WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:02.902 --> 00:00:05.872 [instrumental music playing] 3 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:13.000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:21.087 Magical creatures have fascinated us, 5 00:00:21.187 --> 00:00:24.324 ever since we first walked the Earth. 6 00:00:24.391 --> 00:00:27.660 Whether created entirely from the imagination 7 00:00:27.727 --> 00:00:30.597 or inspired by the animals around us, 8 00:00:30.697 --> 00:00:33.900 mythical beasts have captured our attention 9 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:36.269 for thousands of years. 10 00:00:36.369 --> 00:00:41.341 But why in this modern age of science and technology, 11 00:00:41.408 --> 00:00:46.546 are we still so captivated by these fantastic beasts? 12 00:00:47.414 --> 00:00:48.782 And what are the truths 13 00:00:48.882 --> 00:00:52.185 that lie behind the myths, the magic, 14 00:00:52.886 --> 00:00:54.220 and the legends? 15 00:00:59.893 --> 00:01:01.394 [sniffing] 16 00:01:05.065 --> 00:01:06.099 [chitters] 17 00:01:08.735 --> 00:01:12.906 Join me on a journey of exhilarating exploration 18 00:01:12.972 --> 00:01:14.741 and daring discovery, 19 00:01:14.808 --> 00:01:16.409 as we uncover the secrets 20 00:01:16.476 --> 00:01:20.914 behind some of our best-loved mythical creatures... 21 00:01:23.083 --> 00:01:25.085 Oh, my heavens. 22 00:01:25.151 --> 00:01:26.986 Wow. 23 00:01:27.087 --> 00:01:29.756 ...revealing the real-life beasts 24 00:01:29.823 --> 00:01:34.160 behind some of the greatest legends in history. 25 00:01:34.260 --> 00:01:37.297 You look at some of nature's extraordinary creations 26 00:01:37.397 --> 00:01:40.800 and you think, "Well, CGI will never match this." 27 00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:45.238 [Fry] And finding out why the world of magical animals 28 00:01:45.305 --> 00:01:48.508 is more popular today than ever before. 29 00:01:48.608 --> 00:01:49.809 [roaring] 30 00:01:49.909 --> 00:01:52.946 These are the extraordinary stories 31 00:01:53.012 --> 00:01:56.616 of the world's most fantastic beasts. 32 00:02:12.031 --> 00:02:15.702 This is one of the greatest treasure troves 33 00:02:15.802 --> 00:02:17.470 of the natural world. 34 00:02:17.537 --> 00:02:21.708 London's Natural History Museum is a cornucopia 35 00:02:21.808 --> 00:02:24.644 of unique and fascinating collections 36 00:02:24.711 --> 00:02:27.213 from across the globe. 37 00:02:27.313 --> 00:02:31.451 It's also a place where the worlds of science and fiction 38 00:02:31.518 --> 00:02:33.953 have been known to overlap. 39 00:02:35.522 --> 00:02:37.957 I'll be exploring the museum's 40 00:02:38.024 --> 00:02:40.727 labyrinth of corridors and cabinets, 41 00:02:40.827 --> 00:02:44.397 and uncovering the stories that continue to fascinate 42 00:02:44.497 --> 00:02:46.499 millions of people today. 43 00:02:46.566 --> 00:02:49.202 From the legendary creatures of ancient mythology, 44 00:02:49.302 --> 00:02:53.006 to the magical animals of Harry Potter 45 00:02:53.072 --> 00:02:55.408 and the Wizarding World. 46 00:02:55.508 --> 00:02:58.044 Stories like these. 47 00:02:58.144 --> 00:03:01.314 The fantastic beasts and mythological creatures 48 00:03:01.381 --> 00:03:05.185 within these pages, appear to be pure fantasy, 49 00:03:05.251 --> 00:03:08.988 but things aren't always quite that simple. 50 00:03:11.257 --> 00:03:14.894 We begin our story with arguably the best-known 51 00:03:14.994 --> 00:03:17.564 mythological animal on the planet... 52 00:03:18.431 --> 00:03:19.832 the dragon. 53 00:03:35.081 --> 00:03:37.784 [sniffing] 54 00:03:52.232 --> 00:03:53.866 One of the most ancient 55 00:03:53.933 --> 00:03:57.870 and universal of our mythological creatures, 56 00:03:57.937 --> 00:04:00.807 the dragon has enthralled the human race 57 00:04:00.907 --> 00:04:02.375 for thousands of years. 58 00:04:03.142 --> 00:04:04.544 [roaring] 59 00:04:04.611 --> 00:04:08.047 But where did the idea for this creature 60 00:04:08.114 --> 00:04:10.483 first take flight? 61 00:04:10.583 --> 00:04:15.555 Was there a spark of truth behind the dragon myth? 62 00:04:15.622 --> 00:04:18.124 [Chinese traditional music playing] 63 00:04:22.428 --> 00:04:24.230 Chinese New Year 64 00:04:24.297 --> 00:04:26.566 is often celebrated around the world 65 00:04:26.633 --> 00:04:29.636 with a traditional dragon dance. 66 00:04:29.736 --> 00:04:32.071 [music continues] 67 00:04:34.774 --> 00:04:36.175 In the dance, 68 00:04:36.276 --> 00:04:39.512 the dragon represents wisdom, power, and wealth. 69 00:04:39.612 --> 00:04:42.348 And it's believed that performing the dance 70 00:04:42.448 --> 00:04:46.319 scares off evil spirits and brings good luck. 71 00:04:47.253 --> 00:04:49.822 But why the dragon? 72 00:04:49.922 --> 00:04:51.524 What is it about this creature 73 00:04:51.624 --> 00:04:54.961 that so excites and mesmerizes us? 74 00:05:00.466 --> 00:05:03.836 Many cultures around the world have a dragon myth, 75 00:05:03.936 --> 00:05:06.439 although they often vary in appearance. 76 00:05:07.807 --> 00:05:11.611 European dragons are usually seen as terrifying, 77 00:05:11.678 --> 00:05:16.983 fire-breathing beasts with wings and horns. 78 00:05:17.050 --> 00:05:20.153 Whereas Asian dragons are depicted as 79 00:05:20.219 --> 00:05:21.988 wise, benevolent creatures, 80 00:05:22.055 --> 00:05:25.558 with a more serpent-like appearance. 81 00:05:25.658 --> 00:05:28.561 But if you take a closer look at the dragon, 82 00:05:28.661 --> 00:05:30.963 you can see that many of its features 83 00:05:31.030 --> 00:05:34.067 are borrowed from real animals, 84 00:05:34.167 --> 00:05:37.403 animals that have a fearsome reputation. 85 00:05:39.672 --> 00:05:42.208 A dragon's large, powerful talons 86 00:05:42.308 --> 00:05:45.211 are like those of an eagle. 87 00:05:45.311 --> 00:05:46.713 [eagles screeching] 88 00:05:48.481 --> 00:05:50.750 Its sharp teeth and strong limbs 89 00:05:50.850 --> 00:05:52.318 are like a lion's. 90 00:05:54.854 --> 00:05:57.323 And its scales and hissing tongue 91 00:05:57.390 --> 00:06:00.493 are similar to a snake's. 92 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:04.764 One recent scientific theory suggests that the dragon is, 93 00:06:04.864 --> 00:06:08.067 is simply a combination of those three animals. 94 00:06:08.167 --> 00:06:12.872 The animals that our early ancestors were most afraid of. 95 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:14.774 An interesting idea indeed, 96 00:06:14.874 --> 00:06:17.944 but what lies behind this theory? 97 00:06:20.713 --> 00:06:21.848 [dragon roars] 98 00:06:23.216 --> 00:06:26.719 I visited San Diego Zoo in California, 99 00:06:26.786 --> 00:06:30.723 to meet a little creature that could help to explain. 100 00:06:30.790 --> 00:06:32.392 [Fry] Oh, now. 101 00:06:32.458 --> 00:06:33.793 Who have we here? 102 00:06:33.893 --> 00:06:36.028 [Peterson] So this is our vervet family. 103 00:06:36.095 --> 00:06:38.030 This chap here with the blue bottom, 104 00:06:38.097 --> 00:06:40.032 he's looking rather alarmed. 105 00:06:40.099 --> 00:06:42.435 [Peterson] So that is our dominant male in the family. 106 00:06:42.535 --> 00:06:44.570 There's some new enrichment in their enclosure 107 00:06:44.637 --> 00:06:46.205 that they haven't seen before, 108 00:06:46.272 --> 00:06:48.307 so he's letting everyone know there's something new. 109 00:06:48.408 --> 00:06:50.977 [Fry] When you say enrichment, do you mean that earthen pot? 110 00:06:51.077 --> 00:06:52.478 [Peterson] Correct. 111 00:06:52.578 --> 00:06:53.813 -They've never seen it before? -Never seen it before. 112 00:06:53.913 --> 00:06:55.648 line:5% It has mealworms in there, 113 00:06:55.748 --> 00:06:58.317 line:5% -it has peanuts, so they have to reach their hand in. -Right. 114 00:06:58.418 --> 00:07:00.953 But because it's something new in their environment, 115 00:07:01.053 --> 00:07:02.889 he's started making that alert call 116 00:07:02.955 --> 00:07:04.390 and I don't know if you noticed, 117 00:07:04.457 --> 00:07:05.591 they all started to jump into the trees. 118 00:07:05.658 --> 00:07:07.059 [Fry] They did, didn't they? 119 00:07:07.126 --> 00:07:08.461 And they were all responding to his, 120 00:07:08.561 --> 00:07:09.996 "Hey there's something new here". 121 00:07:10.096 --> 00:07:11.664 There is something new, we don't know what it is, 122 00:07:11.764 --> 00:07:12.965 everyone go to your post. 123 00:07:14.400 --> 00:07:15.668 [Fry] Vervet monkeys 124 00:07:15.768 --> 00:07:18.004 can be found across most of Africa, 125 00:07:18.104 --> 00:07:20.339 and usually live in large groups, 126 00:07:20.440 --> 00:07:22.842 known as troops. 127 00:07:22.942 --> 00:07:25.278 Studies have revealed that they communicate 128 00:07:25.344 --> 00:07:27.680 in a highly sophisticated way, 129 00:07:27.780 --> 00:07:31.984 using different alarm calls for specific predators, 130 00:07:32.084 --> 00:07:35.621 to warn their troop of approaching danger. 131 00:07:36.289 --> 00:07:37.323 [chattering] 132 00:07:39.292 --> 00:07:40.860 [Fry] Is it a very particular kind of warning 133 00:07:40.960 --> 00:07:42.528 that they know means something on the ground 134 00:07:42.628 --> 00:07:44.096 rather than something on a tree? 135 00:07:44.163 --> 00:07:46.132 They do. They have three different calls. 136 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:49.035 So they have one for something that's on the ground, like a snake. 137 00:07:49.135 --> 00:07:50.536 Oh, right. 138 00:07:50.636 --> 00:07:52.305 They have a different call for something's in the air, 139 00:07:52.371 --> 00:07:53.806 -like a bird of prey. -Yeah. 140 00:07:53.873 --> 00:07:56.876 And then they have another call for big cats. 141 00:07:56.976 --> 00:07:59.879 [Fry] Those are the three things that are most likely to threaten them? 142 00:07:59.979 --> 00:08:01.147 [Peterson] Correct. 143 00:08:01.214 --> 00:08:02.482 [Fry] So that was a snake call, was it? 144 00:08:02.548 --> 00:08:04.050 'Cause they were all looking down. 145 00:08:04.150 --> 00:08:05.451 [Peterson] It was. They were all up on their tiptoes, 146 00:08:05.518 --> 00:08:07.119 they were all looking down at it. 147 00:08:07.186 --> 00:08:08.521 -Of course. -It's exactly what they do for a snake 148 00:08:08.621 --> 00:08:10.022 and, you know, I was cleaning, um, 149 00:08:10.122 --> 00:08:11.390 their bedrooms one time, 150 00:08:11.491 --> 00:08:14.460 and they started to do the same call 151 00:08:14.527 --> 00:08:15.561 for the water hose. 152 00:08:15.661 --> 00:08:16.863 -[Fry] Really? -[Peterson] Yeah. 153 00:08:16.963 --> 00:08:19.065 Of course, a hose is a green snake. 154 00:08:19.165 --> 00:08:20.366 They're, like, what is that? 155 00:08:22.068 --> 00:08:24.237 [Fry] So what does this all mean? 156 00:08:24.337 --> 00:08:27.406 Well, it's thought that vervet alarm calls 157 00:08:27.507 --> 00:08:32.411 indicate a very deep-rooted fear of these three predators. 158 00:08:32.511 --> 00:08:33.880 And we humans, 159 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:36.048 as the primate cousins of the vervet monkey, 160 00:08:36.148 --> 00:08:39.986 share the same instinctive fears of big cats, 161 00:08:40.052 --> 00:08:42.655 birds of prey, and snakes. 162 00:08:45.858 --> 00:08:47.660 And perhaps that primal fear 163 00:08:47.727 --> 00:08:49.595 is what led people around the world, 164 00:08:49.695 --> 00:08:52.765 to combine these three deadly animals 165 00:08:52.865 --> 00:08:57.370 into their own unique version of the almighty dragon. 166 00:09:01.040 --> 00:09:05.011 But there is another theory behind the legend of the dragon 167 00:09:05.077 --> 00:09:08.214 and it's based on a group of formidable reptiles 168 00:09:08.281 --> 00:09:11.617 that walked the Earth millions of years ago. 169 00:09:13.219 --> 00:09:14.887 [dramatic music playing] 170 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:29.569 If you've ever wanted to dig up a dinosaur, 171 00:09:29.635 --> 00:09:32.638 then this is the place to come. 172 00:09:32.738 --> 00:09:38.578 I am surrounded by thousands of dinosaur fossils here. 173 00:09:38.644 --> 00:09:40.646 I'm in the Valley Of Bones. 174 00:09:42.081 --> 00:09:46.252 Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah, America, 175 00:09:46.319 --> 00:09:50.990 has the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur fossils 176 00:09:51.090 --> 00:09:53.225 ever found on the planet. 177 00:09:56.596 --> 00:10:00.333 So, have they dug up anything here that can help us 178 00:10:00.433 --> 00:10:03.970 decipher the dragon myth? 179 00:10:04.070 --> 00:10:07.273 I'm meeting with two of the quarry's top experts, 180 00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:11.344 Mike Leschin and Casey Dooms, to find out. 181 00:10:14.947 --> 00:10:17.083 So in terms of recent human history, 182 00:10:17.149 --> 00:10:19.018 when was this place discovered? 183 00:10:19.118 --> 00:10:21.687 [Dooms] We know that people knew about the area since, 184 00:10:21.787 --> 00:10:23.789 probably at least late 1800s. 185 00:10:23.856 --> 00:10:25.191 First Europeans 186 00:10:25.291 --> 00:10:27.360 line:5% undoubtedly stumbled across a lot of different 187 00:10:27.460 --> 00:10:30.262 line:5% finds of dinosaur fossils and all kinds of things. 188 00:10:30.329 --> 00:10:32.198 [Fry] Because they were visible? 189 00:10:32.298 --> 00:10:34.333 [Dooms] Eroding out of the hills, eroding out of these formations... 190 00:10:34.433 --> 00:10:36.869 -[Fry] So, sort of, bones poking up through the soil. -[Dooms] Mm-hmm. 191 00:10:36.969 --> 00:10:39.538 [Fry] And, Mike, the Europeans, the ranchers in the 18th century, 192 00:10:39.639 --> 00:10:41.507 they had no reason to suppose 193 00:10:41.607 --> 00:10:44.510 that the creatures that were exhibited there 194 00:10:44.610 --> 00:10:45.678 were extinct. 195 00:10:45.778 --> 00:10:47.446 And some people still kind of get 196 00:10:47.513 --> 00:10:49.615 confused in their head, don't they, 197 00:10:49.682 --> 00:10:51.050 about the fact that obviously 198 00:10:51.150 --> 00:10:53.319 we never co-existed with these creatures. 199 00:10:53.386 --> 00:10:55.454 Oh, yeah, I've had people come out here and say, 200 00:10:55.521 --> 00:10:58.491 line:5% "I'm here 'cause I don't believe in dinosaurs." 201 00:10:58.557 --> 00:10:59.992 line:5% -Really? -And, yeah, 202 00:11:00.059 --> 00:11:02.395 line:5% so I was like, well, go look down there 203 00:11:02.495 --> 00:11:03.396 and then we'll talk. 204 00:11:03.496 --> 00:11:05.064 [Fry laughs] 205 00:11:05.164 --> 00:11:08.334 What about the non-Europeans, the native Americans, the Ute? 206 00:11:08.401 --> 00:11:10.970 The Ute tribe was the local tribe. 207 00:11:11.037 --> 00:11:15.408 -They knew they were the remains of a living creature. -[Fry] Yeah. 208 00:11:15.508 --> 00:11:19.345 And their attitude was to respect that 209 00:11:19.412 --> 00:11:22.081 -and leave it alone. -Yeah. 210 00:11:22.181 --> 00:11:24.183 [Fry] Dinosaur fossils have been found 211 00:11:24.250 --> 00:11:26.552 on every continent on Earth. 212 00:11:28.187 --> 00:11:31.323 Could they be behind the dragon story? 213 00:11:34.160 --> 00:11:36.762 If you take a look at the T-Rex, 214 00:11:36.862 --> 00:11:38.764 with its terrifying teeth, 215 00:11:39.532 --> 00:11:41.667 sharp claws, 216 00:11:41.734 --> 00:11:43.602 and enormous size, 217 00:11:43.703 --> 00:11:47.206 you can see how the idea could arise. 218 00:11:50.743 --> 00:11:52.745 Goodness me, what is this place? 219 00:11:52.845 --> 00:11:56.015 So this is the actual Cleveland-Lloyd dinosaur quarry. 220 00:11:56.082 --> 00:11:59.852 Ah. And you've enclosed it to show off these amazing... 221 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:01.754 -Yes. -...specimens. 222 00:12:01.854 --> 00:12:04.557 So over here, we have some back vertebrae from a camarasaurus. 223 00:12:04.623 --> 00:12:06.125 [Fry] From what animal? 224 00:12:06.225 --> 00:12:07.860 line:5% [Dooms] Camarasaurus, so it's a herbivorous dinosaur. 225 00:12:07.927 --> 00:12:09.628 line:5% One of the big long-necks. 226 00:12:09.729 --> 00:12:10.863 line:5% Right next to it, 227 00:12:10.930 --> 00:12:13.232 we have a tail vertebrae of an Allosaurus. 228 00:12:13.299 --> 00:12:14.700 -Oh, yeah. -The big predator, 229 00:12:14.767 --> 00:12:16.635 the major predator of the day. 230 00:12:16.736 --> 00:12:18.871 line:5% [Fry] You can really see here, Casey, can't you, 231 00:12:18.938 --> 00:12:20.973 line:5% how the dragon myth can arise. 232 00:12:21.073 --> 00:12:22.475 [Dooms] Yeah, absolutely. 233 00:12:22.575 --> 00:12:24.410 Especially if you're finding stuff like this. 234 00:12:24.477 --> 00:12:27.947 -[Fry gasps] -That is a single tooth of an Allosaurus. 235 00:12:28.047 --> 00:12:30.316 Oh, my goodness. I can feel its serrations... 236 00:12:30.416 --> 00:12:32.384 -Serrations, yeah. -...saw like, um... 237 00:12:32.451 --> 00:12:35.321 -like a steak knife for cutting through flesh. -Yeah. 238 00:12:35.421 --> 00:12:36.889 It's still, after 147 million years, 239 00:12:36.956 --> 00:12:38.991 you can still see them and you can still feel them. 240 00:12:39.091 --> 00:12:41.293 I mean, that's a dragon's tooth, 241 00:12:41.393 --> 00:12:44.163 -there's no question about it, it's just... -Yes. 242 00:12:44.263 --> 00:12:46.398 Wow. I'll give it back to you, it's very valuable. 243 00:12:46.465 --> 00:12:47.600 Look at that. 244 00:12:48.134 --> 00:12:49.835 Wow. 245 00:12:49.935 --> 00:12:53.272 Indigenous American mythology features 246 00:12:53.339 --> 00:12:54.774 dragon-like creatures 247 00:12:54.840 --> 00:12:58.410 such as the Piasa Bird, with feathery wings, 248 00:12:58.477 --> 00:13:01.914 elk's horns, and a long spiked tail. 249 00:13:03.149 --> 00:13:05.918 And the Gaasyendietha dragon, 250 00:13:05.985 --> 00:13:09.855 a lake-dwelling, fire-breathing beast. 251 00:13:09.955 --> 00:13:13.092 Perhaps these creations were inspired by fossils 252 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:16.195 like those discovered here in Utah. 253 00:13:18.831 --> 00:13:22.768 If I was here some thousand years ago or so, 254 00:13:22.835 --> 00:13:25.871 it's easy to see how, if someone dug up 255 00:13:25.971 --> 00:13:27.273 something like this, 256 00:13:27.339 --> 00:13:30.442 it could conjure up the image of a dragon, 257 00:13:30.509 --> 00:13:32.711 and terrifying it would be, 258 00:13:32.812 --> 00:13:34.814 because how could I know that 259 00:13:34.880 --> 00:13:38.050 this was from a species that had gone extinct 260 00:13:38.150 --> 00:13:40.186 millions of years ago. 261 00:13:40.286 --> 00:13:41.854 As far as I was concerned, 262 00:13:41.954 --> 00:13:47.193 this was one of the species that was still very much alive 263 00:13:47.293 --> 00:13:50.896 and might swoop down on me at any moment. 264 00:13:59.972 --> 00:14:02.975 In the world of fantastic beasts, 265 00:14:03.042 --> 00:14:04.643 there is another creature 266 00:14:04.710 --> 00:14:08.080 that's as universally recognized as the dragon. 267 00:14:15.654 --> 00:14:17.990 You know, there's one mythical creature 268 00:14:18.057 --> 00:14:21.594 whose popularity seems to be even greater today 269 00:14:21.694 --> 00:14:23.529 than it's ever been. 270 00:14:23.596 --> 00:14:26.532 And it's one of the few magical animals 271 00:14:26.599 --> 00:14:28.767 that isn't a terrifying monster. 272 00:14:28.868 --> 00:14:32.438 Indeed it's famous for its peaceful, 273 00:14:32.538 --> 00:14:34.707 benevolent nature. 274 00:14:34.773 --> 00:14:38.410 I'm talking, of course, about the unicorn. 275 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:41.580 One more! 276 00:14:45.050 --> 00:14:48.754 I'm on my way to a country which was once so convinced 277 00:14:48.854 --> 00:14:52.258 that this mystical creature was real, 278 00:14:52.358 --> 00:14:55.427 that they named it their national animal. 279 00:14:59.231 --> 00:15:00.766 [horn tooting] 280 00:15:02.868 --> 00:15:06.105 Often depicted as a beautiful, horse-like creature 281 00:15:06.205 --> 00:15:10.476 with flowing mane, and long, spiraled horn, 282 00:15:10.576 --> 00:15:14.780 the unicorn is a symbol of purity and innocence. 283 00:15:14.880 --> 00:15:16.982 Believed to have magical powers, 284 00:15:17.082 --> 00:15:20.452 the unicorn's horn was said to heal sickness 285 00:15:20.552 --> 00:15:22.888 and protect against poison. 286 00:15:25.457 --> 00:15:26.959 In recent years, 287 00:15:27.059 --> 00:15:30.763 unicorns have seen a huge surge in popularity. 288 00:15:32.498 --> 00:15:36.568 But this adoration is nothing new in Scotland, 289 00:15:36.635 --> 00:15:40.072 where the unicorn has been revered for centuries. 290 00:15:42.608 --> 00:15:46.779 So what is this obsession all about? 291 00:15:46.845 --> 00:15:48.681 I've come to Stirling Castle, 292 00:15:48.781 --> 00:15:53.452 to meet historian Professor Donna Heddle, to find out. 293 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.821 -Professor Heddle. -[Heddle] Oh, call me Donna. 294 00:15:55.921 --> 00:15:56.789 Donna. 295 00:15:56.855 --> 00:15:57.990 What a place. 296 00:16:01.927 --> 00:16:03.662 Oh, my goodness. 297 00:16:04.663 --> 00:16:07.766 Unicorns absolutely everywhere. 298 00:16:07.833 --> 00:16:09.301 [Heddle] I know. It's splendid, isn't it? 299 00:16:09.368 --> 00:16:11.470 And there are more all round the room. 300 00:16:11.537 --> 00:16:13.839 This tells us the story of the hunt of the unicorn. 301 00:16:13.939 --> 00:16:15.507 It's an allegorical piece. 302 00:16:15.607 --> 00:16:16.976 Based on tapestries, 303 00:16:17.042 --> 00:16:18.978 we know that we're in the collection of James V. 304 00:16:19.044 --> 00:16:21.647 I think they're called "The History of the Unicorn." 305 00:16:21.714 --> 00:16:24.950 America has a Bald Eagle, and France has a Cockrel, 306 00:16:25.017 --> 00:16:27.886 and we have a Lion in England... 307 00:16:27.987 --> 00:16:31.223 you, in Scotland, don't have a real animal, 308 00:16:31.323 --> 00:16:32.725 you have a mythical animal. 309 00:16:32.825 --> 00:16:34.660 Why is that, do you think? 310 00:16:34.727 --> 00:16:36.562 line:5% Well, I think at the time when it was chosen, 311 00:16:36.662 --> 00:16:39.665 line:5% people did think it was real, they did believe in it, 312 00:16:39.732 --> 00:16:41.500 but it's a kind of a thing in the 15th century, 313 00:16:41.567 --> 00:16:43.469 lots of kings were adopting animals 314 00:16:43.535 --> 00:16:44.903 as their personal symbols 315 00:16:45.004 --> 00:16:47.072 and the unicorn became the symbol of Scotland 316 00:16:47.172 --> 00:16:50.476 because it is untamable, it is undefeatable. 317 00:16:50.542 --> 00:16:53.312 Oh, so that's a symbol of Scotland's sense of itself. 318 00:16:53.379 --> 00:16:54.246 Absolutely. 319 00:16:54.346 --> 00:16:56.148 It's brave, it's courageous, 320 00:16:56.215 --> 00:16:57.649 what's not to like? 321 00:16:57.716 --> 00:16:59.718 -How cool is that for a national symbol? -Yes. 322 00:17:02.187 --> 00:17:03.689 [Fry] In the Middle Ages, 323 00:17:03.756 --> 00:17:07.159 the evidence used to prove that unicorns existed, 324 00:17:07.226 --> 00:17:11.096 came from another mysterious creature entirely. 325 00:17:13.232 --> 00:17:16.935 A genuine unicorn horn. 326 00:17:17.036 --> 00:17:21.273 Or is it in fact a narwhal tusk? 327 00:17:21.373 --> 00:17:22.775 I think it's a narwhal tusk. 328 00:17:22.875 --> 00:17:24.877 In fact, it's a replica of a narwhal tusk, 329 00:17:24.943 --> 00:17:26.378 'cause we wouldn't have such a thing... 330 00:17:26.445 --> 00:17:29.348 obviously, they belong on the narwhal's head. 331 00:17:29.415 --> 00:17:31.083 Um, they, sort of, grow up like that. 332 00:17:31.183 --> 00:17:35.621 I mean, extraordinary things on the narwhal. 333 00:17:35.721 --> 00:17:39.358 And you can see why somebody enterprising, 334 00:17:39.425 --> 00:17:41.360 who unfortunately caught one of those whales 335 00:17:41.427 --> 00:17:44.963 and sawed off his tusk would have thought, 336 00:17:45.064 --> 00:17:48.100 "I can sell this as a unicorn horn." 337 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:49.868 Because that's just what it looks like. 338 00:17:49.935 --> 00:17:51.603 [Heddle] And it's quite beautiful. 339 00:17:54.606 --> 00:17:58.410 [Fry] The narwhal is an elusive toothed whale 340 00:17:58.477 --> 00:18:00.813 found in Arctic waters. 341 00:18:00.913 --> 00:18:02.381 The spectacular tusk, 342 00:18:02.448 --> 00:18:05.117 usually only found on male narwhals, 343 00:18:05.217 --> 00:18:09.054 is actually an overgrown spiralized tooth. 344 00:18:10.589 --> 00:18:12.157 Scientists are still unsure 345 00:18:12.257 --> 00:18:14.326 as to what exactly the tusk is for, 346 00:18:14.426 --> 00:18:18.664 but it's thought that it may be used to break through ice, 347 00:18:18.764 --> 00:18:20.165 help catch fish, 348 00:18:20.265 --> 00:18:25.337 or possibly to impress female narwhals. 349 00:18:25.437 --> 00:18:28.407 I believe I'm right in saying that these did change hands 350 00:18:28.474 --> 00:18:30.943 for quite astonishing sums of money. 351 00:18:31.009 --> 00:18:32.511 Vast sums of money. 352 00:18:32.611 --> 00:18:34.947 We know that Queen Elizabeth I, paid 10 thousand pounds 353 00:18:35.013 --> 00:18:37.182 and that, that's kept in the Tower of London, for example, 354 00:18:37.282 --> 00:18:39.918 so it's a very high status object. 355 00:18:39.985 --> 00:18:41.854 [Fry] Who created this market? 356 00:18:41.954 --> 00:18:43.355 [Heddle] Well, they were mainly people 357 00:18:43.455 --> 00:18:44.957 who were fishing in the North of Norway 358 00:18:45.023 --> 00:18:47.759 or Greenland in the Arctic, Scandinavia. 359 00:18:47.826 --> 00:18:50.662 They would come across the narwhals, and it was a huge trade. 360 00:18:50.762 --> 00:18:52.197 And the idea was that 361 00:18:52.297 --> 00:18:54.533 it obviously was a symbol of your own power and wealth, 362 00:18:54.633 --> 00:18:56.301 but also that it would protect you in some way? 363 00:18:56.368 --> 00:18:58.770 That's right, the purity of the unicorn. 364 00:18:58.837 --> 00:19:01.273 This was believed to be able to purify water, 365 00:19:01.340 --> 00:19:02.674 and to guard against poisons. 366 00:19:02.774 --> 00:19:04.877 Also, in a rather more mundane fashion 367 00:19:04.977 --> 00:19:06.211 to cure boils and plague. 368 00:19:06.311 --> 00:19:08.280 And it was used by apothecaries 369 00:19:08.347 --> 00:19:09.548 up until the 18th century. 370 00:19:09.648 --> 00:19:11.183 It was called alicorn powder. 371 00:19:11.283 --> 00:19:12.718 A mere pinch of this 372 00:19:12.818 --> 00:19:15.020 would have been beyond the dreams of ordinary men. 373 00:19:15.120 --> 00:19:16.321 [Fry] Right. 374 00:19:17.856 --> 00:19:21.393 It's thought the first written reference to unicorns 375 00:19:21.493 --> 00:19:24.897 dates back to over 2,000 years ago. 376 00:19:26.298 --> 00:19:27.566 Over that time, 377 00:19:27.666 --> 00:19:29.801 many real animals have been linked 378 00:19:29.868 --> 00:19:32.004 with this mythical creature. 379 00:19:34.506 --> 00:19:35.841 The Arabian oryx, 380 00:19:35.908 --> 00:19:38.644 also known as the Arabian unicorn, 381 00:19:38.710 --> 00:19:41.380 has two long slender horns, 382 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:43.482 and when viewed in profile, 383 00:19:43.549 --> 00:19:45.584 their horns can appear as one, 384 00:19:45.684 --> 00:19:48.754 making them closely resemble a unicorn. 385 00:19:52.691 --> 00:19:55.694 But there's another, rather different animal 386 00:19:55.761 --> 00:19:58.864 that is part of the unicorn story, 387 00:19:58.931 --> 00:20:00.566 one that may have 388 00:20:00.666 --> 00:20:03.035 the strongest connection of all. 389 00:20:07.372 --> 00:20:11.043 There they are, the little armored tanks. 390 00:20:17.883 --> 00:20:19.518 The rhinoceros, the rhino, 391 00:20:19.585 --> 00:20:23.188 surely one of nature's most iconic creatures, 392 00:20:23.255 --> 00:20:27.426 with its unmistakable thick, gray hide 393 00:20:27.526 --> 00:20:30.963 and its signature horn. 394 00:20:31.063 --> 00:20:34.366 I call it one of nature's masterpieces. 395 00:20:34.433 --> 00:20:36.735 An extraordinary, unique beauty, aren't you? 396 00:20:36.802 --> 00:20:38.303 -[rhino breathes heavily] -Yes. 397 00:20:43.275 --> 00:20:47.312 These magnificent creatures are Indian rhinoceros, 398 00:20:47.412 --> 00:20:50.482 and their scientific species name is, 399 00:20:50.582 --> 00:20:54.720 splendidly, "Rhinoceros Unicornis." 400 00:20:55.754 --> 00:20:57.723 And they are, in fact, 401 00:20:57.789 --> 00:21:00.726 distantly related to a real unicorn. 402 00:21:01.627 --> 00:21:02.995 Oh, come now, Stephen. 403 00:21:03.095 --> 00:21:05.664 Well, millions of years ago, 404 00:21:05.764 --> 00:21:09.835 a creature called Elasmotherium Sibiricum, 405 00:21:09.935 --> 00:21:12.738 the Siberian Unicorn, 406 00:21:12.804 --> 00:21:16.675 roamed between Asia and Europe and around 407 00:21:16.775 --> 00:21:19.144 for many, many millions of years. 408 00:21:19.244 --> 00:21:20.412 [growls] 409 00:21:21.780 --> 00:21:23.348 These prehistoric rhinos 410 00:21:23.448 --> 00:21:25.851 wouldn't have looked terribly different 411 00:21:25.951 --> 00:21:27.986 to the ones we know today. 412 00:21:28.086 --> 00:21:29.955 But they were enormous. 413 00:21:30.022 --> 00:21:32.357 Twice the size of modern rhinos, 414 00:21:32.457 --> 00:21:34.793 at around three meters tall, 415 00:21:34.860 --> 00:21:37.029 covered in thick, shaggy hair, 416 00:21:37.129 --> 00:21:41.166 and thought to have a single, large horn. 417 00:21:41.266 --> 00:21:44.369 The Siberian Unicorn is believed to have grazed 418 00:21:44.469 --> 00:21:46.638 almost entirely on grass, 419 00:21:46.705 --> 00:21:48.640 and despite its large size, 420 00:21:48.707 --> 00:21:53.612 was built to run at speed across the plains. 421 00:21:53.679 --> 00:21:58.517 They survived all the way up to about 39,000 years ago, 422 00:21:58.617 --> 00:21:59.951 when they became extinct. 423 00:22:00.018 --> 00:22:02.321 But at that time, we were there, 424 00:22:02.387 --> 00:22:04.056 we, homo-sapiens. 425 00:22:04.156 --> 00:22:05.390 We'd developed language, 426 00:22:05.490 --> 00:22:07.626 and so, we were able to tell each other 427 00:22:07.693 --> 00:22:10.028 about meeting these incredible creatures, 428 00:22:10.128 --> 00:22:12.197 what would we have thought of them? 429 00:22:12.297 --> 00:22:17.135 Perhaps that's another reason why the idea of the unicorn 430 00:22:17.202 --> 00:22:19.471 entered the human imagination. 431 00:22:31.850 --> 00:22:33.752 [chittering] 432 00:22:34.353 --> 00:22:35.687 [sniffing] 433 00:22:44.529 --> 00:22:45.764 [chitters] 434 00:22:45.864 --> 00:22:47.532 [sniffing] 435 00:22:57.209 --> 00:23:00.011 [eerie music playing] 436 00:23:15.527 --> 00:23:19.197 Of all the eerie legends of the ocean depths, 437 00:23:19.264 --> 00:23:22.067 there is one that has enthralled us 438 00:23:22.134 --> 00:23:24.236 more than any other... 439 00:23:25.036 --> 00:23:26.371 The Kraken. 440 00:23:27.606 --> 00:23:29.474 -[growling] -[people screaming] 441 00:23:29.574 --> 00:23:31.710 Over 500 years ago, 442 00:23:31.777 --> 00:23:35.714 sailors first told of an enormous sea monster, 443 00:23:35.781 --> 00:23:39.317 said to live in the waters off Norway and Iceland, 444 00:23:39.418 --> 00:23:41.787 which had long, snake-like arms 445 00:23:41.887 --> 00:23:45.457 covered in suckers for grabbing prey. 446 00:23:45.557 --> 00:23:47.659 Some stories reported the monster 447 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:50.228 as being two kilometers in length, 448 00:23:50.295 --> 00:23:55.333 with tentacles as thick and long as ship's masts. 449 00:23:55.434 --> 00:23:58.970 By the 18th century, scientists truly believed 450 00:23:59.070 --> 00:24:01.573 that the Kraken was a living, breathing animal, 451 00:24:01.640 --> 00:24:03.008 and so it was included 452 00:24:03.108 --> 00:24:05.510 in all the highly-respected scientific journals 453 00:24:05.610 --> 00:24:08.680 of the time, including the Systema Naturae, 454 00:24:08.780 --> 00:24:11.516 developed by the famous Swedish naturalist, 455 00:24:11.616 --> 00:24:13.185 Carl Linnaeus. 456 00:24:13.285 --> 00:24:17.823 Was there really a huge monster living in the ocean depths, 457 00:24:17.923 --> 00:24:21.593 that overturned ships and devoured sailors? 458 00:24:25.096 --> 00:24:29.701 This is the Natural History Museum's Tank Room, 459 00:24:29.801 --> 00:24:35.207 home to thousands of the most incredible scientific specimens. 460 00:24:35.307 --> 00:24:37.375 And there's one in particular 461 00:24:37.476 --> 00:24:39.978 that may explain our Kraken myth, 462 00:24:40.045 --> 00:24:43.548 along with a little help from museum curator, 463 00:24:43.648 --> 00:24:45.183 Jon Ablett. 464 00:24:47.185 --> 00:24:49.554 -[Fry] Hello there. Jon. -[Ablett] Hello. 465 00:24:49.654 --> 00:24:50.989 Good to meet you, 466 00:24:51.056 --> 00:24:53.391 thanks for showing me around your incredible... 467 00:24:53.492 --> 00:24:54.860 [gasps] 468 00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:57.662 What the heck is that? 469 00:24:57.729 --> 00:25:00.565 Well, this is Archie, our beautiful giant squid specimen. 470 00:25:00.665 --> 00:25:01.833 [Fry] This is a giant squid. 471 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:03.668 I mean, one hears about giant squids 472 00:25:03.735 --> 00:25:05.904 and one imagines that they are, 473 00:25:06.004 --> 00:25:08.573 maybe, what people mean by sea monsters. 474 00:25:08.673 --> 00:25:10.842 Is this what they are? Are these the monsters? 475 00:25:10.909 --> 00:25:13.645 Well, I mean, we don't really know what people were seeing, 476 00:25:13.712 --> 00:25:16.515 line:5% when we think of these kind of old-fashioned sea monsters, 477 00:25:16.581 --> 00:25:18.583 line:5% but these are definitely a great candidate. 478 00:25:18.683 --> 00:25:20.752 line:5% I mean, they get up to about 13 meters. 479 00:25:20.852 --> 00:25:24.523 So Archie here, is about 8.6 meters, so not fully grown. 480 00:25:24.589 --> 00:25:26.358 -Is this a junior? -This is a junior. 481 00:25:26.424 --> 00:25:28.326 So the females, we think, get to about 13, 482 00:25:28.393 --> 00:25:30.495 the males about 10, 11. 483 00:25:30.562 --> 00:25:32.597 Oh, I can't imagine what it must be like, 484 00:25:32.697 --> 00:25:35.267 seeing one of those actually in the water. 485 00:25:36.935 --> 00:25:40.739 One of the most elusive creatures on the planet, 486 00:25:40.839 --> 00:25:45.377 giant squid are believed to weigh up to 500 kilos 487 00:25:45.443 --> 00:25:49.781 and inhabit the deepest oceans around the world. 488 00:25:49.881 --> 00:25:54.252 This incredibly rare footage was captured by scientists 489 00:25:54.352 --> 00:25:59.090 in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico in 2019. 490 00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:00.926 Thought to be a juvenile, 491 00:26:01.026 --> 00:26:03.762 and measuring over three and a half meters, 492 00:26:03.862 --> 00:26:05.797 the squid is attempting to feed 493 00:26:05.897 --> 00:26:09.601 on a decoy bioluminescent jellyfish. 494 00:26:09.701 --> 00:26:12.737 This is only the second time in history 495 00:26:12.804 --> 00:26:17.042 that a giant squid has been filmed in the wild. 496 00:26:17.108 --> 00:26:20.211 So that, sort of, um, child's adventure book 497 00:26:20.278 --> 00:26:22.981 with a huge tentacle coming in to the deck, 498 00:26:23.081 --> 00:26:26.117 and wrapping itself around an unfortunate sailor 499 00:26:26.217 --> 00:26:28.653 -is not very likely? -Pretty unlikely. 500 00:26:28.753 --> 00:26:30.422 I mean, these live at really great depths, 501 00:26:30.488 --> 00:26:32.724 we're thinking, possibly down to 2,000 meters, 502 00:26:32.791 --> 00:26:35.393 and it's actually very likely they can't actually breathe at the surface. 503 00:26:35.460 --> 00:26:36.795 Really? 504 00:26:36.895 --> 00:26:38.930 Oh, look, there's more, you've got suckers and... 505 00:26:38.997 --> 00:26:40.332 There's a wonderful... 506 00:26:40.432 --> 00:26:42.500 Well, this isn't actually part of a giant squid, 507 00:26:42.601 --> 00:26:45.136 there is something that possibly gets even bigger. 508 00:26:45.236 --> 00:26:46.905 This is actually from a colossal squid. 509 00:26:46.972 --> 00:26:48.940 We think they get bigger than the giant squid, 510 00:26:49.007 --> 00:26:50.842 possibly up to 18 meters. 511 00:26:50.942 --> 00:26:52.644 Eighteen meters! 512 00:26:53.478 --> 00:26:55.347 Wow. 513 00:26:55.447 --> 00:26:58.416 So if you have a look inside, a closer look. 514 00:27:00.852 --> 00:27:01.820 [Fry gasps] 515 00:27:03.021 --> 00:27:06.124 Wow. I can see the suckers so clearly. 516 00:27:06.191 --> 00:27:09.461 [Ablett] So here you can see just the very tip 517 00:27:09.527 --> 00:27:12.497 of a tentacle of a colossal squid. 518 00:27:12.597 --> 00:27:14.132 And you can see, they have these 519 00:27:14.199 --> 00:27:16.968 traditional circular suckers with the saw-toothed edge, 520 00:27:17.035 --> 00:27:19.471 -just like you see in lots of squid. -Yeah. Yeah. 521 00:27:19.537 --> 00:27:22.374 But also these very sharp talon like... 522 00:27:22.474 --> 00:27:24.342 Oh, yes, I can see that. 523 00:27:24.442 --> 00:27:25.443 Ooh! 524 00:27:25.510 --> 00:27:27.178 Goodness they are, aren't they? 525 00:27:27.278 --> 00:27:28.680 Two or three in each sucker, 526 00:27:28.780 --> 00:27:32.350 that are these claws, these thorns. 527 00:27:32.450 --> 00:27:34.886 Even the ones that don't have thorns have a certain 528 00:27:34.986 --> 00:27:36.888 sort of raspy burr to them, don't they? 529 00:27:36.988 --> 00:27:39.824 Yeah, they, sort of, have a serrated saw-tooth edge as well, so, yeah. 530 00:27:39.891 --> 00:27:43.294 I mean, absolutely terrifying, you don't want to be caught by one of these. 531 00:27:43.361 --> 00:27:46.364 [Fry] Even bigger than its giant cousin, 532 00:27:46.464 --> 00:27:51.069 the colossal squid is the largest invertebrate on Earth. 533 00:27:51.169 --> 00:27:56.074 Potentially almost as long as an early sailing ship. 534 00:27:56.174 --> 00:27:58.410 These mysterious creatures 535 00:27:58.510 --> 00:28:01.980 live in the icy depths of Antarctic waters, 536 00:28:02.047 --> 00:28:03.548 and most of what we know 537 00:28:03.648 --> 00:28:06.317 is based on a small number of carcasses 538 00:28:06.384 --> 00:28:09.254 found by deep-sea fishing vessels. 539 00:28:10.155 --> 00:28:11.823 Images like these 540 00:28:11.890 --> 00:28:15.894 are almost the only evidence we have of their existence. 541 00:28:16.895 --> 00:28:19.397 Did these enormous squid, 542 00:28:19.497 --> 00:28:23.268 found washed ashore or caught in nets long ago, 543 00:28:23.368 --> 00:28:27.439 launch the legend of the Kraken? 544 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:29.441 [Ablett] I mean, they really are so other-worldly, aren't they? 545 00:28:29.541 --> 00:28:31.342 Yeah. And it's hard not to be scared 546 00:28:31.409 --> 00:28:34.345 at the thought of one of those tendrils 547 00:28:34.412 --> 00:28:36.414 coming out and grabbing you. 548 00:28:36.514 --> 00:28:38.883 It is a pretty primal nightmare. 549 00:28:38.950 --> 00:28:39.951 It certainly is. 550 00:28:43.888 --> 00:28:46.891 [Fry] Sailors could spin wonderful yarns 551 00:28:46.958 --> 00:28:50.695 about the strange sights they saw at sea. 552 00:28:50.762 --> 00:28:55.200 But not all the tales they told were of the terrifying type, 553 00:28:55.266 --> 00:28:58.269 some took a more appealing form. 554 00:29:00.371 --> 00:29:02.807 Mermaids have featured in legends 555 00:29:02.907 --> 00:29:06.211 from around the world for thousands of years. 556 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:11.716 In 1493, the explorer Christopher Columbus, 557 00:29:11.783 --> 00:29:13.284 sailing to the Americas, 558 00:29:13.384 --> 00:29:17.255 saw what he believed to be three mermaids, 559 00:29:17.322 --> 00:29:18.723 describing them as 560 00:29:18.790 --> 00:29:21.326 "not so beautiful as they are said to be, 561 00:29:21.426 --> 00:29:24.662 for their faces had some masculine traits." 562 00:29:26.631 --> 00:29:30.602 But some scientists now think that what he actually saw 563 00:29:30.668 --> 00:29:32.737 was a creature that is still found 564 00:29:32.804 --> 00:29:35.940 along the coasts of North America today. 565 00:29:38.777 --> 00:29:40.945 [birds chirping] 566 00:29:41.012 --> 00:29:43.181 Crystal River in Florida, 567 00:29:43.281 --> 00:29:46.851 is home to these enigmatic animals. 568 00:29:47.986 --> 00:29:49.420 [gasps] 569 00:29:49.487 --> 00:29:52.090 There's one. Its little nose popped up to say hello. 570 00:29:57.629 --> 00:30:01.332 These incredible creatures are manatees, or sea cows, 571 00:30:01.432 --> 00:30:04.135 and they're the ocean's largest herbivore 572 00:30:04.202 --> 00:30:07.605 or grazer, in their case on sea grass. 573 00:30:07.672 --> 00:30:09.808 And despite their massive bulk, 574 00:30:09.874 --> 00:30:13.178 unlike me, they are incredibly graceful swimmers. 575 00:30:16.014 --> 00:30:19.384 Local manatee expert Monica Scroggin 576 00:30:19.484 --> 00:30:22.187 has studied the population on this river 577 00:30:22.287 --> 00:30:23.988 for a number of years. 578 00:30:25.290 --> 00:30:27.358 What brings the manatees to this place? 579 00:30:27.458 --> 00:30:29.694 line:5% Do they find it as beautiful as everyone else does? 580 00:30:29.794 --> 00:30:31.796 line:5% So actually, it's the water temperature, 581 00:30:31.863 --> 00:30:35.333 line:5% but that's because they have a very small metabolism, 582 00:30:35.400 --> 00:30:39.370 so they have to eat about ten percent of their body fat 583 00:30:39.470 --> 00:30:41.239 every single day. 584 00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:43.341 So for a thousand pound manatee, 585 00:30:43.408 --> 00:30:45.543 that's about a hundred pounds of food. 586 00:30:45.643 --> 00:30:46.911 -My goodness. -Yes. 587 00:30:47.011 --> 00:30:49.981 It is a lot of green vegetables. 588 00:30:51.182 --> 00:30:53.084 [Fry] Manatees can be found 589 00:30:53.184 --> 00:30:56.487 along the coasts and rivers of North America, 590 00:30:56.554 --> 00:31:01.326 the Amazon in South America, and Western Africa. 591 00:31:02.927 --> 00:31:06.431 Though populations are on the rise in Florida, 592 00:31:06.531 --> 00:31:09.434 manatee numbers are declining worldwide, 593 00:31:09.534 --> 00:31:13.071 and they are considered vulnerable to extinction. 594 00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:17.508 Measuring over three meters in length, 595 00:31:17.575 --> 00:31:21.779 these gentle giants often travel long distances 596 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:24.182 in search of seagrass. 597 00:31:26.184 --> 00:31:31.623 Manatee tails certainly look very mermaid-like. 598 00:31:31.723 --> 00:31:35.126 Perhaps it's the graceful way they move in the water 599 00:31:35.226 --> 00:31:37.762 that has inspired these legends. 600 00:31:39.564 --> 00:31:42.300 Or had the sailors who glimpsed them 601 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:45.436 simply been at sea for too long? 602 00:31:47.906 --> 00:31:49.240 And when you look at manatees, 603 00:31:49.307 --> 00:31:51.643 do you see merpeople, mermen and mermaids? 604 00:31:51.743 --> 00:31:55.079 I do. I think they have the similar shape. 605 00:31:55.146 --> 00:31:58.383 They have the similar tail, their flippers. 606 00:31:58.449 --> 00:32:00.285 Yeah. Do they use them almost like hands? 607 00:32:00.385 --> 00:32:02.587 I mean, obviously, they're not opposable thumbs or anything. 608 00:32:02.654 --> 00:32:04.656 Right, but they almost are. 609 00:32:04.756 --> 00:32:07.492 You could think of their flipper, like our hands, 610 00:32:07.592 --> 00:32:09.160 but only with skin covering it. 611 00:32:09.260 --> 00:32:11.229 Their bones look just like ours. 612 00:32:12.297 --> 00:32:14.165 [Fry] The manatee skeleton 613 00:32:14.265 --> 00:32:18.303 could also hold a clue to the mermaid myth. 614 00:32:18.403 --> 00:32:21.306 Take a look at their arms and hands, 615 00:32:21.406 --> 00:32:23.975 and you can see they are similar to ours. 616 00:32:24.075 --> 00:32:29.280 Yet their tail bones are unmistakably fish-like. 617 00:32:29.347 --> 00:32:32.016 It's easy to see how these skeletons 618 00:32:32.116 --> 00:32:34.319 washing up on shores long ago, 619 00:32:34.419 --> 00:32:39.424 could have inspired the idea of a mysterious half-human, 620 00:32:39.490 --> 00:32:41.659 half-sea creature. 621 00:32:43.628 --> 00:32:47.365 Well, I'm not entirely sure about these theories, 622 00:32:47.465 --> 00:32:50.601 so perhaps I'd better take a closer look. 623 00:32:51.302 --> 00:32:52.370 Here goes. 624 00:33:14.292 --> 00:33:16.894 Wow, they are amazing. 625 00:33:16.995 --> 00:33:19.063 So much bigger underwater 626 00:33:19.163 --> 00:33:22.066 and yet still so graceful. 627 00:33:22.166 --> 00:33:24.235 But they don't seem to mind my presence there, 628 00:33:24.335 --> 00:33:28.906 they just gently nibble away at that sea grass. 629 00:33:30.241 --> 00:33:31.309 Incredible. 630 00:33:38.349 --> 00:33:40.585 It's not hard to imagine, is it, how a sailor, 631 00:33:40.685 --> 00:33:43.321 far from home after a long voyage 632 00:33:43.388 --> 00:33:46.324 and maybe after a little tot of rum, 633 00:33:46.391 --> 00:33:48.659 looks out and sees a manatee 634 00:33:48.726 --> 00:33:52.196 and in his mind's eye, there's a mermaid. 635 00:33:52.263 --> 00:33:53.765 A beautiful mermaid. 636 00:33:53.865 --> 00:33:56.701 All right, perhaps a large tot of rum. 637 00:33:58.536 --> 00:34:02.273 Meanwhile, the mermaid myth lives on. 638 00:34:07.211 --> 00:34:08.780 Fantastic beasts 639 00:34:08.880 --> 00:34:13.785 don't just lurk on land or slither through seas. 640 00:34:15.386 --> 00:34:18.089 From Pegasus... 641 00:34:18.189 --> 00:34:19.957 to the hippogriff... 642 00:34:21.893 --> 00:34:23.561 Thestrals... 643 00:34:24.562 --> 00:34:27.799 to Thunderbirds... 644 00:34:27.899 --> 00:34:32.470 many magical creatures can be found on the wing, 645 00:34:32.570 --> 00:34:35.306 soaring across the skies. 646 00:34:45.416 --> 00:34:47.819 line:5% Oh, good Lord. Chris, hello. 647 00:34:47.919 --> 00:34:49.654 -Hi. -[gasps] 648 00:34:49.754 --> 00:34:52.557 line:5% What's the name of this extraordinary creature? 649 00:34:52.623 --> 00:34:56.961 line:5% This is Nikita, and she's a Steller's sea eagle. 650 00:34:57.061 --> 00:34:58.930 [Fry] A sea eagle. 651 00:34:58.996 --> 00:35:01.766 So beautiful. 652 00:35:01.833 --> 00:35:05.736 And that beak, is it a specialist beak for fish? 653 00:35:05.803 --> 00:35:07.004 That's a serious beak. 654 00:35:07.105 --> 00:35:08.940 It's designed for cutting flesh, 655 00:35:09.006 --> 00:35:12.243 but a fish pulled out of the water at minus 40 656 00:35:12.310 --> 00:35:14.679 is gonna be a block of ice within a couple of moments, 657 00:35:14.779 --> 00:35:17.248 -so that's what that tin opener is for. -Oh. 658 00:35:17.315 --> 00:35:19.417 And those trousers, I love those, 659 00:35:19.484 --> 00:35:21.586 shaggy, shaggy feet. 660 00:35:21.652 --> 00:35:24.689 On the soles of her feet, she's got almost like Velcro, 661 00:35:24.789 --> 00:35:26.757 to enable her to grab hold of slippery fish 662 00:35:26.824 --> 00:35:29.927 -and pull them off the surface of the water. Yeah. -Of course. 663 00:35:31.796 --> 00:35:36.701 As you can see, Nikita is no myth, she's all reality. 664 00:35:36.801 --> 00:35:38.369 Steller's sea eagles, 665 00:35:38.469 --> 00:35:41.105 they're amongst the largest eagles in the world, 666 00:35:41.172 --> 00:35:43.541 and they're formidable predators. 667 00:35:43.641 --> 00:35:46.677 There have been stories over the years, of course, 668 00:35:46.777 --> 00:35:49.547 of eagles attacking humans, 669 00:35:49.647 --> 00:35:52.383 which is why, perhaps, it isn't surprising 670 00:35:52.483 --> 00:35:55.219 that stories through the ages have been passed down 671 00:35:55.319 --> 00:35:58.055 of mythical winged beasts 672 00:35:58.156 --> 00:36:00.992 with enormous claws and beaks. 673 00:36:02.026 --> 00:36:03.794 And with that in mind, 674 00:36:03.861 --> 00:36:06.497 it's time for me to get a bit closer, 675 00:36:06.564 --> 00:36:07.698 so wish me luck. 676 00:36:13.471 --> 00:36:14.739 [Chris] Right, Stephen, so, 677 00:36:14.839 --> 00:36:17.074 essentially it needs to be upright. 678 00:36:17.175 --> 00:36:18.676 -Oh, like that. Right. -Yeah. 679 00:36:18.743 --> 00:36:20.645 And now, I'm gonna place the bird on your arm on the top 680 00:36:20.711 --> 00:36:22.980 and then you've just gotta keep your arm nice and level 681 00:36:23.047 --> 00:36:25.149 and just slightly away from your body. 682 00:36:25.216 --> 00:36:27.185 It's gonna be heavy. 683 00:36:27.251 --> 00:36:29.253 -So I'm now gonna give you the weight. -[eagle squawks] 684 00:36:29.353 --> 00:36:30.988 Oh, my heavens. 685 00:36:32.156 --> 00:36:33.191 Wow. 686 00:36:34.525 --> 00:36:36.928 Enormous as you are, 687 00:36:37.028 --> 00:36:39.830 you'd be small compared to some of your ancestors, 688 00:36:39.897 --> 00:36:43.501 both real and mythical. 689 00:36:43.568 --> 00:36:47.572 One flying beast that appears in ancient tales 690 00:36:47.672 --> 00:36:51.242 from the Middle East is known as the Roc. 691 00:36:51.342 --> 00:36:53.578 Described as an enormous eagle, 692 00:36:53.678 --> 00:36:57.248 it was said to be strong enough to carry off an elephant. 693 00:36:58.216 --> 00:36:59.850 Inspiration for the Roc 694 00:36:59.917 --> 00:37:03.621 is believed to have come from the eggs of a real bird, 695 00:37:03.721 --> 00:37:05.122 Aepyornis... 696 00:37:05.223 --> 00:37:09.393 which lived in Madagascar over 40,000 years ago. 697 00:37:09.460 --> 00:37:12.063 One of the largest flightless birds 698 00:37:12.129 --> 00:37:13.631 ever to have existed, 699 00:37:13.731 --> 00:37:18.936 at over three meters tall and weighing 500 kilos. 700 00:37:19.036 --> 00:37:21.606 Also known as the Elephant Bird, 701 00:37:21.706 --> 00:37:24.709 it went extinct around a thousand years ago. 702 00:37:24.775 --> 00:37:30.448 But its eggs were so huge, as large as 150 chicken eggs, 703 00:37:30.548 --> 00:37:35.253 that people thought they must belong to the legendary Roc. 704 00:37:35.319 --> 00:37:37.989 Aren't you amazing? Well, I think it's time you had her back. 705 00:37:38.089 --> 00:37:41.158 -[chuckles] -So I'll hand her over to you. 706 00:37:44.161 --> 00:37:46.664 Perhaps, it's the very mysteriousness 707 00:37:46.764 --> 00:37:48.132 of flight itself, 708 00:37:48.232 --> 00:37:50.501 that has inspired these stories 709 00:37:50.601 --> 00:37:54.272 of legendary flying creatures, over the centuries. 710 00:37:54.338 --> 00:37:58.175 That, and a fear of the very powerful 711 00:37:58.276 --> 00:38:01.579 and very real birds themselves. 712 00:38:04.649 --> 00:38:06.017 [squawks] 713 00:38:06.117 --> 00:38:07.618 Goodness. 714 00:38:07.685 --> 00:38:10.087 Fortunately, nobody's told Nikita 715 00:38:10.154 --> 00:38:13.758 how delicious I am, so I think I'm safe. 716 00:38:28.639 --> 00:38:31.776 [Fry] Stories of fantastical beasts 717 00:38:31.842 --> 00:38:34.011 aren't just a thing of the past. 718 00:38:40.484 --> 00:38:43.654 And there's one world-famous legend 719 00:38:43.721 --> 00:38:46.991 that is alive and well here in Scotland... 720 00:38:48.826 --> 00:38:50.528 The Loch Ness Monster. 721 00:38:52.563 --> 00:38:56.734 The origin story of this iconic monster 722 00:38:56.834 --> 00:39:00.671 can be traced back to around 1500 years ago 723 00:39:00.738 --> 00:39:03.974 when Irish missionaries and Columba 724 00:39:04.041 --> 00:39:07.478 was said to have encountered a beast 725 00:39:07.545 --> 00:39:09.413 in the River Ness. 726 00:39:09.513 --> 00:39:10.981 Over the years, 727 00:39:11.048 --> 00:39:13.984 thousands of people have claimed to see Nessie 728 00:39:14.051 --> 00:39:15.653 and there have been numerous attempts 729 00:39:15.720 --> 00:39:19.090 to find conclusive proof of its existence. 730 00:39:19.190 --> 00:39:22.093 But none have been as promising, 731 00:39:22.193 --> 00:39:25.696 or as high-tech, as recent efforts. 732 00:39:29.400 --> 00:39:32.937 I've traveled to the banks of this legendary Loch... 733 00:39:33.037 --> 00:39:34.772 -Stephen, come aboard. -[Fry] Hello. 734 00:39:34.872 --> 00:39:36.540 ...to meet Adrian Shine, 735 00:39:36.607 --> 00:39:40.411 a naturalist involved in this exciting new development. 736 00:39:49.587 --> 00:39:53.290 Why do you think that there's a special quality to Loch Ness? 737 00:39:53.391 --> 00:39:57.561 I mean, why has it retained such mystique over the decades? 738 00:39:57.628 --> 00:40:00.598 line:5% Well, it's fascinating. It is probably, arguably, 739 00:40:00.698 --> 00:40:02.733 line:5% the most famous lake in the world, 740 00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:04.869 -and it's quite large. -Yeah. 741 00:40:04.935 --> 00:40:07.605 You could put the whole human population of the world into it 742 00:40:07.705 --> 00:40:09.607 -at least three times over. -Seriously? 743 00:40:09.707 --> 00:40:12.476 -It is quite deep. -Good gracious. Wow. 744 00:40:12.576 --> 00:40:14.145 [Shine] And it's hostile. 745 00:40:14.245 --> 00:40:17.715 So in that respect, it qualifies as a lost world, 746 00:40:17.782 --> 00:40:19.784 and we need lost worlds 747 00:40:19.884 --> 00:40:22.987 to make our mythical creatures at least credible. 748 00:40:23.087 --> 00:40:25.723 -Or more credible. -Yeah, so it's big enough 749 00:40:25.790 --> 00:40:27.291 for the, if there were a monster, 750 00:40:27.391 --> 00:40:31.562 it could have credibly hidden for all this time. 751 00:40:31.629 --> 00:40:35.833 The story of Nessie evolved over centuries, 752 00:40:35.933 --> 00:40:41.005 but it was in the 1930s that things really took off. 753 00:40:41.105 --> 00:40:43.808 [Shine] That was when the Loch Ness monster, 754 00:40:43.908 --> 00:40:47.178 that we know and love today, was born. 755 00:40:47.278 --> 00:40:51.682 There's the multi-humped sea serpent 756 00:40:51.782 --> 00:40:53.784 and the plesiosaur. 757 00:40:53.851 --> 00:40:56.187 - The idea of a prehistoric monster... -[Fry] With the long neck. 758 00:40:56.287 --> 00:40:58.823 ...long necked, four flippers, stumpy body. 759 00:41:05.629 --> 00:41:07.932 We used to spend a lot of time 760 00:41:07.998 --> 00:41:09.934 in trying to work out what was in Loch Ness 761 00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:13.270 with our fish nets, towing things like that around. 762 00:41:13.337 --> 00:41:15.506 Then we'd spend hours and hours and hours 763 00:41:15.606 --> 00:41:16.874 looking through microscopes, 764 00:41:16.974 --> 00:41:19.710 identifying things, counting things. 765 00:41:19.810 --> 00:41:23.280 But now there is a much more elegant way. 766 00:41:26.617 --> 00:41:28.552 Listen to this delicious... 767 00:41:28.652 --> 00:41:30.488 [both laugh] 768 00:41:30.554 --> 00:41:32.323 -[Shine] Just a minute. -What a lovely noise. 769 00:41:32.389 --> 00:41:34.058 [Shine] There we are. 770 00:41:34.158 --> 00:41:37.695 [Fry] Using a process called Environmental DNA Sampling 771 00:41:37.795 --> 00:41:39.363 or E-DNA, 772 00:41:39.463 --> 00:41:43.567 scientists examined the different types of animal DNA 773 00:41:43.667 --> 00:41:46.170 found in Loch Ness water. 774 00:41:46.237 --> 00:41:48.372 -[Shine] And there we go. -[Fry] That's it. 775 00:41:48.472 --> 00:41:50.841 My very own bucket of Loch Ness water. 776 00:41:50.908 --> 00:41:52.042 [Shine] That's right. 777 00:41:53.911 --> 00:41:55.579 [Fry] There are many different theories 778 00:41:55.679 --> 00:41:59.416 as to the Loch Ness Monster's true identity. 779 00:41:59.517 --> 00:42:01.185 One that Adrian supports 780 00:42:01.252 --> 00:42:04.588 is that it could be an enormous eel. 781 00:42:06.423 --> 00:42:08.592 Eels are an elusive species. 782 00:42:08.692 --> 00:42:10.027 Much of their behavior 783 00:42:10.094 --> 00:42:12.496 and exactly how large they can grow 784 00:42:12.563 --> 00:42:15.165 is still a mystery to scientists. 785 00:42:16.567 --> 00:42:19.069 One of the biggest species in the world 786 00:42:19.169 --> 00:42:21.505 is the European conger eel, 787 00:42:21.572 --> 00:42:24.942 which is thought to grow to over three meters long. 788 00:42:28.078 --> 00:42:30.881 But some believe eels are capable 789 00:42:30.948 --> 00:42:33.717 of growing to a much larger size. 790 00:42:35.286 --> 00:42:37.221 Known as eunuch eels, 791 00:42:37.288 --> 00:42:40.958 their existence is somewhat controversial. 792 00:42:41.058 --> 00:42:45.896 Usually, adult eels swim into the Atlantic Ocean to breed, 793 00:42:45.963 --> 00:42:47.765 after which they die. 794 00:42:47.865 --> 00:42:51.735 But eunuch eels are said to be infertile, 795 00:42:51.802 --> 00:42:54.605 leading them to remain in freshwater, 796 00:42:54.705 --> 00:42:57.708 and continuing to grow for many years, 797 00:42:57.775 --> 00:43:00.411 potentially to a huge length. 798 00:43:02.980 --> 00:43:08.218 So will the DNA results confirm Adrian's suspicions? 799 00:43:08.285 --> 00:43:11.789 Now presumably, it will take a few days to get this analyzed, 800 00:43:11.889 --> 00:43:13.824 but you've had previous samples. 801 00:43:13.924 --> 00:43:17.428 Well, we certainly think we know what's in Loch Ness, 802 00:43:17.494 --> 00:43:20.931 and there weren't any great surprises from the DNA. 803 00:43:20.998 --> 00:43:22.333 What have you found? 804 00:43:22.433 --> 00:43:25.402 [Shine] Bacteria, plankton, lots of fish. 805 00:43:25.469 --> 00:43:26.904 No reptiles. 806 00:43:26.971 --> 00:43:28.238 No reptiles. 807 00:43:28.305 --> 00:43:29.807 -Sad that, wasn't it? -Slightly disappointing. 808 00:43:29.907 --> 00:43:32.810 Didn't really expect them, to be quite honest, 809 00:43:32.910 --> 00:43:34.345 but there we are. 810 00:43:34.445 --> 00:43:38.115 But we got lots and lots of eel DNA. 811 00:43:38.182 --> 00:43:42.186 But, of course, it would be the same DNA 812 00:43:42.286 --> 00:43:47.358 for a ordinary eel as for a huge eunuch eel. 813 00:43:47.458 --> 00:43:51.128 An ordinary eel, which comes into Loch Ness, 814 00:43:51.195 --> 00:43:52.696 but likes it so much 815 00:43:52.796 --> 00:43:55.766 that it doesn't go back to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. 816 00:43:55.833 --> 00:43:59.036 -It just grows huge. -Oh, so it avoids the famous life cycle. 817 00:44:01.038 --> 00:44:02.806 One of the things that's so intriguing 818 00:44:02.873 --> 00:44:06.510 is this latest DNA work that you've been doing, 819 00:44:06.610 --> 00:44:09.880 still leaves avenues open to believing, doesn't it? 820 00:44:09.980 --> 00:44:11.515 And that's the fun of it. 821 00:44:11.615 --> 00:44:15.219 -Yeah. That is... -Nature surprises us all the time. 822 00:44:15.319 --> 00:44:17.955 Exactly right. Exactly right. 823 00:44:18.822 --> 00:44:20.224 And so the mystery 824 00:44:20.324 --> 00:44:23.327 of the Loch Ness Monster continues. 825 00:44:38.375 --> 00:44:40.711 Our passion for all things magical, 826 00:44:40.811 --> 00:44:43.580 has never been stronger than it is today. 827 00:44:45.149 --> 00:44:48.919 Many of the most popular books and movies of our time 828 00:44:49.019 --> 00:44:52.990 are based on myths, legends and fantasy worlds, 829 00:44:53.057 --> 00:44:56.427 filled with some of the most extraordinary creatures 830 00:44:56.527 --> 00:44:57.928 you'll ever see. 831 00:45:00.397 --> 00:45:03.367 And now with cutting-edge computer technology, 832 00:45:03.434 --> 00:45:07.371 we can bring them to life, like never before. 833 00:45:11.275 --> 00:45:14.044 Now, behind these doors 834 00:45:14.111 --> 00:45:18.115 is something just a little bit special. 835 00:45:23.220 --> 00:45:24.922 [gasps] 836 00:45:25.022 --> 00:45:27.791 I've come to The Making of Harry Potter 837 00:45:27.891 --> 00:45:31.128 at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour near London, 838 00:45:31.228 --> 00:45:35.032 to see how the Fantastic Beasts of the Wizarding World 839 00:45:35.099 --> 00:45:37.034 are brought to life, 840 00:45:37.101 --> 00:45:39.770 and to discover how the natural world 841 00:45:39.870 --> 00:45:44.308 has often inspired these extraordinary creations. 842 00:45:44.408 --> 00:45:47.111 This is quite an honor for me. 843 00:45:47.211 --> 00:45:49.613 They don't usually let Muggles in here. 844 00:45:52.216 --> 00:45:54.384 [squeaking] 845 00:45:56.587 --> 00:45:57.654 [croaks] 846 00:45:59.823 --> 00:46:01.258 [growls] 847 00:46:03.627 --> 00:46:05.429 But where do you start 848 00:46:05.496 --> 00:46:08.665 when trying to create a fantastic beast 849 00:46:08.766 --> 00:46:10.334 for the big screen? 850 00:46:10.434 --> 00:46:14.338 Surely, a description in a book can only tell you so much. 851 00:46:14.438 --> 00:46:15.839 Well, I've come here 852 00:46:15.939 --> 00:46:17.441 to find out some of the tricks of the trade, 853 00:46:17.508 --> 00:46:21.178 from visual effects supervisor, Christian Manz. 854 00:46:25.115 --> 00:46:27.684 Oh, now, hang on. 855 00:46:27.785 --> 00:46:31.688 I think I recognize where we are. 856 00:46:31.789 --> 00:46:33.624 This is Dumbledore's office. 857 00:46:33.690 --> 00:46:35.359 -[Manz] Yeah. -[both chuckle] 858 00:46:36.193 --> 00:46:38.796 Now, Christian, 859 00:46:38.862 --> 00:46:41.965 I'm sure a lot of people have heard of CGI as it's called, 860 00:46:42.032 --> 00:46:44.101 do you spend your whole time just looking at a computer screen 861 00:46:44.168 --> 00:46:46.870 doing mathematical things to create images? 862 00:46:46.970 --> 00:46:48.839 [Manz] The brilliant thing about visual effects 863 00:46:48.939 --> 00:46:52.042 line:5% is it's a real marriage of the creative and the technical, 864 00:46:52.142 --> 00:46:55.445 line:5% and our inspiration, particularly with animation, 865 00:46:55.512 --> 00:46:59.283 is looking at creatures from all over the world, 866 00:46:59.349 --> 00:47:00.684 and make the audience believe 867 00:47:00.784 --> 00:47:02.719 that what they're seeing is real. 868 00:47:02.820 --> 00:47:04.121 Have you got some examples? 869 00:47:04.188 --> 00:47:06.623 [Manz] In the second film, we had the Zouwu, 870 00:47:06.690 --> 00:47:10.661 a elephant-sized, really colorful big cat. 871 00:47:10.727 --> 00:47:12.162 In the script, it said that 872 00:47:12.229 --> 00:47:14.665 the Zouwu could travel a thousand miles a day, 873 00:47:14.731 --> 00:47:17.634 and that led us to that idea of speed. 874 00:47:17.701 --> 00:47:20.838 So here, this was a design that bedded in for a while actually... 875 00:47:20.904 --> 00:47:22.639 - The cobra-like head... -[Fry] Yes. 876 00:47:22.706 --> 00:47:24.174 [Manz] ...with a reptilian body. 877 00:47:24.241 --> 00:47:25.909 We got to the point of, you know, modelling it 878 00:47:26.009 --> 00:47:29.546 and animating it, but we were never quite sure about it, 879 00:47:29.646 --> 00:47:31.582 it didn't quite feel of our world, 880 00:47:31.682 --> 00:47:34.918 and then somebody came up with this design, this concept. 881 00:47:35.018 --> 00:47:37.087 -[Fry] Goodness. -And we were like, 882 00:47:37.187 --> 00:47:39.089 -"Wow that feels bonkers." -Yes. 883 00:47:39.189 --> 00:47:44.595 And also felt very akin to some of the Chinese dragon dancers. 884 00:47:44.695 --> 00:47:46.263 The sort of ribbon, like... 885 00:47:46.363 --> 00:47:47.931 [Fry] I've taken a look at those too, 886 00:47:48.031 --> 00:47:50.868 and I know what you mean, and that exactly suggests it, 887 00:47:50.934 --> 00:47:53.737 -that long sinuous, flowing tail. -Yes. 888 00:47:53.837 --> 00:47:55.706 [Manz] And then, kind of, the cat-like face, 889 00:47:55.772 --> 00:47:57.608 and then the body which in the end, 890 00:47:57.708 --> 00:48:00.844 lizards, was a lot of our inspiration. 891 00:48:00.911 --> 00:48:03.413 So from that, we'd look at wildlife. 892 00:48:03.513 --> 00:48:05.949 [Fry] So you've got coral, and is that a variegated tulip? 893 00:48:06.049 --> 00:48:07.618 [Manz] Yeah, and a fighting fish, 894 00:48:07.718 --> 00:48:11.188 and also we tried it with the sea anemone. 895 00:48:11.255 --> 00:48:13.023 [Fry] Yes, that's so surprising, 896 00:48:13.090 --> 00:48:15.559 'cause I can believe that you might look at lizards 897 00:48:15.626 --> 00:48:17.094 and you might look at large cats 898 00:48:17.194 --> 00:48:20.097 and things, but coral and flowers... 899 00:48:20.197 --> 00:48:23.300 And yet once you point it out, you can see that. 900 00:48:23.400 --> 00:48:26.637 What's so interesting, is that the most ancient stories 901 00:48:26.737 --> 00:48:28.405 of mythical creatures 902 00:48:28.472 --> 00:48:31.141 drew their inspiration from nature. 903 00:48:31.241 --> 00:48:34.311 And the most modern technological mythical creatures 904 00:48:34.411 --> 00:48:37.114 that you create, also draw from nature. 905 00:48:37.214 --> 00:48:40.150 And I suppose, as long as the lead times 906 00:48:40.250 --> 00:48:43.120 and the process of doing computer graphics is, 907 00:48:43.220 --> 00:48:45.489 it's nothing compared to the millions of years... 908 00:48:45.589 --> 00:48:48.258 -No. -...that nature has to try out new ideas. 909 00:48:48.325 --> 00:48:51.161 Yeah, I think that's one of our biggest learning experiences, really, 910 00:48:51.261 --> 00:48:53.664 that Mother Nature's definitely better at it than we are... 911 00:48:53.764 --> 00:48:55.832 -[laughing] -But she's had practice. 912 00:48:55.933 --> 00:48:58.101 -She's had so much practice. -[laughs] 913 00:49:09.613 --> 00:49:10.747 [sniffing] 914 00:49:20.757 --> 00:49:23.860 [Fry] But where on Earth did all of this start? 915 00:49:25.429 --> 00:49:27.464 When did we very first create 916 00:49:27.531 --> 00:49:30.367 or imagine these mythical creatures? 917 00:49:32.469 --> 00:49:35.439 When early humans began to draw, 918 00:49:35.505 --> 00:49:38.141 we depicted the world we saw around us... 919 00:49:38.208 --> 00:49:41.211 the landscape, people, and animals, 920 00:49:41.311 --> 00:49:44.815 like this magnificent mastodon. 921 00:49:44.881 --> 00:49:46.883 But we also began to create 922 00:49:46.984 --> 00:49:49.853 entirely imaginary creatures too. 923 00:49:51.355 --> 00:49:54.691 There are examples of these mysterious creatures 924 00:49:54.791 --> 00:49:56.193 painted in caves, 925 00:49:56.293 --> 00:49:58.628 and on rocks, found around the world. 926 00:49:58.695 --> 00:50:03.800 Some dating back as far as 44,000 years ago. 927 00:50:03.867 --> 00:50:06.470 No one really knows why these images were created, 928 00:50:06.536 --> 00:50:09.706 but perhaps the most reasonable explanation 929 00:50:09.806 --> 00:50:14.511 is that they were one of the earliest forms of storytelling. 930 00:50:14.578 --> 00:50:17.748 I wanted to know more about this instinct 931 00:50:17.848 --> 00:50:20.250 to create mythical creatures, 932 00:50:20.350 --> 00:50:22.919 so I asked someone who knows a thing or two 933 00:50:23.020 --> 00:50:25.989 about telling stories... 934 00:50:26.056 --> 00:50:28.025 author of the Harry Potter books, 935 00:50:28.091 --> 00:50:31.328 and creator of Fantastic Beasts, 936 00:50:31.395 --> 00:50:33.363 J.K. Rowling. 937 00:50:38.201 --> 00:50:40.037 Why is it that we humans 938 00:50:40.103 --> 00:50:43.507 have to tell everything through stories and examples, 939 00:50:43.573 --> 00:50:46.743 it's our great creative power, isn't it? 940 00:50:46.843 --> 00:50:48.178 I think about this a lot, 941 00:50:48.245 --> 00:50:50.414 the fact that we're storytelling creatures, 942 00:50:50.514 --> 00:50:52.015 because to our knowledge, 943 00:50:52.082 --> 00:50:53.917 -we are the only animal that does this. -Yeah. 944 00:50:54.017 --> 00:50:56.753 line:5% And obviously it was an attempt I think to... 945 00:50:56.853 --> 00:50:58.688 line:5% certainly in terms of myth and folklore, 946 00:50:58.755 --> 00:51:01.191 line:5% it's an attempt to explain the natural world, 947 00:51:01.258 --> 00:51:02.793 things people didn't understand. 948 00:51:02.893 --> 00:51:06.430 I am very interested in story, inevitably. 949 00:51:06.530 --> 00:51:09.466 I'm not just interested in writing stories. 950 00:51:09.566 --> 00:51:12.869 I am interested in why we write stories. 951 00:51:12.936 --> 00:51:13.970 Yes. 952 00:51:14.071 --> 00:51:16.440 I'm even more fascinated by the fact 953 00:51:16.540 --> 00:51:20.210 that discrete cultures who'd never met, 954 00:51:20.277 --> 00:51:25.148 -create such similar archetypes and such similar creatures. -Yeah. 955 00:51:25.248 --> 00:51:28.151 So we see the fire bird, 956 00:51:28.251 --> 00:51:29.753 the phoenix as I called it, 957 00:51:29.820 --> 00:51:32.155 but you see the creation of a fire bird 958 00:51:32.255 --> 00:51:34.257 throughout different cultures. 959 00:51:34.324 --> 00:51:35.158 Yes. 960 00:51:35.258 --> 00:51:37.127 And what is that telling us 961 00:51:37.227 --> 00:51:38.995 about what it is to be human 962 00:51:39.096 --> 00:51:40.931 and what lives at the back of our minds, 963 00:51:40.997 --> 00:51:42.232 in our subconscious? 964 00:51:42.299 --> 00:51:44.668 You often see this in magical beasts, 965 00:51:44.768 --> 00:51:48.071 that very similar beasts have been imagined 966 00:51:48.138 --> 00:51:53.110 -by, after all, peoples who are living among different... -Yes. 967 00:51:53.176 --> 00:51:54.578 ...real animals. 968 00:51:54.644 --> 00:51:57.013 We're talking cultures across different continents. 969 00:51:57.114 --> 00:51:58.515 And that fascinates me, 970 00:51:58.615 --> 00:52:01.251 because that's clearly telling us about ourselves. 971 00:52:01.318 --> 00:52:03.420 And a perfect example is the dragon. 972 00:52:03.487 --> 00:52:05.122 -There you are. -All over the world. 973 00:52:05.188 --> 00:52:07.023 -In China, famously, of course. -All over... 974 00:52:07.124 --> 00:52:08.959 And what else are there? Mermaids. 975 00:52:09.025 --> 00:52:11.428 Mermaids, it's very interesting, isn't it? 976 00:52:11.495 --> 00:52:13.763 Because where did that myth come from? 977 00:52:13.830 --> 00:52:17.701 Even in Africa, these inland countries... 978 00:52:17.801 --> 00:52:19.769 -[Fry] Yeah. -...of course, have great rivers... 979 00:52:19.836 --> 00:52:23.106 -Yeah. -...there is a form of mermaid, the Jengu. 980 00:52:23.173 --> 00:52:24.307 Ah. 981 00:52:24.374 --> 00:52:27.811 So again, this is something that has... 982 00:52:27.878 --> 00:52:31.548 has been created across these different cultures. 983 00:52:31.648 --> 00:52:36.386 Why were British sailors imagining fishtailed women 984 00:52:36.486 --> 00:52:40.657 when people in Africa were imagining fishtailed women, 985 00:52:40.724 --> 00:52:42.859 it's just extraordinary. 986 00:52:42.959 --> 00:52:45.228 Do you think it's possible to invent a creature 987 00:52:45.328 --> 00:52:46.963 that has no basis in nature? 988 00:52:47.030 --> 00:52:49.666 -I think it would be exceptionally difficult. -Wouldn't it? 989 00:52:49.733 --> 00:52:52.402 I created a creature, 990 00:52:52.502 --> 00:52:55.639 in Fantastic Beasts, the original book 991 00:52:55.705 --> 00:52:57.007 called a Lethifold. 992 00:52:57.073 --> 00:52:58.875 [Fry] Yes, a nasty piece of work. 993 00:52:58.975 --> 00:53:00.810 Now that is my worst nightmare. 994 00:53:00.877 --> 00:53:03.480 I really had, there, gone for something 995 00:53:03.547 --> 00:53:07.217 -that would scare the bejesus out of me. -Yes. 996 00:53:07.317 --> 00:53:10.687 line:5% Although I was taking the idea from a cloak, 997 00:53:10.754 --> 00:53:13.323 when I stood back from what I'd invented, 998 00:53:13.390 --> 00:53:15.358 I thought, well, you've... That's just a manta ray. 999 00:53:15.425 --> 00:53:17.928 -And a manta means a cloak, doesn't it? Yes. -There you go. Exactly. 1000 00:53:18.028 --> 00:53:21.264 So basically, I've invented a manta ray that doesn't need water. 1001 00:53:21.364 --> 00:53:23.867 -And the niffler? -Well, I was going to say the niffler, exactly, 1002 00:53:23.934 --> 00:53:26.102 so the niffler is a bit of a favorite of mine. 1003 00:53:26.203 --> 00:53:28.538 It's a treasure seeker, it likes everything that glitters, 1004 00:53:28.605 --> 00:53:30.774 so it can locate treasure for you. 1005 00:53:31.775 --> 00:53:33.043 So for those who don't know, 1006 00:53:33.109 --> 00:53:34.945 a niffler is a curious creature, 1007 00:53:35.045 --> 00:53:38.281 -I suppose it's a cross between a magpie, in nature... -Yes. 1008 00:53:38.381 --> 00:53:40.884 ...and a duck-billed platypus in appearance. 1009 00:53:40.951 --> 00:53:43.353 -And a mole. -And a mole, exactly. 1010 00:53:43.420 --> 00:53:45.188 line:5% But they used a platypus 1011 00:53:45.255 --> 00:53:48.425 line:5% to get the snout-like appearance in the movie, 1012 00:53:48.525 --> 00:53:50.060 line:5% which I adored. 1013 00:53:50.126 --> 00:53:52.295 I mean, they ran these things past me and I just loved it. 1014 00:53:52.395 --> 00:53:55.465 It gave it such an endearing appearance, I think. 1015 00:53:57.901 --> 00:54:00.737 -So it's exceptionally difficult... -Yeah. 1016 00:54:00.804 --> 00:54:02.038 ...to invent something. 1017 00:54:02.105 --> 00:54:05.308 And often nature got there far better, 1018 00:54:05.408 --> 00:54:08.712 because you look at some of nature's extraordinary creations, 1019 00:54:08.778 --> 00:54:11.615 and you think, well, CGI will never match this. 1020 00:54:17.921 --> 00:54:20.056 You created your own world 1021 00:54:20.123 --> 00:54:22.325 that has its famous 1022 00:54:22.425 --> 00:54:25.295 and knowable characters and creatures, 1023 00:54:25.395 --> 00:54:27.931 um, which must give you enormous satisfaction, 1024 00:54:27.998 --> 00:54:30.667 and you've done it by examining the real world 1025 00:54:30.767 --> 00:54:32.402 and the world of the imagination 1026 00:54:32.469 --> 00:54:33.670 that our ancestors had, 1027 00:54:33.770 --> 00:54:35.672 all the way back through earliest myths. 1028 00:54:35.772 --> 00:54:37.340 I was thinking about the creatures 1029 00:54:37.440 --> 00:54:39.676 because we were gonna sit down and talk about this, 1030 00:54:39.776 --> 00:54:41.478 and I realized 1031 00:54:41.578 --> 00:54:46.249 that half the books fold without those creatures, 1032 00:54:46.316 --> 00:54:48.418 you know, they're so important. 1033 00:54:50.120 --> 00:54:51.988 - Hedwig the owl. -[Fry] Yeah. 1034 00:54:52.088 --> 00:54:55.158 And then we move through the Thestrals and the dragons, 1035 00:54:55.258 --> 00:54:57.861 and they are key plot points 1036 00:54:57.961 --> 00:55:00.997 and obviously, thematically, they work in terms of life 1037 00:55:01.097 --> 00:55:04.100 and death and power. And struggle and treasure. 1038 00:55:04.167 --> 00:55:07.704 But I realized when I really focused on those creatures, 1039 00:55:07.804 --> 00:55:10.774 just how important they were, and that shows, 1040 00:55:10.840 --> 00:55:12.609 we have a deep need, I think, 1041 00:55:12.676 --> 00:55:14.544 to be connected to the animal world. 1042 00:55:36.466 --> 00:55:41.805 Fantastic beasts have been with us since the dawn of time, 1043 00:55:41.871 --> 00:55:44.407 from the first imaginary creatures 1044 00:55:44.507 --> 00:55:46.743 sketched on cave walls, 1045 00:55:46.843 --> 00:55:48.845 to the state-of-the-art animals 1046 00:55:48.912 --> 00:55:51.247 that we see on our big screens today, 1047 00:55:51.348 --> 00:55:56.419 they are a fundamental part of our own history. 1048 00:55:57.520 --> 00:55:59.022 [Fawkes squawking] 1049 00:56:02.158 --> 00:56:06.062 Our endless fascination with magical animals 1050 00:56:06.162 --> 00:56:09.999 and our instinctive curiosity about the world around us 1051 00:56:10.066 --> 00:56:13.103 could even lead to the discovery 1052 00:56:13.203 --> 00:56:15.772 of entirely new species... 1053 00:56:16.706 --> 00:56:18.942 If we keep our eyes 1054 00:56:19.042 --> 00:56:21.578 and our minds open, 1055 00:56:21.678 --> 00:56:25.215 who knows what might be out there? 1056 00:56:32.722 --> 00:56:35.859 The world is a magical place. 1057 00:56:35.925 --> 00:56:38.461 Fantastic Beasts show 1058 00:56:38.561 --> 00:56:42.599 there are still so many things to discover. 1059 00:56:50.740 --> 00:56:53.309 [chittering] 1060 00:57:05.255 --> 00:57:06.923 [jingling] 1061 00:57:10.059 --> 00:57:12.262 [instrumental music playing]