1 00:00:05,869 --> 00:00:08,602 [narrator] An uninhabited, muddy little island in England 2 00:00:08,602 --> 00:00:10,402 has a horrifying history. 3 00:00:10,402 --> 00:00:12,735 Authorities believe that there are hundreds of bodies 4 00:00:12,735 --> 00:00:13,402 on the island. 5 00:00:15,135 --> 00:00:18,435 The place is covered in human bones, 6 00:00:18,435 --> 00:00:20,101 skulls, and teeth. 7 00:00:20,602 --> 00:00:24,734 [narrator] A shocking spider discovery on an island off 8 00:00:24,734 --> 00:00:27,168 Sri Lanka reignites an age-old mystery. 9 00:00:27,901 --> 00:00:30,401 - Previously, they've not found the spider anywhere else 10 00:00:30,401 --> 00:00:31,168 in the world. 11 00:00:31,168 --> 00:00:32,534 Could it have traveled by air? 12 00:00:33,768 --> 00:00:35,935 [narrator] Animal corpses discovered on the shore 13 00:00:35,935 --> 00:00:39,267 of a small Canadian island baffle researchers. 14 00:00:39,768 --> 00:00:43,134 At first glance, the wounds appear intentional and precise. 15 00:00:44,434 --> 00:00:46,434 What could be ravaging these poor creatures? 16 00:00:53,834 --> 00:00:58,134 [narrator] Isolated, scarce on resources, islands are worlds 17 00:00:58,134 --> 00:00:59,300 unto themselves. 18 00:01:01,433 --> 00:01:05,533 Bizarre creatures, ancient gods, and haunting ruins. 19 00:01:06,467 --> 00:01:09,166 Baffling murders and deadly spirits. 20 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:13,766 What will be discovered on Earth's mysterious islands? 21 00:01:13,766 --> 00:01:19,300 ♪ ♪ 22 00:01:33,632 --> 00:01:36,798 [narrator] The British Isles, over 6,000 islands 23 00:01:36,798 --> 00:01:39,065 that have been intermittently inhabited 24 00:01:39,065 --> 00:01:42,665 since as far back as 800,000 BCE, 25 00:01:42,665 --> 00:01:46,032 the largest of which are Great Britain and Ireland. 26 00:01:46,498 --> 00:01:49,032 You probably don't know the names of the smaller ones, 27 00:01:49,032 --> 00:01:51,798 the ones that aren't much more than uninhabited stretches 28 00:01:51,798 --> 00:01:53,698 of marsh, mud, and rock. 29 00:01:55,631 --> 00:01:57,364 But if you do find yourself on one 30 00:01:57,364 --> 00:02:00,697 that's barely above sea level, you'll also probably find 31 00:02:00,697 --> 00:02:04,064 lots of stuff in the mud, like old bottles, plastic 32 00:02:04,064 --> 00:02:05,997 containers, rubber boots. 33 00:02:06,364 --> 00:02:09,064 And every once in a while, people have even found 34 00:02:09,064 --> 00:02:11,397 shrapnel from bombs that struck the region 35 00:02:11,397 --> 00:02:12,297 during the Blitz. 36 00:02:13,997 --> 00:02:16,864 [narrator] But on one small island, just about 40 miles 37 00:02:16,864 --> 00:02:19,497 from London, you're likely to see something 38 00:02:19,497 --> 00:02:22,030 far more mysterious than shrapnel. 39 00:02:22,564 --> 00:02:26,030 In 2016, people sneaking onto an off-limits avian 40 00:02:26,030 --> 00:02:29,596 wildlife preserve found themselves surrounded 41 00:02:29,596 --> 00:02:31,930 not by birds, but by bones. 42 00:02:31,930 --> 00:02:34,896 And these were not the bones of wild animals. 43 00:02:36,863 --> 00:02:41,962 The place is covered in human bones, skulls, and teeth. 44 00:02:42,262 --> 00:02:44,563 If you're actually walking on the island, 45 00:02:44,563 --> 00:02:47,563 there's an excellent chance of you literally 46 00:02:47,563 --> 00:02:48,962 tripping over them. 47 00:02:49,229 --> 00:02:50,329 What happened here? 48 00:02:53,196 --> 00:02:55,562 Authorities believe that there are hundreds of bodies 49 00:02:55,562 --> 00:02:57,795 on the island, which isn't really a surprise 50 00:02:57,795 --> 00:02:59,562 when you realize that the name of the island 51 00:02:59,562 --> 00:03:02,094 is a bit of a spoiler, Deadman's Island. 52 00:03:06,295 --> 00:03:08,994 Why are there so many human bones here? 53 00:03:09,295 --> 00:03:11,061 Could this be one of those plague islands 54 00:03:11,061 --> 00:03:12,595 you hear about, like Poveglia? 55 00:03:14,894 --> 00:03:18,061 [narrator] When the bubonic plague arrived in 56 00:03:18,061 --> 00:03:21,394 Europe in 1347, the small Italian island of Poveglia 57 00:03:21,394 --> 00:03:23,594 became a quarantine site for many 58 00:03:23,594 --> 00:03:25,394 dying from the Black Death. 59 00:03:25,894 --> 00:03:27,928 Even hundreds of years after the plague, 60 00:03:27,928 --> 00:03:31,327 the island remains off-limits to visitors. 61 00:03:33,427 --> 00:03:36,060 While both Poveglia and Deadman's Island 62 00:03:36,060 --> 00:03:38,693 are closed to the public, that is sort of where 63 00:03:38,693 --> 00:03:39,893 the similarities end. 64 00:03:39,893 --> 00:03:42,993 Poveglia has a lot of buildings, housing, a bell 65 00:03:42,993 --> 00:03:46,160 tower, a hospital, and it even had a fortress. 66 00:03:46,660 --> 00:03:48,593 Deadman's Island is less than a mile long 67 00:03:48,593 --> 00:03:51,027 and just 650 feet wide. 68 00:03:51,027 --> 00:03:52,660 It has almost no structures. 69 00:03:52,660 --> 00:03:55,059 It's really just mud and marshland. 70 00:03:55,526 --> 00:03:58,159 Where would people live or even die here? 71 00:03:58,393 --> 00:04:00,759 If you walk across the island when the tide is out, 72 00:04:00,759 --> 00:04:03,826 you can see even more bones jutting out of the mud, 73 00:04:04,159 --> 00:04:06,492 some much smaller than others. 74 00:04:06,759 --> 00:04:09,492 They're clearly from children or young adults. 75 00:04:12,292 --> 00:04:16,026 Why would anyone be buried here, let alone children? 76 00:04:19,792 --> 00:04:21,158 Despite the menace of the name, 77 00:04:21,158 --> 00:04:23,525 this uninhabited mud bank is currently a 78 00:04:23,525 --> 00:04:25,791 protected wetland site and a bird breeding 79 00:04:25,791 --> 00:04:27,025 and nesting preserve. 80 00:04:28,524 --> 00:04:31,192 But long before it was an avian love island, 81 00:04:31,458 --> 00:04:33,357 it had a much darker purpose. 82 00:04:33,758 --> 00:04:38,224 [narrator] In the 1700s, the British prison system was 83 00:04:38,224 --> 00:04:40,491 nearing collapse and part thanks to the 84 00:04:40,491 --> 00:04:42,157 Waltham Black Act of 1723, 85 00:04:42,391 --> 00:04:45,057 which we now know as the Bloody Code. 86 00:04:45,291 --> 00:04:48,191 It was an emergency measure to punish crime. 87 00:04:49,491 --> 00:04:52,723 It included serious crimes like arson and murder, 88 00:04:52,723 --> 00:04:55,157 but it also covered a wide range of thefts 89 00:04:55,157 --> 00:04:57,590 we might think of as being pretty minor. 90 00:04:57,890 --> 00:05:00,723 But in that era, there wasn't much of a distinction 91 00:05:00,723 --> 00:05:03,123 between the petty crimes and the serious stuff. 92 00:05:03,690 --> 00:05:05,690 ♪ ♪ 93 00:05:05,690 --> 00:05:08,223 Basically, if a 10-year-old stole a chicken 94 00:05:08,223 --> 00:05:11,223 or a loaf of bread to survive, they could find 95 00:05:11,223 --> 00:05:12,722 themselves in jail. 96 00:05:13,156 --> 00:05:15,656 [Anthony Cantor] As a result of all these draconian laws, 97 00:05:15,656 --> 00:05:18,556 prison populations swelled until the prisons couldn't 98 00:05:18,556 --> 00:05:20,023 accommodate any more people. 99 00:05:20,223 --> 00:05:22,389 So the authorities came up with the novel idea 100 00:05:22,389 --> 00:05:25,422 of floating prisons called prison hulks. 101 00:05:26,056 --> 00:05:28,689 [narrator] A hulk, in the language of the British Navy, 102 00:05:28,689 --> 00:05:32,055 was a ship that was no longer capable of full service. 103 00:05:32,289 --> 00:05:35,222 Such ships were gutted of all their military gear 104 00:05:35,222 --> 00:05:38,688 and turned into prison quarters for anywhere from 105 00:05:38,688 --> 00:05:40,222 100 to 600 people. 106 00:05:42,255 --> 00:05:44,588 On the prison hulks, some of the prisoners were 107 00:05:44,588 --> 00:05:46,088 to be there indefinitely. 108 00:05:46,388 --> 00:05:48,855 Others were just held until there was a merchant ship 109 00:05:48,855 --> 00:05:51,588 big enough to bring them to colonies like Australia 110 00:05:51,588 --> 00:05:52,555 for forced labor. 111 00:05:54,354 --> 00:05:56,221 Of course, we know prisons don't offer 112 00:05:56,221 --> 00:05:58,321 the most pleasant of accommodations at 113 00:05:58,321 --> 00:05:59,188 the best of times. 114 00:06:00,354 --> 00:06:02,388 If you now imagine all of that crammed 115 00:06:02,388 --> 00:06:06,354 onto a dark, stuffy ship, it's even worse again. 116 00:06:08,787 --> 00:06:11,454 Apparently, the hulks were far worse 117 00:06:11,454 --> 00:06:13,754 than even the Dickensian prisons. 118 00:06:13,754 --> 00:06:16,287 The quarters were crammed and filthy, 119 00:06:16,487 --> 00:06:19,420 and the food and water were often contaminated 120 00:06:19,420 --> 00:06:20,287 with bacteria. 121 00:06:21,554 --> 00:06:24,220 [narrator] Cholera hit Britain in the 1830s, 122 00:06:24,220 --> 00:06:28,586 devastating the country in 1832, and the prison hulks 123 00:06:28,586 --> 00:06:29,719 were no exception. 124 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:33,519 Cholera is transmitted by fecal matter. 125 00:06:33,820 --> 00:06:36,352 Imagine how quickly that disease would spread 126 00:06:36,352 --> 00:06:39,953 in an enclosed space with no proper sanitation system. 127 00:06:40,453 --> 00:06:42,085 So when prisoners were infected, 128 00:06:42,085 --> 00:06:45,152 they were moved to the island and left there to die, 129 00:06:45,419 --> 00:06:48,252 which explains the bones, but it doesn't explain 130 00:06:48,252 --> 00:06:49,819 everything on the island. 131 00:06:50,352 --> 00:06:52,685 [narrator] One of the many mysterious things about 132 00:06:52,685 --> 00:06:55,286 Deadman's Island is that there are coffins on it. 133 00:06:55,518 --> 00:06:58,119 In fact, the place where most visitors land 134 00:06:58,119 --> 00:06:59,552 is called Coffin Bay. 135 00:07:00,585 --> 00:07:02,618 You can see the rotting coffins 136 00:07:02,618 --> 00:07:04,985 and pieces of wood all over the place. 137 00:07:07,518 --> 00:07:10,118 [narrator] Now with erosion and rising water levels, 138 00:07:10,118 --> 00:07:13,951 these bodies are also rising up, but it's not the first time 139 00:07:13,951 --> 00:07:15,651 their stories are being heard. 140 00:07:16,018 --> 00:07:18,951 Locals have been telling tales of Deadman's Island 141 00:07:18,951 --> 00:07:20,051 for generations. 142 00:07:21,151 --> 00:07:24,051 Legend has it that there is a devil dog out here 143 00:07:24,051 --> 00:07:27,984 with glowing eyes who eats people's brains. 144 00:07:30,551 --> 00:07:33,617 And some locals swear they can hear wailing 145 00:07:33,617 --> 00:07:37,217 coming from the island at night, a wailing that they say 146 00:07:37,217 --> 00:07:39,783 cannot be dismissed as wind. 147 00:07:44,516 --> 00:07:47,650 Of course, if you find an island covered in bones, 148 00:07:47,650 --> 00:07:50,249 there are gonna be lots of creepy stories about it. 149 00:07:50,650 --> 00:07:52,716 But when you consider that many of these people 150 00:07:52,716 --> 00:07:55,650 had been thrown in jail for things as inconsequential 151 00:07:55,650 --> 00:07:58,149 as stealing a loaf of bread, and that many of the 152 00:07:58,149 --> 00:07:59,249 prisoners were children, 153 00:08:01,049 --> 00:08:03,149 it really does make Deadman's Island 154 00:08:03,149 --> 00:08:05,849 seem much more tragic than terrifying. 155 00:08:06,416 --> 00:08:09,349 [narrator] No one knows what the future holds for this island, 156 00:08:09,582 --> 00:08:12,682 but as the climate changes and water levels rise, 157 00:08:12,916 --> 00:08:15,549 Deadman's Island may soon be washed away, 158 00:08:15,782 --> 00:08:18,749 taking the last of its secrets with it. 159 00:08:18,749 --> 00:08:21,482 ♪ ♪ 160 00:08:31,015 --> 00:08:34,015 [narrator] Nestled in the Palk Strait in the Bay of Bengal 161 00:08:34,015 --> 00:08:37,781 between India and Sri Lanka sits Mannar Island, 162 00:08:38,048 --> 00:08:40,214 known for its pristine sandy beaches. 163 00:08:41,548 --> 00:08:43,481 - In addition to being beautiful, 164 00:08:43,948 --> 00:08:46,381 Mannar is a haven for the natural world. 165 00:08:46,381 --> 00:08:50,114 There are 3,600 species of plants and animals here, 166 00:08:50,114 --> 00:08:54,247 flamingos, mangroves, and five species of endangered turtles. 167 00:08:54,247 --> 00:08:55,414 It's actually one of the planet's 168 00:08:55,414 --> 00:08:58,314 most biologically diverse coastal regions. 169 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:02,680 [narrator] With this in mind, a team of Sri Lankan researchers 170 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:06,814 head to the island in 2012, intending to survey one of 171 00:09:06,814 --> 00:09:10,547 the facets of its diversity, the spider population. 172 00:09:10,879 --> 00:09:13,547 As they catalog the wide range of arachnids, 173 00:09:13,547 --> 00:09:15,779 they encounter something surprising 174 00:09:15,779 --> 00:09:17,313 in the hollow of a tree. 175 00:09:21,646 --> 00:09:25,579 Inside, they find a Rameswaram ornamental tarantula. 176 00:09:25,579 --> 00:09:28,013 Now, finding a spider in a tree when you're studying arachnids 177 00:09:28,013 --> 00:09:30,479 might not seem like a big deal, but think about that name. 178 00:09:30,479 --> 00:09:35,579 Rameswaram is a town in India on Pamban Island. 179 00:09:35,579 --> 00:09:38,179 That is 30 miles away as the crow flies. 180 00:09:40,112 --> 00:09:41,379 And that spider? 181 00:09:41,878 --> 00:09:44,245 Until 2012, it was thought to be endemic, 182 00:09:44,245 --> 00:09:46,345 meaning exclusive to Rameswaram. 183 00:09:46,778 --> 00:09:48,511 Previously, they've not found the spider 184 00:09:48,511 --> 00:09:50,145 anywhere else in the world. 185 00:09:50,378 --> 00:09:52,511 It couldn't crawl over water to the island, 186 00:09:52,711 --> 00:09:54,211 so how did it end up here? 187 00:09:54,611 --> 00:09:56,044 Could it have traveled by air? 188 00:09:59,711 --> 00:10:00,877 Look at a spider. 189 00:10:01,144 --> 00:10:03,545 It has no wings and it can't fly, 190 00:10:03,811 --> 00:10:06,844 so that should be the end of that story, but it's not. 191 00:10:08,311 --> 00:10:11,677 [narrator] In 1832, Charles Darwin, while at sea, 192 00:10:11,677 --> 00:10:13,610 encountered a surprising sight. 193 00:10:13,610 --> 00:10:17,011 The deck of his ship was covered in tiny spiders. 194 00:10:18,210 --> 00:10:20,343 "I caught some of the aeronauts' spiders, 195 00:10:20,343 --> 00:10:23,310 which must have come at least 60 miles. 196 00:10:23,644 --> 00:10:26,043 How inexplicable is this cause which induces 197 00:10:26,043 --> 00:10:28,810 these small insects to undertake their 198 00:10:28,810 --> 00:10:30,110 aerial excursions?" 199 00:10:32,010 --> 00:10:34,910 We should forgive Darwin for calling spiders insects. 200 00:10:34,910 --> 00:10:36,676 In his day, the spiders were considered 201 00:10:36,676 --> 00:10:38,342 a subgroup of the insects. 202 00:10:38,342 --> 00:10:39,676 We now know that's totally wrong, 203 00:10:39,676 --> 00:10:43,076 but the point is, Darwin did witness spiders 204 00:10:43,076 --> 00:10:45,810 traveling long distances in the air, 205 00:10:45,810 --> 00:10:47,909 and since then, they've been documented 206 00:10:47,909 --> 00:10:49,409 two and a half miles above the earth 207 00:10:49,643 --> 00:10:52,775 and going out as far as 1,000 miles out to sea. 208 00:10:54,209 --> 00:10:56,608 [Amma Wakefield] This achievement is both beautiful 209 00:10:56,608 --> 00:10:58,975 and frankly, a little bit terrifying. 210 00:11:01,442 --> 00:11:04,176 Imagine being caught up in a breeze 211 00:11:04,176 --> 00:11:07,642 filled with hundreds or even thousands of spiders. 212 00:11:08,074 --> 00:11:10,108 ♪ ♪ 213 00:11:10,108 --> 00:11:13,275 But then we're back to the whole no wings thing. 214 00:11:13,675 --> 00:11:16,408 So how do they become airborne? 215 00:11:19,607 --> 00:11:22,841 - Spiders shoot out silky strands to make their webs, 216 00:11:22,841 --> 00:11:25,075 but the same filaments can catch the wind, 217 00:11:25,075 --> 00:11:27,108 allowing the spiders to take flight. 218 00:11:27,441 --> 00:11:29,340 It's called kiting or ballooning. 219 00:11:30,641 --> 00:11:33,040 - Ballooning isn't just the result of a spider's 220 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:34,574 ingenuity or tenacity. 221 00:11:34,973 --> 00:11:36,407 It's a result of electricity. 222 00:11:37,140 --> 00:11:39,240 [thunder rumbling] 223 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,740 [narrator] Every single day, the earth is host to 224 00:11:41,740 --> 00:11:45,606 electrical storms, which get the air crackling with electricity. 225 00:11:47,074 --> 00:11:50,440 It's thought that these forces can create an electrical 226 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,040 charge imbalance between the silk threads 227 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:54,406 and the surrounding air. 228 00:11:56,206 --> 00:11:59,440 The idea is that the electrostatic interaction 229 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:03,806 helps lift the silk strands, taking the spider with it, 230 00:12:04,106 --> 00:12:06,273 hence the term kiting. 231 00:12:06,273 --> 00:12:08,839 ♪ ♪ 232 00:12:10,139 --> 00:12:11,839 [Alison Leonard] It's a decent theory until 233 00:12:11,839 --> 00:12:13,239 you start thinking about scale. 234 00:12:13,639 --> 00:12:16,472 Most of the spiders you'll see ballooning are pretty slight, 235 00:12:17,338 --> 00:12:19,238 but have you ever seen a tarantula? 236 00:12:19,505 --> 00:12:22,071 These are not small creatures, so it might be pretty 237 00:12:22,071 --> 00:12:23,405 hard to get them airborne. 238 00:12:23,672 --> 00:12:26,905 Plus tarantulas don't even spin those orb-like webs. 239 00:12:26,905 --> 00:12:29,671 They mostly use their silk to line their burrows. 240 00:12:30,272 --> 00:12:33,238 [narrator] So it seems rather unlikely that these large 241 00:12:33,238 --> 00:12:35,372 spiders balloon to Mannar Island. 242 00:12:35,638 --> 00:12:38,771 However, there is another theory about their presence here, 243 00:12:39,005 --> 00:12:42,171 one that's both historical and mythical. 244 00:12:42,538 --> 00:12:44,304 For ships traveling in the region, 245 00:12:44,304 --> 00:12:48,204 the Palk Strait is a bit of a thorn in their collective side. 246 00:12:48,571 --> 00:12:51,237 If you wanna go from the east coast of India 247 00:12:51,237 --> 00:12:54,004 to Southeast Asia, it would make sense 248 00:12:54,004 --> 00:12:55,970 to round the bottom of the continent 249 00:12:55,970 --> 00:12:57,837 and scoot through the Palk Strait 250 00:12:58,104 --> 00:13:01,337 between Pamban and Mannar Islands. 251 00:13:02,004 --> 00:13:04,503 [Anna Klassen] Otherwise, you have to take a circuitous route 252 00:13:04,503 --> 00:13:08,236 and sail to the end of Sri Lanka, only to come up again. 253 00:13:08,637 --> 00:13:11,770 So going through the strait seems like the obvious choice. 254 00:13:13,503 --> 00:13:15,303 The problem is that going through the strait 255 00:13:15,303 --> 00:13:17,070 isn't possible for most ships. 256 00:13:17,303 --> 00:13:20,470 The first challenge is that it's just too shallow in spots, 257 00:13:20,702 --> 00:13:21,936 but that's not the biggest hurdle. 258 00:13:23,469 --> 00:13:25,303 [narrator] There's a rugged underwater barrier 259 00:13:25,303 --> 00:13:27,203 that limits passage through the strait 260 00:13:27,203 --> 00:13:29,469 between Pamban and Mannar Island. 261 00:13:29,469 --> 00:13:33,069 It's a 30-mile-long chain that emerges during low tide. 262 00:13:33,369 --> 00:13:34,636 It looks like a spine. 263 00:13:34,936 --> 00:13:36,636 Since the beginning of this century, 264 00:13:36,636 --> 00:13:39,702 this formation has been the focus of heated debate 265 00:13:39,702 --> 00:13:43,402 between historians, politicians, and religious Hindus, 266 00:13:43,601 --> 00:13:47,202 all arguing about its history, meaning, and utility. 267 00:13:48,701 --> 00:13:51,568 The formation is known as Ram Setu. 268 00:13:51,835 --> 00:13:54,334 According to documents from the nearby 269 00:13:54,334 --> 00:13:57,002 Ramanathaswamy Temple, there was a causeway-like 270 00:13:57,002 --> 00:14:00,568 bridge between these two islands until 1480, when a hurricane 271 00:14:00,568 --> 00:14:01,934 ravaged the region. 272 00:14:02,201 --> 00:14:04,001 [Alison Leonard] A causeway could explain how the tarantula 273 00:14:04,001 --> 00:14:06,667 came to be hiding out in the trees on Mannar Island, 274 00:14:07,134 --> 00:14:09,501 but that theory prompts another question. 275 00:14:09,901 --> 00:14:12,801 Who or what made this causeway? 276 00:14:13,967 --> 00:14:16,600 [narrator] One theory about how this causeway was made 277 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,967 is found in the name itself, Ram Setu. 278 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,600 Ram, or Rama, is a major Hindu deity 279 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:25,966 and the hero in the Hindu sacred text. 280 00:14:26,233 --> 00:14:28,833 In the Ramayana, Rama's wife has been kidnapped 281 00:14:28,833 --> 00:14:31,534 by the evil 10-headed monster, Ravana, 282 00:14:31,534 --> 00:14:32,933 and taken to Lanka. 283 00:14:33,233 --> 00:14:35,367 In order to save her, Rama instructs Hanuman, 284 00:14:35,367 --> 00:14:37,933 the monkey god, and his monkey warriors 285 00:14:37,933 --> 00:14:41,699 to build a bridge so Rama can reach Lanka and save his wife. 286 00:14:41,699 --> 00:14:45,633 The Ramayana was written by the Indian poet Valmiki, 287 00:14:45,633 --> 00:14:50,766 who lived somewhere in the ballpark of 500 to 100 BCE, 288 00:14:50,766 --> 00:14:53,932 and devout Hindus believe it represents real events 289 00:14:53,932 --> 00:14:57,332 that happened somewhere between 1.7 million 290 00:14:57,332 --> 00:14:59,665 and 3,500 years ago. 291 00:15:00,065 --> 00:15:03,465 [Sarah Klassan] For the faithful, the answer is also found in the Ramayana. 292 00:15:03,732 --> 00:15:06,632 In that text, the stones used to build the bridge 293 00:15:06,632 --> 00:15:08,732 are inscribed with Lord Rama's name, 294 00:15:08,932 --> 00:15:12,064 which essentially enchants them, thus allowing them to float 295 00:15:12,064 --> 00:15:13,498 and be moved into place. 296 00:15:15,765 --> 00:15:19,831 [Amma Wakefield] The reality is there actually is one rock that 297 00:15:20,098 --> 00:15:24,064 floats, and it might be in your bathroom right now, pumice. 298 00:15:25,798 --> 00:15:27,931 [narrator] Pumice is created when volcanic magma 299 00:15:27,931 --> 00:15:31,697 with high gas content rapidly cools and solidifies, 300 00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:33,764 trapping gas bubbles inside. 301 00:15:33,764 --> 00:15:36,963 That results in its porous and lightweight structure 302 00:15:37,164 --> 00:15:39,297 that has a lighter density than water. 303 00:15:40,397 --> 00:15:43,230 Translation - pumice stones can float, 304 00:15:43,230 --> 00:15:45,696 but after a while they take on water and they sink. 305 00:15:45,696 --> 00:15:49,797 So could the magic floating stones of the Ramayana 306 00:15:49,797 --> 00:15:52,396 just be large pumice stones? 307 00:15:54,130 --> 00:15:56,329 [Alison Leonard] The problem with this theory is that there 308 00:15:56,329 --> 00:15:58,730 are no volcanoes in this region, so there's no source 309 00:15:58,730 --> 00:15:59,863 for pumice stone. 310 00:16:00,363 --> 00:16:02,563 What else could have created this causeway? 311 00:16:02,996 --> 00:16:05,263 [narrator] The researchers who found the spiders on 312 00:16:05,263 --> 00:16:08,563 Mannar Island also suspect that there was once a bridge 313 00:16:08,563 --> 00:16:10,695 that connected Sri Lanka and India, 314 00:16:10,962 --> 00:16:13,662 only they believe it was a natural one. 315 00:16:14,129 --> 00:16:17,196 India and Sri Lanka were once connected 316 00:16:17,196 --> 00:16:20,395 and part of the supercontinent of Gondwana. 317 00:16:21,029 --> 00:16:24,429 [narrator] Around 180 million years ago, Gondwana came apart 318 00:16:24,429 --> 00:16:28,762 as a result of shifting tectonic plates, creating continents and 319 00:16:28,762 --> 00:16:31,895 leaving behind land fragments like Ram Setu. 320 00:16:33,828 --> 00:16:36,494 Much of the bridge is determined to be built out of limestone, 321 00:16:36,494 --> 00:16:38,728 which is also called calcium carbonate. 322 00:16:38,995 --> 00:16:40,828 That's the stuff that the exoskeletons 323 00:16:40,828 --> 00:16:42,961 of coral reefs are made out of. 324 00:16:43,194 --> 00:16:46,227 So that's some solid evidence that Ram Setu was 325 00:16:46,227 --> 00:16:47,761 naturally formed. 326 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,161 The debate over how the bridge was made 327 00:16:51,161 --> 00:16:52,894 might seem like an esoteric argument 328 00:16:52,894 --> 00:16:55,161 that only academics and the devout care about, 329 00:16:55,394 --> 00:16:58,060 but it's actually a hot button issue in the country. 330 00:17:00,493 --> 00:17:02,860 [narrator] There have been many proposals to create a shipping 331 00:17:02,860 --> 00:17:05,293 lane canal through the strait, so they would no 332 00:17:05,293 --> 00:17:08,393 longer need to navigate around the bottom of Sri Lanka, 333 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,260 dramatically reducing shipping distances and transit times. 334 00:17:12,260 --> 00:17:16,393 - For Hindus, this is a catastrophic idea. 335 00:17:16,393 --> 00:17:19,726 They believe that this bridge is a tangible part 336 00:17:19,726 --> 00:17:22,160 of their history and their connection 337 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:22,793 to the gods. 338 00:17:24,093 --> 00:17:26,759 - And it's not just the faithful who are against this plan. 339 00:17:26,759 --> 00:17:30,459 Ram Setu is part of the fragile ecosystem in this region. 340 00:17:30,459 --> 00:17:33,292 It's home to a diverse array of marine life, 341 00:17:33,592 --> 00:17:38,058 and it protects the coastline from strong currents and storms. 342 00:17:38,292 --> 00:17:40,925 - Some scientists fear that the removal of the bridge 343 00:17:40,925 --> 00:17:43,825 could have serious environmental effects on the region, 344 00:17:44,092 --> 00:17:46,426 something especially dangerous in this era 345 00:17:46,426 --> 00:17:48,958 of ever-increasing climate change events, 346 00:17:48,958 --> 00:17:51,125 like hurricanes or cyclones. 347 00:17:51,625 --> 00:17:54,258 [narrator] It's clear that the debate over Ram Setu 348 00:17:54,258 --> 00:17:56,792 isn't likely to be resolved anytime soon. 349 00:17:57,059 --> 00:17:59,925 Thankfully, however the Rameswaram tarantulas 350 00:17:59,925 --> 00:18:02,991 arrived on Mannar Island, they've already made 351 00:18:02,991 --> 00:18:04,358 themselves at home. 352 00:18:17,490 --> 00:18:19,791 The Outer Banks form a thin land barrier 353 00:18:19,791 --> 00:18:23,190 between the Atlantic Ocean and America's eastern seaboard, 354 00:18:23,190 --> 00:18:25,924 formed as the last ice age came to an end. 355 00:18:25,924 --> 00:18:28,123 They have since protected the mainland 356 00:18:28,123 --> 00:18:30,323 from the worst the ocean has to offer. 357 00:18:31,823 --> 00:18:34,557 - The Outer Banks are composed of a number of islands. 358 00:18:34,557 --> 00:18:36,689 One of them is actually among the longest 359 00:18:36,689 --> 00:18:38,257 in the continental US. 360 00:18:38,257 --> 00:18:40,923 This is Hatteras Island, located just off the 361 00:18:40,923 --> 00:18:42,157 coast of North Carolina. 362 00:18:44,157 --> 00:18:46,623 - This relatively flat, sandy spit of land 363 00:18:46,623 --> 00:18:48,890 used to go by another name, Croatoan, 364 00:18:49,122 --> 00:18:50,890 named after the indigenous people that lived here 365 00:18:50,890 --> 00:18:53,589 when the English first arrived back in the 16th century. 366 00:18:56,955 --> 00:18:59,089 [narrator] Archaeologists are looking into the 367 00:18:59,089 --> 00:19:02,455 country's origins, searching for clues as to what became 368 00:19:02,455 --> 00:19:05,355 of the first English colony in America. 369 00:19:05,755 --> 00:19:08,189 This is interesting because as we know, 370 00:19:08,189 --> 00:19:11,722 the first permanent English settlement in North America 371 00:19:11,722 --> 00:19:14,488 was Jamestown, settled in 1607. 372 00:19:14,822 --> 00:19:16,588 But there was another settlement that 373 00:19:16,588 --> 00:19:19,255 predated Jamestown, and that was the vanished 374 00:19:19,255 --> 00:19:20,422 colony of Roanoke. 375 00:19:22,355 --> 00:19:26,355 [narrator] In July, 1587, 118 settlers under the command of 376 00:19:26,355 --> 00:19:30,487 John White landed on the shores of Roanoke, roughly 50 miles 377 00:19:30,487 --> 00:19:31,854 north of Hatteras. 378 00:19:31,854 --> 00:19:33,621 They were making a second attempt 379 00:19:33,621 --> 00:19:35,687 to establish a colony on the island 380 00:19:35,687 --> 00:19:38,187 after a previous colony of the same site 381 00:19:38,187 --> 00:19:39,887 was unable to last a year. 382 00:19:41,687 --> 00:19:43,987 Relations with the local indigenous people 383 00:19:43,987 --> 00:19:45,421 broke down as well. 384 00:19:45,820 --> 00:19:48,287 They had actually killed one of their leaders, 385 00:19:48,287 --> 00:19:49,853 a man named Wingina. 386 00:19:49,853 --> 00:19:52,453 So needless to say, it would have imperiled their colony 387 00:19:52,453 --> 00:19:54,853 as the English were few, vulnerable, 388 00:19:54,853 --> 00:19:56,820 and surrounded by freshly made enemies. 389 00:19:59,054 --> 00:20:01,019 This didn't deter the second group though. 390 00:20:01,253 --> 00:20:03,853 For some time, things must have gone somewhat smoothly 391 00:20:03,853 --> 00:20:05,819 because John White's granddaughter was 392 00:20:05,819 --> 00:20:07,053 born in Roanoke. 393 00:20:07,053 --> 00:20:09,685 She was the first English child born in North America, 394 00:20:09,685 --> 00:20:11,719 and her name was Virginia Dare. 395 00:20:12,353 --> 00:20:15,019 But not too long after they had set up shop in Roanoke, 396 00:20:15,019 --> 00:20:18,186 they realized it was too late in the season to grow crops, 397 00:20:18,186 --> 00:20:20,153 leaving them desperate for supplies. 398 00:20:22,218 --> 00:20:25,252 So John White decided to head back to England to get them. 399 00:20:25,485 --> 00:20:28,885 Problem was, when he got there, the country was in a 400 00:20:28,885 --> 00:20:32,385 full-fledged war with Spain, causing a three-year 401 00:20:32,385 --> 00:20:33,684 delay in his return. 402 00:20:35,618 --> 00:20:38,885 When he finally did come back, all that was left of the 403 00:20:38,885 --> 00:20:42,252 colony were two cryptic clues inscribed into a tree 404 00:20:42,252 --> 00:20:43,618 and a fence post. 405 00:20:43,618 --> 00:20:46,317 The letter CRO and the word Croatoan. 406 00:20:46,885 --> 00:20:49,718 [narrator] Prior to leaving for England, John White had decided that 407 00:20:49,718 --> 00:20:53,217 if Roanoke had to be abandoned for reasons of hardship or war, 408 00:20:53,217 --> 00:20:56,584 the Maltese cross would be carved into a tree. 409 00:20:56,950 --> 00:20:59,451 Thinking that the settlers had simply relocated 410 00:20:59,451 --> 00:21:02,917 to Croatoan, he remarked, "I greatly joy that I 411 00:21:02,917 --> 00:21:06,350 have found a certain token of their being at Croatoan." 412 00:21:06,784 --> 00:21:10,017 Croatoan is the Algonquin name for the island of Hatteras. 413 00:21:10,283 --> 00:21:12,250 So John White figured he would find the remainder 414 00:21:12,250 --> 00:21:13,350 of the colony there. 415 00:21:13,750 --> 00:21:16,784 But terrible weather and a near-mutinous crew intervened, 416 00:21:16,784 --> 00:21:18,450 and he was forced back to England, 417 00:21:18,650 --> 00:21:20,116 never to return to the New World. 418 00:21:21,350 --> 00:21:24,517 The lost colony of Roanoke has become part of the lore 419 00:21:24,517 --> 00:21:26,016 of America's origins. 420 00:21:26,316 --> 00:21:28,150 But what actually happened to it? 421 00:21:28,383 --> 00:21:31,116 [narrator] Under the surface, archaeologists discover 422 00:21:31,116 --> 00:21:34,749 a number of artifacts that speak to Hatteras' rich history. 423 00:21:35,783 --> 00:21:38,716 Artifacts likely made by the Croatoans 424 00:21:39,049 --> 00:21:42,716 are found alongside the firing mechanism of a musket. 425 00:21:42,716 --> 00:21:45,915 They all date to the time of the Roanoke colony. 426 00:21:45,915 --> 00:21:48,782 [Anthea Nardi] There's also a signet ring, a very personal 427 00:21:48,782 --> 00:21:51,449 possession that without a doubt must have belonged 428 00:21:51,449 --> 00:21:52,782 to an English gentleman. 429 00:21:53,182 --> 00:21:54,782 Could these artifacts have belonged 430 00:21:54,782 --> 00:21:56,215 to settlers of Roanoke? 431 00:21:57,848 --> 00:21:59,681 [Alison Leonard] While the ring has been dated to the 432 00:21:59,681 --> 00:22:02,214 17th century, it's very difficult to specifically date 433 00:22:02,214 --> 00:22:03,815 many of the other artifacts. 434 00:22:03,815 --> 00:22:05,881 They may represent a large span of time 435 00:22:05,881 --> 00:22:07,481 or entire different periods. 436 00:22:07,681 --> 00:22:09,481 So we can't say for sure that these artifacts 437 00:22:09,481 --> 00:22:10,947 belong to the Roanoke settlers. 438 00:22:12,415 --> 00:22:15,348 Considering how close Hatteras is to Roanoke, 439 00:22:15,547 --> 00:22:17,547 perhaps the settlers ended up here. 440 00:22:17,947 --> 00:22:20,514 Though given its small size, it's unlikely that the 441 00:22:20,514 --> 00:22:23,247 island could have supported another 100 plus people. 442 00:22:24,313 --> 00:22:26,014 There simply isn't enough evidence 443 00:22:26,014 --> 00:22:27,714 to say for sure either way. 444 00:22:27,980 --> 00:22:29,980 Although a while ago, some rather strange 445 00:22:29,980 --> 00:22:30,913 evidence showed up. 446 00:22:33,913 --> 00:22:36,780 [narrator] In 1937, a man brought a stone to 447 00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:40,113 the history department at George's Emory University. 448 00:22:40,380 --> 00:22:42,280 He said that he found it in the woods 449 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,113 and that inscribed on its surface 450 00:22:44,346 --> 00:22:47,980 was a message from the lost colony of Roanoke. 451 00:22:48,780 --> 00:22:50,913 This is known as the Dare Stone, 452 00:22:50,913 --> 00:22:53,413 so called because the message on the rock 453 00:22:53,413 --> 00:22:57,646 is from Eleanor White Dare, the daughter of John White. 454 00:22:58,079 --> 00:23:00,179 The stone is engraved on both sides 455 00:23:00,179 --> 00:23:03,413 and basically states that both her husband and daughter 456 00:23:03,413 --> 00:23:05,112 were killed in 1591. 457 00:23:05,512 --> 00:23:07,312 And that most of the colony had died 458 00:23:07,312 --> 00:23:09,012 as a result of sickness and war. 459 00:23:10,079 --> 00:23:11,912 - There are several reasons to question 460 00:23:11,912 --> 00:23:14,412 whether or not it truly was written by Eleanor Dare 461 00:23:14,412 --> 00:23:15,978 in the late 16th century. 462 00:23:16,412 --> 00:23:19,178 The message is signed with her initials, EWD. 463 00:23:20,178 --> 00:23:22,145 And for us, this is completely normal. 464 00:23:22,378 --> 00:23:25,478 But for the English in the 16th century, it wouldn't be. 465 00:23:25,811 --> 00:23:27,445 As this wasn't a typical way of signing your 466 00:23:27,445 --> 00:23:28,412 name at the time. 467 00:23:28,778 --> 00:23:32,711 Also, the year 1591 is written using modern numbers. 468 00:23:32,911 --> 00:23:34,844 The practice of using these numerals 469 00:23:34,844 --> 00:23:37,644 didn't really become common until a little later. 470 00:23:38,210 --> 00:23:40,210 [narrator] Geologists have also taken a look 471 00:23:40,210 --> 00:23:43,244 at the stone's properties to see what they can learn. 472 00:23:43,511 --> 00:23:45,943 By cutting off one end, they saw that it was a 473 00:23:45,943 --> 00:23:49,411 bright white on the inside, while the actual words 474 00:23:49,411 --> 00:23:50,610 were much darker. 475 00:23:52,277 --> 00:23:54,777 It would take a long time for that brilliant 476 00:23:54,777 --> 00:23:56,943 white color to fade once the letters had been 477 00:23:56,943 --> 00:23:58,676 etched into the rock's surface. 478 00:23:58,676 --> 00:24:02,576 So this means that when the stone was found in 1937, 479 00:24:02,576 --> 00:24:05,309 it had been lying in the woods for a good while already. 480 00:24:05,576 --> 00:24:08,976 Though a skilled forger could have used chemical stain 481 00:24:08,976 --> 00:24:10,776 to make it a convincing fake. 482 00:24:12,176 --> 00:24:14,343 Regardless of whether or not this message from 483 00:24:14,343 --> 00:24:16,709 the past is a hoax, the explanation offered 484 00:24:16,709 --> 00:24:19,276 by the Dare Stone really isn't that far-fetched. 485 00:24:19,609 --> 00:24:23,009 War, death, and disease would have been a daily reality 486 00:24:23,009 --> 00:24:24,308 for these early colonizers. 487 00:24:27,175 --> 00:24:28,609 There are many different theories 488 00:24:28,609 --> 00:24:30,208 as to what became of the colony. 489 00:24:30,442 --> 00:24:33,042 Some think that it was attacked by the Spaniards, 490 00:24:33,308 --> 00:24:35,575 or that the settlers were either killed 491 00:24:35,575 --> 00:24:38,041 or absorbed into indigenous communities. 492 00:24:39,342 --> 00:24:41,242 If they did abandon the English settlement 493 00:24:41,242 --> 00:24:43,674 and integrate into indigenous communities, 494 00:24:43,674 --> 00:24:45,941 it wouldn't be the first or last time 495 00:24:45,941 --> 00:24:47,608 that European settlers did so. 496 00:24:49,075 --> 00:24:51,041 [narrator] Following the settlement's disappearance, 497 00:24:51,041 --> 00:24:53,974 John White delivered a letter to Richard Hakluyt, 498 00:24:53,974 --> 00:24:56,207 saying that the settlers intended to de-camp 499 00:24:56,207 --> 00:25:00,574 to another location, roughly 50 miles inland from Roanoke. 500 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:04,807 Exactly where this supposed destination was 501 00:25:04,807 --> 00:25:06,174 has been lost to history. 502 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,607 For unknown reasons, White didn't really 503 00:25:08,607 --> 00:25:10,074 expand on the location. 504 00:25:10,407 --> 00:25:12,640 Maybe he didn't even know himself. 505 00:25:13,107 --> 00:25:15,173 [Alison Leonard] He did draw a map of Roanoke and the 506 00:25:15,173 --> 00:25:17,740 surrounding areas of Chesapeake Bay and Croatoan Island. 507 00:25:18,939 --> 00:25:21,906 But again, on this map, there isn't any reference to 508 00:25:21,906 --> 00:25:23,373 this mysterious destination. 509 00:25:25,607 --> 00:25:27,373 But if you look closely at the map, 510 00:25:27,373 --> 00:25:29,672 you can see that there are faint outlines 511 00:25:29,672 --> 00:25:31,606 that are drawn on top of the original. 512 00:25:32,839 --> 00:25:34,739 These are what we call patches. 513 00:25:35,206 --> 00:25:37,572 They were a common way for map makers at the time 514 00:25:37,572 --> 00:25:38,706 to correct mistakes. 515 00:25:38,706 --> 00:25:41,739 They would simply layer a piece of new paper 516 00:25:41,739 --> 00:25:43,372 on top of the old. 517 00:25:44,005 --> 00:25:47,005 [narrator] Curious about what mistakes White had corrected, 518 00:25:47,005 --> 00:25:50,172 the First Colony Foundation asked the British Museum 519 00:25:50,172 --> 00:25:53,505 to further analyze the map using spectroscopy 520 00:25:53,505 --> 00:25:55,205 and other imaging techniques. 521 00:25:55,438 --> 00:25:58,172 Multi-spectrum spectroscopy essentially allows us 522 00:25:58,172 --> 00:26:00,772 to understand the properties of any given object. 523 00:26:01,039 --> 00:26:03,738 By applying this new technology to this old map, 524 00:26:03,738 --> 00:26:05,304 you can see more than what meets the eye. 525 00:26:07,138 --> 00:26:09,638 [Anthea Nardi] You can actually see beneath the patches. 526 00:26:09,638 --> 00:26:12,771 The bigger of the two revealed a correction 527 00:26:12,771 --> 00:26:16,238 to the coast's topography, but the smaller was 528 00:26:16,238 --> 00:26:17,804 hiding an incredible clue. 529 00:26:20,037 --> 00:26:22,071 [Anthony Cantor] Beneath the little patch at the end of the 530 00:26:22,071 --> 00:26:25,370 peninsula is a four-pointed star, outlined in blue and 531 00:26:25,370 --> 00:26:26,604 filled in with red. 532 00:26:28,237 --> 00:26:30,970 It's located where the Chowan River and Salmon Creek 533 00:26:30,970 --> 00:26:32,970 flow into Albemarle Sound. 534 00:26:33,237 --> 00:26:36,936 It's not much more than 50 nautical miles west of Roanoke. 535 00:26:37,303 --> 00:26:39,137 [narrator] Thinking that there may have been a settlement 536 00:26:39,137 --> 00:26:41,503 on the shores of Albemarle Sound, 537 00:26:41,503 --> 00:26:45,870 between 2012 and 2019, archeological digs were 538 00:26:45,870 --> 00:26:48,870 conducted in the area, indicated by the star 539 00:26:48,870 --> 00:26:50,202 on John White's map. 540 00:26:50,202 --> 00:26:53,636 The area received the name Site X. 541 00:26:53,936 --> 00:26:57,403 What's needed is evidence that could be definitively dated 542 00:26:57,403 --> 00:26:59,269 to the late 16th century. 543 00:26:59,569 --> 00:27:01,503 But this is complicated by the fact 544 00:27:01,503 --> 00:27:03,369 that the first English settlement 545 00:27:03,369 --> 00:27:07,102 in this part of North Carolina was in 1655, 546 00:27:07,102 --> 00:27:11,036 almost 70 years after John White sailed to Roanoke. 547 00:27:11,268 --> 00:27:13,969 So there could be deposits left by someone 548 00:27:13,969 --> 00:27:17,968 other than the Roanoke settlers, if they'd even been here at all. 549 00:27:18,602 --> 00:27:20,868 [narrator] Excavations revealed many artifacts 550 00:27:20,868 --> 00:27:23,602 were made by indigenous people, as well as those 551 00:27:23,602 --> 00:27:24,868 of English origin. 552 00:27:25,268 --> 00:27:27,934 Most importantly, however, a relatively high 553 00:27:27,934 --> 00:27:30,801 concentration of pottery was also discovered, 554 00:27:31,101 --> 00:27:34,235 items that were used by families and regular people, 555 00:27:34,467 --> 00:27:35,901 not the military. 556 00:27:36,367 --> 00:27:39,567 European pottery in itself is not that exciting a find, 557 00:27:39,834 --> 00:27:43,034 but these ceramics do provide something special in this case. 558 00:27:43,234 --> 00:27:46,667 Their production dates can help to establish a timeline. 559 00:27:47,967 --> 00:27:50,501 [Anthea Nardi] The ceramics found at Site X correspond to 560 00:27:50,501 --> 00:27:53,933 the possessions of less than 10 people and were used for food 561 00:27:53,933 --> 00:27:55,334 storage and preparation. 562 00:27:55,666 --> 00:27:58,433 They have the very distinct color that is associated 563 00:27:58,433 --> 00:28:00,833 with what we know to be Surrey Hampshire borderware. 564 00:28:02,033 --> 00:28:03,800 We know that this type of ceramic 565 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:07,299 was not imported into the New World after 1624, 566 00:28:07,566 --> 00:28:09,932 which means that they were probably brought to America 567 00:28:09,932 --> 00:28:11,400 by Roanoke settlers. 568 00:28:11,733 --> 00:28:14,966 [narrator] The excavations at Site X also revealed another 569 00:28:14,966 --> 00:28:16,366 essential artifact. 570 00:28:16,599 --> 00:28:19,333 Archeologists found a small copper tube 571 00:28:19,333 --> 00:28:22,099 that would have been used to secure wool fibers. 572 00:28:23,565 --> 00:28:26,866 These all amount to small, but very significant finds. 573 00:28:27,099 --> 00:28:29,432 This piece of metal is what's called an aglet. 574 00:28:29,432 --> 00:28:30,532 It's kind of like what you would have 575 00:28:30,532 --> 00:28:31,931 at the end of your shoelace. 576 00:28:32,399 --> 00:28:35,499 This little thing is important because it went out of fashion 577 00:28:35,499 --> 00:28:37,599 in the first half of the 17th century, 578 00:28:37,831 --> 00:28:39,499 meaning that it could definitely have belonged 579 00:28:39,499 --> 00:28:40,631 to a Roanoke colonist. 580 00:28:45,364 --> 00:28:47,731 - What appears to have happened is that something 581 00:28:47,731 --> 00:28:50,931 caused the settlers at Roanoke to disperse across the region. 582 00:28:51,297 --> 00:28:53,731 It's impossible to say what the trigger was, 583 00:28:53,731 --> 00:28:56,831 but life definitely wouldn't have been easy on that island. 584 00:28:57,431 --> 00:29:00,030 - Life would have been easier if and when they integrated 585 00:29:00,030 --> 00:29:02,398 with those indigenous communities that accepted them. 586 00:29:02,864 --> 00:29:04,864 But because no single one would have been able 587 00:29:04,864 --> 00:29:06,964 to absorb dozens of people at once, 588 00:29:07,197 --> 00:29:08,530 the English of Roanoke would have had 589 00:29:08,530 --> 00:29:11,363 to join various communities, those at Site X and 590 00:29:11,363 --> 00:29:13,864 on Hatteras Island, likely being two of them. 591 00:29:15,296 --> 00:29:17,497 And as for that patch on John White's map 592 00:29:17,497 --> 00:29:19,630 that revealed the possible location 593 00:29:19,630 --> 00:29:22,497 of the Roanoke settlers, why was that made secret 594 00:29:22,497 --> 00:29:23,363 in the first place? 595 00:29:25,296 --> 00:29:27,629 While the map was drawn by White, 596 00:29:27,629 --> 00:29:31,263 it was done at the behest of his employer, Sir Walter Raleigh. 597 00:29:31,263 --> 00:29:34,629 And remember, White also had his daughter 598 00:29:34,629 --> 00:29:37,729 and grandchild there, so he may have had some 599 00:29:37,729 --> 00:29:39,496 personal stakes as well. 600 00:29:39,763 --> 00:29:43,329 [narrator] Today, the National Park Service Fort Raleigh Historic Site 601 00:29:43,562 --> 00:29:46,429 has an exhibition dedicated to the vanished colony, 602 00:29:46,763 --> 00:29:49,429 with the exception of the known few at Site X 603 00:29:49,429 --> 00:29:52,795 and perhaps Hatteras, what's become of all the others? 604 00:29:53,095 --> 00:29:55,362 A conclusive answer is unsure. 605 00:29:55,362 --> 00:29:59,728 The settlers of Roanoke seem to have vanished into history. 606 00:30:00,628 --> 00:30:03,361 ♪ ♪ 607 00:30:12,894 --> 00:30:16,027 In the heart of the wild and unforgiving North Atlantic, 608 00:30:16,294 --> 00:30:18,961 just a few miles off the eastern coast of Canada, 609 00:30:19,461 --> 00:30:22,727 lies Sable Island, a 26-mile-long strip 610 00:30:22,727 --> 00:30:24,394 of sand and grass. 611 00:30:25,028 --> 00:30:27,727 It's called the Graveyard of the North Atlantic, 612 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:32,193 as 350 ships have been dashed against the island's 613 00:30:32,193 --> 00:30:33,560 ragged coasts. 614 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,993 With that kind of history, it's no surprise that 615 00:30:36,993 --> 00:30:38,693 there are boatloads of ghost stories 616 00:30:38,693 --> 00:30:39,227 about this place, 617 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,127 including one about a shipwrecked woman 618 00:30:43,427 --> 00:30:44,327 who wanders the beaches. 619 00:30:46,726 --> 00:30:49,127 Legend has it that thieves cut off her finger 620 00:30:49,493 --> 00:30:52,526 to steal a valuable ring, and that she's spending eternity 621 00:30:52,893 --> 00:30:55,126 searching for both the ring and the thieves. 622 00:30:59,092 --> 00:31:01,759 - Despite how grim and eerie that all sounds, 623 00:31:02,092 --> 00:31:03,992 the island is also quite beautiful. 624 00:31:04,326 --> 00:31:06,359 Even the name is pretty, Sable. 625 00:31:06,725 --> 00:31:08,925 Derived from the French 'sable', it means sand. 626 00:31:12,458 --> 00:31:14,159 - There's certainly a lot of sand here, 627 00:31:14,492 --> 00:31:15,492 and not much else. 628 00:31:15,792 --> 00:31:18,258 There's actually only a single tree on the island. 629 00:31:18,892 --> 00:31:20,759 You can't even visit it without a permit. 630 00:31:23,658 --> 00:31:24,924 Most of the people on the mainland 631 00:31:25,258 --> 00:31:27,358 have not set foot here, and likely never will. 632 00:31:27,358 --> 00:31:29,724 A 90-minute charter flight to the island 633 00:31:30,191 --> 00:31:33,392 costs $1,500 US, and visitors aren't even 634 00:31:33,392 --> 00:31:34,457 allowed to stay overnight. 635 00:31:35,791 --> 00:31:38,924 [narrator] Sable Island's remoteness makes a bizarre 636 00:31:38,924 --> 00:31:41,624 discovery here in 1993 even stranger. 637 00:31:43,224 --> 00:31:45,691 A local researcher who spends a good part of the year 638 00:31:45,691 --> 00:31:48,257 on the island is out on the beach doing her usual patrol 639 00:31:48,557 --> 00:31:50,624 when she crosses paths with a seal. 640 00:31:51,024 --> 00:31:51,790 Actually, a few of them. 641 00:31:53,224 --> 00:31:56,523 [narrator] Between December and February, up to 400,000 gray 642 00:31:56,523 --> 00:32:00,456 seals come to the island to mate and give birth. 643 00:32:00,790 --> 00:32:04,023 It's the largest gray seal breeding colony in the world. 644 00:32:05,323 --> 00:32:07,823 Okay, finding a seal, or even several seals, 645 00:32:08,089 --> 00:32:09,590 on the coast of a Nova Scotian island 646 00:32:09,890 --> 00:32:11,323 is like finding hay in a barn. 647 00:32:11,590 --> 00:32:13,989 This is the North Atlantic. This is their playground. 648 00:32:14,390 --> 00:32:15,856 But these seals aren't playing. 649 00:32:16,556 --> 00:32:16,989 They're dead. 650 00:32:20,423 --> 00:32:23,289 Now, around here, one dead seal, even 10 dead seals, 651 00:32:23,289 --> 00:32:25,256 is not exactly a case for the CSI. 652 00:32:25,555 --> 00:32:26,989 The ocean's a brutal place. 653 00:32:27,255 --> 00:32:30,722 But what's startling here is how these seals died. 654 00:32:31,055 --> 00:32:33,722 They have been sliced open. 655 00:32:37,022 --> 00:32:39,422 The bodies have peculiar corkscrew cuts 656 00:32:39,422 --> 00:32:42,621 that start at the head and spiral around the body. 657 00:32:42,621 --> 00:32:45,088 The wound goes right through their skin and blubber. 658 00:32:45,422 --> 00:32:47,855 In some cases, a chunk of the skin and blubber is gone, 659 00:32:48,155 --> 00:32:50,155 but the tissue and muscle remain intact. 660 00:32:50,155 --> 00:32:54,287 [narrator] By 1996, 400 such carcasses had washed up 661 00:32:54,654 --> 00:32:57,321 on the windswept beaches of Sable Island. 662 00:32:57,588 --> 00:33:01,954 And by 2001, the number is over 4,000. 663 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:04,454 And it's not just one kind of seal. 664 00:33:04,820 --> 00:33:06,087 It's five. 665 00:33:06,087 --> 00:33:11,021 They find gray, harp, harbor, hooded, and ringed seals. 666 00:33:11,221 --> 00:33:13,420 What could be ravaging these poor creatures? 667 00:33:14,787 --> 00:33:17,720 [Anthea Nardi] At first glance, this looks like the handiwork 668 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,920 of humans, as the wounds appear intentional and precise. 669 00:33:23,487 --> 00:33:25,120 [Anthony Cantor] But if you follow that logic, 670 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:26,153 there are a few problems. 671 00:33:26,420 --> 00:33:27,919 First, how? 672 00:33:28,153 --> 00:33:30,153 This is an extremely remote place 673 00:33:30,153 --> 00:33:32,186 with seriously restricted access. 674 00:33:32,453 --> 00:33:34,652 For someone to regularly come to the island, 675 00:33:34,652 --> 00:33:37,120 unnoticed, and kill thousands of seals, 676 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:39,020 that seems very unlikely. 677 00:33:39,953 --> 00:33:42,352 The second thing to ask is, why? 678 00:33:42,352 --> 00:33:44,819 What would be the point of killing these seals 679 00:33:44,819 --> 00:33:46,686 and not taking their meat or their skin? 680 00:33:47,085 --> 00:33:50,152 No, they were probably not killed by humans. 681 00:33:50,519 --> 00:33:52,852 [narrator] Some believe these seals were attacked 682 00:33:52,852 --> 00:33:54,519 by natural predators. 683 00:33:54,752 --> 00:33:57,585 That would be a reasonable theory in some locations, 684 00:33:57,585 --> 00:33:59,718 but what's on this island to hurt them? 685 00:34:00,018 --> 00:34:03,284 There's nothing except for some birds and horses, 686 00:34:03,284 --> 00:34:04,685 lots and lots of them. 687 00:34:06,151 --> 00:34:09,752 If you fly over the island, you'll see something truly wild. 688 00:34:09,984 --> 00:34:13,485 More than 500 horses running free. 689 00:34:13,485 --> 00:34:15,451 It's just breathtaking. 690 00:34:16,017 --> 00:34:17,717 [narrator] It was once thought the horses were from 691 00:34:17,717 --> 00:34:19,551 the many shipwrecks around the island. 692 00:34:21,184 --> 00:34:23,284 But they were likely placed here for breeding 693 00:34:23,517 --> 00:34:25,517 after being taken from the French settlers 694 00:34:25,517 --> 00:34:27,550 in the mid-1700s. 695 00:34:28,217 --> 00:34:30,550 Regardless of how the horses ended up here, 696 00:34:30,550 --> 00:34:32,350 could a horse be a predator? 697 00:34:32,350 --> 00:34:33,250 They're herbivores. 698 00:34:33,250 --> 00:34:34,584 There's no way they did it. 699 00:34:35,150 --> 00:34:35,883 So what did? 700 00:34:39,350 --> 00:34:41,683 - So if it's not a natural phenomenon 701 00:34:41,683 --> 00:34:44,616 or the handiwork of humankind, could it be something 702 00:34:44,616 --> 00:34:46,083 in the middle, like a boat or 703 00:34:46,083 --> 00:34:47,916 specifically a propeller? 704 00:34:49,649 --> 00:34:52,117 Generally, a ship's propeller spins 705 00:34:52,117 --> 00:34:55,083 and has a smooth edge that would likely leave the seal 706 00:34:55,083 --> 00:34:57,850 with a simple cut before pushing it away. 707 00:34:57,850 --> 00:35:00,783 It would need to be held in place for a spiral cut. 708 00:35:01,282 --> 00:35:03,483 Beyond those mechanics, if you look at the 709 00:35:03,483 --> 00:35:06,116 wounds from propellers on animals like manatees, 710 00:35:06,116 --> 00:35:07,849 they look nothing like that. 711 00:35:07,849 --> 00:35:10,882 So this is likely not due to propellers. 712 00:35:11,383 --> 00:35:13,149 [narrator] Another clue surfaces. 713 00:35:13,382 --> 00:35:16,782 As the amount of bodies rises, a small number of 714 00:35:16,782 --> 00:35:20,415 seals are found with crescent-shaped bite marks. 715 00:35:20,648 --> 00:35:23,749 The North Atlantic is home to great white sharks. 716 00:35:23,981 --> 00:35:26,048 So maybe they are making a meal of the seals. 717 00:35:28,981 --> 00:35:30,848 Although there are lots of great white sharks 718 00:35:30,848 --> 00:35:32,581 in this region in the warmer months, 719 00:35:32,581 --> 00:35:34,514 the dead seals were generally appearing 720 00:35:34,514 --> 00:35:36,914 in January and February, when the great whites 721 00:35:36,914 --> 00:35:39,215 had already sailed off to warmer waters. 722 00:35:39,414 --> 00:35:41,614 So it's unlikely that great white sharks 723 00:35:41,614 --> 00:35:43,314 are the mass murderers here. 724 00:35:43,314 --> 00:35:46,280 So what other shark species might be responsible? 725 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:47,347 Black dogfish? 726 00:35:47,614 --> 00:35:50,347 Too small, and the seals would have made short work of them. 727 00:35:50,647 --> 00:35:53,381 Orca? The tooth pattern just doesn't fit. 728 00:35:55,514 --> 00:35:57,047 The Bluntnose Sixgill shark, 729 00:35:57,047 --> 00:35:59,347 the Blue Shark, and the Tiger Shark 730 00:35:59,347 --> 00:36:02,313 have only been found in this area as juveniles, 731 00:36:02,313 --> 00:36:04,080 and juveniles would be too small to inflict 732 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:05,980 that kind of damage on an adult seal. 733 00:36:08,213 --> 00:36:10,146 [Anthony Cantor] Even though some have dismissed the idea 734 00:36:10,146 --> 00:36:12,580 that these wounds are the work of marine predators, 735 00:36:12,580 --> 00:36:16,313 there is one more candidate, the Greenland shark. 736 00:36:18,712 --> 00:36:20,579 [narrator] The Greenland shark can reach up 737 00:36:20,579 --> 00:36:25,146 to a staggering 23 feet long and weigh over 2,000 pounds. 738 00:36:26,679 --> 00:36:29,979 They're not just huge. They have incredible longevity. 739 00:36:29,979 --> 00:36:31,912 Some are 500 years old. 740 00:36:31,912 --> 00:36:34,946 Think about it, that's twice as old as the United States. 741 00:36:36,879 --> 00:36:38,645 [James Ellis] While their sluggish nature doesn't make 742 00:36:38,645 --> 00:36:41,911 them the most likely candidates, there's still some damning 743 00:36:41,911 --> 00:36:45,644 evidence against them, specifically their teeth. 744 00:36:45,978 --> 00:36:48,544 The upper and lower teeth of the Greenland shark 745 00:36:48,544 --> 00:36:49,644 are very different. 746 00:36:49,644 --> 00:36:52,544 The upper teeth are pointed and sharp for clamping. 747 00:36:52,544 --> 00:36:54,711 The lower are more blade-like. 748 00:36:54,978 --> 00:36:57,311 [Anthony Cantor] And the corkscrew tearing might be the 749 00:36:57,311 --> 00:37:01,044 result of the seal's natural impulse to escape by twisting, 750 00:37:01,378 --> 00:37:04,944 a reflex which tragically compounds the damage. 751 00:37:05,277 --> 00:37:07,344 [narrator] But as experts settle on their verdict, 752 00:37:07,344 --> 00:37:11,077 similar corpses begin appearing on the other side of the ocean, 753 00:37:11,577 --> 00:37:14,610 on the coasts of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 754 00:37:14,877 --> 00:37:18,144 and what they find calls the Greenland shark theory 755 00:37:18,343 --> 00:37:19,243 into question. 756 00:37:20,643 --> 00:37:22,677 And a bunch of the seal carcasses in the UK 757 00:37:22,677 --> 00:37:25,909 are found in July, when the temperatures are way warmer 758 00:37:25,909 --> 00:37:27,777 than the Greenland sharks prefer. 759 00:37:28,343 --> 00:37:30,577 The propeller theory had been initially discarded 760 00:37:30,809 --> 00:37:33,343 because it seemed propellers would just totally gash 761 00:37:33,343 --> 00:37:36,442 the seal rather than produce the corkscrew pattern. 762 00:37:36,743 --> 00:37:40,776 But what if the culprit was a specific kind of propeller? 763 00:37:41,210 --> 00:37:43,476 [narrator] Ducted propellers are propellers 764 00:37:43,476 --> 00:37:46,109 encased in short tubes that could possibly 765 00:37:46,109 --> 00:37:48,776 keep the seal in place, allowing for the 766 00:37:48,776 --> 00:37:50,442 corkscrew tearing pattern. 767 00:37:50,709 --> 00:37:53,509 It's the kind of propeller often seen in tugboats 768 00:37:53,509 --> 00:37:56,641 that service oil rigs or offshore wind farms. 769 00:37:57,775 --> 00:37:59,875 When UK researchers cross-referenced 770 00:37:59,875 --> 00:38:02,541 the discovery dates of the corkscrew-injured seals 771 00:38:02,541 --> 00:38:05,042 with local shipping records, they discover that 772 00:38:05,042 --> 00:38:08,274 there were vessels with ducted propellers nearby. 773 00:38:09,075 --> 00:38:12,475 [narrator] To further test their theory, researchers make small 774 00:38:12,475 --> 00:38:14,941 wax models of seals and put them into 775 00:38:14,941 --> 00:38:16,608 model duct propellers. 776 00:38:16,608 --> 00:38:19,608 The result, the same corkscrew injuries 777 00:38:19,608 --> 00:38:23,674 that were found on the seals in the UK and on Sable Island. 778 00:38:23,974 --> 00:38:27,108 Pretty convincing stuff, but many of the seals 779 00:38:27,108 --> 00:38:29,974 found dead on Sable Island were still warm. 780 00:38:30,273 --> 00:38:33,240 So it was most likely they were killed close to shore, 781 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:36,440 not by an invisible or distant boat. 782 00:38:36,807 --> 00:38:39,340 So with the propeller dismissed, 783 00:38:39,340 --> 00:38:41,806 the Greenland sharks kind of are leading suspect. 784 00:38:42,140 --> 00:38:43,840 But before we throw the book at them, 785 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:46,940 let's just explore one more possibility. 786 00:38:46,940 --> 00:38:52,073 What if, plot twist, the killers are the seals themselves? 787 00:39:01,439 --> 00:39:03,806 Some people call seals 'sea doggos' 788 00:39:03,806 --> 00:39:06,172 due to their whiskers and general cuteness, 789 00:39:06,439 --> 00:39:08,872 but I wouldn't be quick to cuddle one anytime soon. 790 00:39:09,605 --> 00:39:10,805 Look at their mouths. 791 00:39:10,805 --> 00:39:13,406 They have the fangs and teeth of a dangerous predator. 792 00:39:14,839 --> 00:39:17,972 [narrator] The seal's predatory power is very clear 793 00:39:17,972 --> 00:39:21,905 when a shocking photo bomb blows the case wide open. 794 00:39:22,372 --> 00:39:24,305 A marine biologist is documenting a 795 00:39:24,305 --> 00:39:27,538 seal breeding colony on the Isle of May in the UK 796 00:39:27,805 --> 00:39:30,771 when an adult male seal appears in the background. 797 00:39:31,138 --> 00:39:34,171 He attacks a seal pup, his claws causing that 798 00:39:34,171 --> 00:39:36,205 distinctive corkscrew cut. 799 00:39:36,504 --> 00:39:39,637 He then basically pushes his jaw into the wound 800 00:39:39,637 --> 00:39:43,337 and manages to swallow some of the pup's blubber and skin. 801 00:39:44,204 --> 00:39:46,237 This is not a one-time thing. 802 00:39:46,738 --> 00:39:49,204 Once the video is seen, the seal is tracked 803 00:39:49,204 --> 00:39:51,704 and he's seen doing it again and again. 804 00:39:52,037 --> 00:39:53,204 He's not the only one. 805 00:39:56,604 --> 00:39:58,670 This is not normal behavior for seals 806 00:39:58,670 --> 00:40:00,003 and it's unclear why it's happening, 807 00:40:00,003 --> 00:40:02,770 but whatever the reason, British experts 808 00:40:02,770 --> 00:40:06,770 are now confident that these bizarre seal deaths 809 00:40:07,004 --> 00:40:09,104 are the result of cannibalism. 810 00:40:14,002 --> 00:40:16,236 [narrator] While the case of these killings is 811 00:40:16,236 --> 00:40:18,936 closed for most, others are unconvinced. 812 00:40:19,203 --> 00:40:29,203 For them, the murder mystery of Sable Island remains unsolved.