --> 00:36:01,161 is a deceptively simple display. 684 00:36:02,896 --> 00:36:06,199 It's about 17 inches tall, it's made of glass 685 00:36:06,299 --> 00:36:08,068 and inside is an amber liquid. 686 00:36:08,168 --> 00:36:12,105 Suspended in the liquid are dozens of little creatures 687 00:36:12,205 --> 00:36:15,375 6 to 8 inches long each with beady little eyes 688 00:36:15,475 --> 00:36:17,277 and a scaly exterior. 689 00:36:17,377 --> 00:36:20,146 It's not often you come across a jar 690 00:36:20,246 --> 00:36:23,316 with 53 floating bodies inside. 691 00:36:23,416 --> 00:36:25,185 ♪♪ 692 00:36:25,285 --> 00:36:29,155 These tiny creatures took center stage in an international drama 693 00:36:29,255 --> 00:36:31,725 that played out in the ocean's depths. 694 00:36:31,825 --> 00:36:34,961 This is a story about Sweden, submarines, 695 00:36:35,061 --> 00:36:37,397 and an underwater mystery. 696 00:36:37,497 --> 00:36:40,467 [ Suspenseful music climbs ] 697 00:36:40,567 --> 00:36:43,436 ♪♪ 698 00:36:43,536 --> 00:36:46,840 WILDMAN: It's the 1990s. 699 00:36:46,940 --> 00:36:48,641 The Cold War is over, 700 00:36:48,742 --> 00:36:51,177 but, despite the apparent fall of communism, 701 00:36:51,277 --> 00:36:55,048 tensions across Europe remain high. 702 00:36:55,148 --> 00:36:57,817 Many fear that the destabilized Russian state 703 00:36:57,917 --> 00:36:59,686 will go on the offensive 704 00:36:59,786 --> 00:37:02,022 in a desperate bid to gain new territory 705 00:37:02,122 --> 00:37:04,657 following the breakup of the USSR, 706 00:37:04,758 --> 00:37:07,460 and one country in Russia's firing line 707 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:08,461 is Sweden. 708 00:37:08,561 --> 00:37:11,364 Sweden was very close to the Soviet Union 709 00:37:11,464 --> 00:37:14,100 and had to be prepared, in case the worst happened. 710 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,569 [ Suspenseful chord strikes ] 711 00:37:16,670 --> 00:37:18,238 [ Ominous music plays ] 712 00:37:18,338 --> 00:37:20,340 WILDMAN: Then, something happens that suggests 713 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:24,044 the country's worst fears are about to come true. 714 00:37:24,144 --> 00:37:25,745 [ Suspenseful music plays ] 715 00:37:25,845 --> 00:37:28,248 One day, in May 1994, 716 00:37:28,348 --> 00:37:30,617 while the Swedish Navy is doing a routine sweep 717 00:37:30,717 --> 00:37:33,520 of the Baltic Sea, 718 00:37:33,620 --> 00:37:38,391 sonar operators detect a suspicious sound. 719 00:37:38,491 --> 00:37:42,929 [Sizzling] PORGES: It sounded like the static of a TV or radio. 720 00:37:43,029 --> 00:37:48,201 WILDMAN: To the navy officers, it can only mean one thing... 721 00:37:48,301 --> 00:37:50,937 ♪♪ 722 00:37:51,037 --> 00:37:53,840 ...an enemy submarine. 723 00:37:53,940 --> 00:37:56,309 The operators assumed the worst: that the vessel they detected 724 00:37:56,409 --> 00:37:59,045 was a Soviet nuclear submarine. 725 00:37:59,145 --> 00:38:01,981 It fit the audio signature of a submarine. 726 00:38:02,082 --> 00:38:03,583 That's because submarines, 727 00:38:03,683 --> 00:38:07,554 they release a lot of air bubbles. 728 00:38:07,654 --> 00:38:09,856 WILDMAN: The Swedish Navy dispatches a fleet of ships 729 00:38:09,956 --> 00:38:13,326 to intercept the lurking Russian vessel. 730 00:38:13,426 --> 00:38:17,464 But after an exhaustive search, they come up empty. 731 00:38:17,564 --> 00:38:19,265 They look for vessels in their water, 732 00:38:19,366 --> 00:38:23,169 and they don't find a thing. 733 00:38:23,269 --> 00:38:26,606 WILDMAN: But despite coming up empty-handed, 734 00:38:26,706 --> 00:38:28,875 the Swedish Navy continues 735 00:38:28,975 --> 00:38:32,379 to pick up traces of the weird noise. 736 00:38:32,479 --> 00:38:34,781 The Cold War was supposed to be over, 737 00:38:34,881 --> 00:38:37,484 but if the Swedish Navy couldn't figure out 738 00:38:37,584 --> 00:38:41,121 what was happening, it could mean war. 739 00:38:41,221 --> 00:38:43,456 WILDMAN: So what's making this strange sound? 740 00:38:43,556 --> 00:38:46,326 [ Suspenseful music plays ] 741 00:38:49,729 --> 00:38:51,664 It's May 1994. 742 00:38:51,765 --> 00:38:55,735 The Swedish Navy has just intercepted a strange, 743 00:38:55,835 --> 00:38:57,671 underwater signal. 744 00:38:57,771 --> 00:38:59,205 They think it may originated 745 00:38:59,305 --> 00:39:01,875 from a Russian spy submarine lurking in the Baltic, 746 00:39:01,975 --> 00:39:04,744 but there's something even fishier afoot, 747 00:39:04,844 --> 00:39:06,546 far beneath the waves. 748 00:39:06,646 --> 00:39:07,914 [ Suspenseful music plays ] 749 00:39:08,014 --> 00:39:10,417 With the source of the signal still unknown, 750 00:39:10,517 --> 00:39:11,885 the Swedish Navy appoints a team 751 00:39:11,985 --> 00:39:14,521 of esteemed scientists to investigate. 752 00:39:14,621 --> 00:39:16,489 The first thing the scientists do 753 00:39:16,589 --> 00:39:18,024 is listen to the audio recording. 754 00:39:18,124 --> 00:39:21,661 WILDMAN: But to these experts, the noise doesn't sound 755 00:39:21,761 --> 00:39:24,030 like it was created by a machine. 756 00:39:24,130 --> 00:39:26,833 They believe it has a natural source. 757 00:39:26,933 --> 00:39:30,770 The team hypothesizes that the sound could be made 758 00:39:30,870 --> 00:39:34,240 by tiny bubbles of methane gas 759 00:39:34,341 --> 00:39:37,410 released through cracks in the sea floor. 760 00:39:37,510 --> 00:39:39,446 They test the sediments at the bottom of the Baltic Sea 761 00:39:39,546 --> 00:39:41,381 to see if they can find any traces of gases 762 00:39:41,481 --> 00:39:43,516 that might match this sort of signal. 763 00:39:43,616 --> 00:39:45,919 They find nothing. 764 00:39:46,019 --> 00:39:49,556 WILDMAN: Then, a scientist named Magnus Wahlberg 765 00:39:49,656 --> 00:39:52,726 comes forward with a new theory. 766 00:39:52,826 --> 00:39:55,829 Magnus Wahlberg was a bioacoustics expert. 767 00:39:55,929 --> 00:39:57,931 Wahlberg had an idea. 768 00:39:58,031 --> 00:40:01,901 What if the cause of the sound wasn't a machine or sediment... 769 00:40:02,002 --> 00:40:03,470 [ Suspenseful chord strikes ] 770 00:40:03,570 --> 00:40:05,238 but an animal? 771 00:40:05,338 --> 00:40:08,308 WILDMAN: And Wahlberg thinks he knows the creature that's responsible. 772 00:40:08,408 --> 00:40:12,712 It's a mainstay of Swedish cuisine: 773 00:40:12,812 --> 00:40:15,081 the herring. 774 00:40:15,181 --> 00:40:17,217 [Whimsical tune plays] Herring gather in massive schools 775 00:40:17,317 --> 00:40:19,085 in the waters off Sweden. 776 00:40:19,185 --> 00:40:22,355 Like many other fish, they have a special organ, 777 00:40:22,455 --> 00:40:25,859 called a swim bladder, to help them stay afloat, 778 00:40:25,959 --> 00:40:28,461 but there is one unique difference. 779 00:40:28,561 --> 00:40:32,432 While most swim bladders are connected to a fish's lungs, 780 00:40:32,532 --> 00:40:36,202 the herring's is connected to its rear end. 781 00:40:36,302 --> 00:40:37,537 [ Horn tooting ] 782 00:40:37,637 --> 00:40:39,606 When they squeeze that swim bladder, 783 00:40:39,706 --> 00:40:42,676 maybe to communicate or to express alarm, 784 00:40:42,776 --> 00:40:46,179 gas comes out through their anal duct. 785 00:40:46,279 --> 00:40:48,581 WILDMAN: Wahlberg suspects the noise is made 786 00:40:48,682 --> 00:40:53,086 by air being squeezed through the fish's sphincter 787 00:40:53,186 --> 00:40:55,755 and that, if a school of fish was large enough, 788 00:40:55,855 --> 00:40:58,391 it could create the steady stream of noise 789 00:40:58,491 --> 00:41:00,927 heard by the Swedish Navy. 790 00:41:01,027 --> 00:41:05,131 To test his hypothesis, he fills an aquarium with herring 791 00:41:05,231 --> 00:41:07,767 and gently squeezes each one by hand. 792 00:41:07,867 --> 00:41:10,270 The resulting sound is recorded 793 00:41:10,370 --> 00:41:13,840 and sent to the Swedish Navy for comparison. 794 00:41:13,940 --> 00:41:16,509 Sure enough, perfect match. 795 00:41:16,609 --> 00:41:19,746 ♪♪ 796 00:41:19,846 --> 00:41:21,581 There was no submarine to worry about. 797 00:41:21,681 --> 00:41:22,916 It was just a bunch of 798 00:41:23,016 --> 00:41:26,386 herring farts. 799 00:41:26,486 --> 00:41:29,789 [ Outro plays ] 800 00:41:29,889 --> 00:41:31,891 [ Jazz plays ] 801 00:41:31,991 --> 00:41:34,160 Today, this jar of preserved herring 802 00:41:34,260 --> 00:41:38,164 is kept at the Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection in New Orleans. 803 00:41:38,264 --> 00:41:42,202 It recalls the international incident that, in the end, 804 00:41:42,302 --> 00:41:45,238 was caused by a school of flatulent fish. 805 00:41:45,338 --> 00:41:47,874 [ Outro plays ] 806 00:41:47,974 --> 00:41:49,509 From a legendary sea monster 807 00:41:49,609 --> 00:41:52,312 to shrimpy sonar... 808 00:41:52,412 --> 00:41:53,913 a descent to the bottom of the ocean, 809 00:41:54,014 --> 00:41:56,649 to the ultimate red herring. 810 00:41:56,750 --> 00:42:00,620 I'm Don Wildman, and these are the Mysteries at the Museum.