European Maneater is the fourth episode of the first season of River Monsters.
Episode Description[]
Jeremy travels to Germany where he meets victims of a beast that's been raising its snout above the fresh waters in Europe for the past 700 years. We discover that the Wels Catfish is an aggressive predator of man eating proportions.
Episode Summary[]
The Wels catfish is one of the largest catfish in the world. Medieval reports claim it is an aggressive man eater that will swallow people whole, even small children were found in one's stomach according to a legend. After new reports surface of attacks in Berlin, Germany, Jeremy Wade dives deep into the mystery of these fish. He finds out that these giants attack when they are protecting their nests during the breeding season. His investigation later leads him to Spain, where a group of catfish were introduced into the warm watered Rio Ebro. Numerous factors led to these creatures taking over the ecosystem and possibly growing to man-eating size, for example because of the fishermen's 'catch and release' policy. There, Jeremy finds that these river monsters have no fear of man, and faces a potential maneater.
Animals Featured[]
Locations Featured[]
- Europe
- Ebro River
Trivia[]
- The first monster to be hunted in Europe.
- The second episode to feature a catfish.
- Jeremy Wade's biggest on screen catch so far in the show.