Original subtitles

Man #1: A MEGALANIA IS THE LARGEST LIZARD EVER TO BE RECORDED.

Man #2: THE TRACKS FOUND BY THE TEENAGERS

WERE CONSISTENT WITH A REPTILE 30 FEET LONG,

FAR BIGGER THAN EVEN THE KOMODO DRAGON.

OHH!

AAH!

AAH! AAH!

THERE ARE CREATURES SCIENCE REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE.

BUT NEW TECHNOLOGY MAKES US QUESTION WHAT IS REAL.

COME ON! GO!

ENTER A REALM WHERE FACT MEETS FICTION...

...SCIENCE MEETS LEGEND...

AAH! AAH! OH, MY GOD!

OH, GOD! OHH!

- Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

IN 2007, TIM AKRON, AN AVID OUTDOORSMAN,

SET OUT TO SHOOT THE PILOT EPISODE

OF AN EXTREME SURVIVAL SERIES.

THE PREMISE OF THE SHOW

WAS TO BE DROPPED IN REMOTE LOCATIONS,

STRANDED FOR SEVEN DAYS

IN VARIOUS HARSH-WILDERNESS ENVIRONMENTS

WITH NO FOOD, NO CREW,

AND NO CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

THOUGH SKILLED IN OUTDOOR-SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES,

TIM COULD NOT HAVE ANTICIPATED

THE CHALLENGE THAT WOULD CONFRONT HIM

IN THE AUSTRALIAN RAINFOREST.

HEY, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO "STRANDED."

I'M HERE IN THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK.

NO, YOU'RE NOT, TIM.

HEY, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO "STRANDED."

I'M HERE IN THE AUSTRALIAN RAINFOREST.

OVER THE NEXT WEEK,

I'M GONNA BE SHARING THIS ENVIRONMENT

WITH SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMALS, PLANTS, REPTILES,

AND DOWNRIGHT SCARY CREATURES YOU WILL EVER SEE.

OHH, MAN.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES I'VE EVER SEEN.

AND THAT'S ALSO WHY I'M ONLY GONNA TAKE WHAT I NEED

FOR MY SHELTER TONIGHT.

AND WHAT I NEED IS A COUPLE THINGS.

ONE, I NEED SOMETHING TO GET ME OFF THE GROUND

SO WE KEEP THE VENOMOUS SNAKES AND CREEPY-CRAWLIES

AWAY FROM ME.

SECONDLY, I NEED SOMETHING TO KEEP THE RAIN OFF ME.

THIS STUFF LOOKS LIKE IT'LL WORK JUST FINE.

YOU CAN SMELL IT. THE RAIN'S COMING.

OHH, MAN.

OKAY, I'M JUST GETTING THE FINAL TOUCHES PUT ON MY SHELTER.

IT'S CRUDE, BUT IT SHOULD WORK...

AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT, TO KEEP THE, UH--

SOME OF THE RAIN OFF ME TONIGHT.

I CAN ONLY SAY I'M IN THE RAINFOREST,

AND IT IS HOT, AND IT IS REALLY HUMID.

AND I'M STARTING TO FEEL THAT IT'S BEEN A WHILE

SINCE I'VE HAD SOME FOOD IN MY BELLY.

SO, I GOT TO JUST GET THE FINAL PART OF THIS SHELTER DONE,

AND THEN I'M GONNA GO OUT AND START LOOKING FOR SOME FOOD

BEFORE THE SUN GOES DOWN.

Man #1: THE KOMODO DRAGON IS A VERY AGGRESSIVE PREDATOR.

IT CAN GET UP TO 10 TO 15 FEET LONG.

SCUBA DIVERS STRANDED ON A REMOTE ISLAND,

FORCED TO FIGHT OFF THE MAN-EATING KOMODO DRAGON.

ONE OF THE DRAGONS APPARENTLY SAW THE DIVERS AS LUNCH.

ALL RIGHT, SO, CHECK THIS OUT.

I'M OUT LOOKING FOR FOOD, AND I COME ACROSS THESE BONES.

ON FIRST INSPECTION, I THOUGHT THEY MIGHT BE ANIMAL BONES,

BUT THEY'RE DEFINITELY HUMAN.

WE KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PREDATORS OUT HERE.

THE SALTWATER CROC, FOR ONE, IS HUGE...

AND MAYBE A FERAL PLIG--

MAYBE A FERAL PIG. HOW'S THAT?

ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA DO THAT AGAIN.

YEAH, ONE MORE TIME.

ALL RIGHT, SO, CHECK THIS OUT.

WHAT THE HELL?

LOOKS LIKE ONE OF OUR JUNGLE FRIENDS

KNOCKED MY CAMERA OVER.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA RESET AND DO THAT AGAIN.

REMEMBER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ABORIGINES USED TO DO

WAS THEY WOULD LOOK FOR FALLEN TREE BARK-- TREE STUMPS--

AND UNDERNEATH THAT TREE BARK

IS WHERE WITCHETTY GRUBS HANG OUT.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW.

SO, WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS,

I'M JUST GONNA BE PULLING SOME OF THIS OFF HERE

AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

I HOPE-- AHH.

AND WE FOUND THE JACKPOT.

SO, BASICALLY, I'M GONNA TAKE ONE OF THESE GUYS HERE.

IT'S CUTE.

I DON'T KNOW. LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT.

YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF JUICY.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE--

TASTES LIKE CHICKEN AND ALMONDS.

SO, WE GOT A NICE LITTLE DINNER HERE,

AND THERE'S A GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN

IN THESE GUYS RIGHT HERE.

THEY'RE NOT REALLY THAT GOOD.

ALL RIGHT, WHILE WE GOT A LITTLE SUNLIGHT LEFT,

I WANT TO SHOW YOU AN OLD ABORIGINAL HUNTING TRICK.

VERY SIMPLY-- PUT SOME SAP ON THE END OF A STICK,

STICK IT IN A HOLE THAT YOU THINK BELONGS

TO A NOCTURNAL ANIMAL, RUB IT AROUND.

IF HAIR COMES BACK OUT AND IT'S STUCK IN THE SAP--

IF HAIR COMES BACK OUT STUCK IN THE SAP,

THEN WE KNOW THERE'S AN ANIMAL IN THERE.

ALL RIGHT, SO, I'M JUST GONNA STICK IT IN THERE

AND SEE WHAT I CAN FIND.

OHH!

OHH! OHH!

Man #1: MONITOR LIZARDS DO NOT KILL THEIR PREY

WITH THEIR FIRST BITE.

THEY HAVE A COCKTAIL OF POTENT BACTERIA IN THEIR MOUTH

WHICH INFECTS THE SURFACE OF THE WOUND

AND CAUSES ITS PREY TO EVENTUALLY DIE

IF THEY DON'T GET EATEN RIGHT AWAY.

SOMETHING DEFINITELY BIT ME.

I'VE GOT TO, UH--

THAT WAS STUPID.

I'VE GOT TO GO TAKE CARE OF THIS.

WELCOME TO THE RAINFOREST.

Dr. Erdmann: IT WAS A FOSSIL FISH

WHICH HAD DISAPPEARED WHEN THE DINOSAURS DID.

AND THEN, IN 1938, SUDDENLY,

THIS ONE WAS TRAWLED OFF OF SOUTH AFRICA,

AND IT WAS JUST LIKE FINDING A DINOSAUR

OUT IN THE FOREST SOMEPLACE.

I THINK IT CERTAINLY OPENS THE POSSIBILITY

OF ALL TYPES OF MONSTERS THAT MIGHT SOMEDAY POP UP.

HAVING TENDED TO HIS WOUND,

TIM ATTEMPTED TO KEEP HIMSELF DRY AND WARM

FOR THE NIGHT AHEAD.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A FIRE...

...IT'S TANTAMOUNT.

NOT ONLY WILL THE SMOKE AND THE FLAME...

...KEEP AWAY SOME OF THE SNAKES AND THE CREEPY CRAWLIES,

BUT IT'LL KEEP ME WARM.

AND RIGHT NOW I'M SOAKED TO THE BONE.

I NEED A MINUTE.

I THOUGHT I'D LET YOU SEE

WHAT THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IN THE RAINFOREST LOOKS LIKE.

IT'S BASICALLY BEEN RAINING SO HARD FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS.

AND SOMETHING...

JUST KEEPS WALKING AROUND OUTSIDE.

GET OUT OF HERE!

HAHHH!

THE MEGALANIA'S EXTINCTION FROM THE AUSTRALIAN CONTINENT

IS A HOTLY DEBATED ISSUE.

WHAT CREATURE DO SOME THEORIZE

IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE FOR THEIR DEMISE?

THE FULL REVELATION, NEXT.

WHILE SCIENTISTS HAVE THEORIZED

THAT CLIMATE CHANGE PLAYED A ROLE

IN THE MEGALANIA'S EXTINCTION,

MANY CLAIM THAT THE REAL IMPETUS FOR THE DEATH OF THE MEGALANIA

WAS MAN.

ABORIGINES ARRIVED ON AUSTRALIA APPROXIMATELY 48,000 YEARS AGO,

AND THE MEGALANIA AND OTHER MEGAFAUNA OF THE REGION

SUDDENLY DIED OUT AROUND THE SAME TIME.

IT'S, UH...

IT'S MORNING. DAY TWO.

THE FIRST THING I NOTICE IS THAT I FEEL SICK,

WHICH IS NOT WANT YOU WANT TO FEEL WHEN YOU'RE STRANDED.

MY ARM IS KILLING ME.

THAT THING THAT BIT ME YESTERDAY--

OHH, MAN.

I HAVE GOT A SEVERE INFECTION.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF BLOOD POISONING TO ME...

WHICH MEANS I NEED TO--

I NEED TO GET TO A VILLAGE.

I THINK I REMEMBER THERE'S ONE ABOUT FIVE MILES NORTH OF HERE,

WHICH I'M GONNA TRY TO GET TO.

I'M GONNA GRAB MY STUFF AND MY CAMERA

AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

I'M JUST MAKING MY WAY OUT OF THE SHELTER,

JUST TRYING TO HEAD DUE--

DUE NORTH, TRYING TO FIND THAT VILLAGE,

'CAUSE THIS INFECTION IN MY ARM

IS REALLY STARTING TO BE A PROBLEM.

OHH!

OH, MY GOD.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW THAT,

BUT THAT WAS-- THAT WAS HUGE.

SOMETHING JUST RUSTLED THROUGH THOSE PLANTS THERE.

AND IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT A CROCODILE.

AS TIM TRIED TO FIND HIS WAY BACK TO CIVILIZATION,

IT BECAME INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT HE WAS BEING STALKED.

I GOT TO FIND THAT VILLAGE.

OH, GOD. I GOT TO FIND THAT VILLAGE.

IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO HOURS...

...SINCE I LEFT THIS MORNING.

I NORMALLY WOULDN'T...

WOULDN'T BE MOVING WITH AN INFECTION LIKE THIS,

'CAUSE YOU WANT TO TRY TO STAY STATIONARY,

BUT WITH THIS THING STALKING ME--

AND IF THIS INFECTION GETS IN MY HEART, I'M--

I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THE VILLAGE,

BUT MY SHOULDER IS KILLING ME.

GOT TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE HOW THIS INFECTION'S DOING.

OH, GOD, IT'S DEFINITELY SPREADING.

I GOT TO KEEP GOING,

'CAUSE I'M NOT GONNA SURVIVE OUT HERE ANOTHER NIGHT.

WITH THE POISON COURSING THROUGH HIS BODY,

TIM BECAME INCREASINGLY WEARY AND DISORIENTED.

AAAAAH! LEAVE ME ALONE!

AAAAAH! LEAVE ME ALONE!

AAAAAH!

AAAAAH! LEAVE ME ALONE!

AAAAAH! LEAVE ME ALONE!

AAAAAH!

OH, GOD.

UGH!

OH, GOD. I DIDN'T FIND THE VILLAGE.

I DIDN'T...

HEY, CATHERINE...

...IT'S NOT HOW I EXPECTED IT.

YOU TELL MARIE THAT I LOVE HER.

YOU TAKE CARE OF HER.

I LOVE YOU BOTH.

AAH!

AAH!

TIM AKRON'S BODY WAS NEVER FOUND.

HOWEVER, HIS CAMERA EQUIPMENT

WAS RECOVERED BY ABORIGINAL TRAIL GUIDES

LESS THAN A QUARTER-MILE FROM THEIR VILLAGE.

DNA TESTING OF SALIVA FOUND ON HIS EQUIPMENT

MATCHED NO KNOWN REPTILE SPECIES.

AND SO WE ARE LEFT TO WONDER-- DO THEY LIVE AMONG US?