The BEST episodes of River Monsters

Every episode of River Monsters ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of River Monsters!

Extreme angler, Jeremy Wade, is on the hunt for freshwater fish with a taste for human flesh. This rip-roaring ride through the dark side of nature mixes action and adventure with mysteries, edge of the seat chase and a battle of wills between man and almost supernatural beasts who lurk in the serpentine waterways of the planet, mooching murderously underwater, growing to truly awesome sizes. Watch as Jeremy Wade deconstructs exactly how these river monsters are constructed to kill.

Last Updated: 3/3/2024Network: Animal PlanetStatus: Ended
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Invisible Executioner
star
8.42
166 votes

#1 - Invisible Executioner

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/15/2012

It's common knowledge that crocodiles and hippos are deadly predators in Zambian waterways, but it seems there's another monstrous beast stalking the treacherous Zambezi River. The locals call this river monster "the Mazunda" but Jeremy Wade is unfamiliar with any fish by that name. Will he uncover what the sinister creature — said to be able to swallow a child — really is?

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Man-Eating Monster
star
8.33
76 votes

#2 - Man-Eating Monster

Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/4/2014

All over the Amazon, Jeremy Wade has heard stories of a monster fish that grows so large, it’s said to swallow men whole. Locals call it the lau-lau but after 20 years of searching, from Peru to Brazil and Colombia, the evidence Jeremy needs - a single colossal specimen - stills eludes him. Now though, he’s discovered a secret, untouched location deep in Guyana’s remote rainforests where he suspects they may be thriving. Embedding himself in the wild jungle, this time it’s different: he’s not coming back until he catches it.

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River of Blood
star
8.30
90 votes

#3 - River of Blood

Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/20/2014

A brutal underwater mutilation of a young man leads Wade to a face-to-face confrontation with one of South America’s greatest freshwater fighting fish that slashes and stalks its prey while living in one of Argentina’s most dangerous waterways.

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Body Snatcher
star
8.23
101 votes

#4 - Body Snatcher

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/26/2014

From the extreme north of South America, freshwater detective Jeremy Wade hears rumors of a body-snatching spirit said to drag men deep into the river, never to be seen again. A predatory freshwater mermaid, locals call her the Water Mama. She may be a beast of mythology, but the carnage she leaves in her wake is all too real. People are disappearing without trace, one-by-one from these waters and Jeremy is convinced there is a flesh and blood River Monster lurking behind the legend of the Killer Mermaids.

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Killer Torpedo
star
8.22
87 votes

#5 - Killer Torpedo

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/21/2013

Angler Jeremy Wade ventures deep into the heart of Central America in search of a man-sized killer said to leap into boats and cause fatal injuries as it knocks fishermen unconscious and smashes their bones.

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Pack of Teeth
star
8.16
158 votes

#6 - Pack of Teeth

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/8/2012

In Southern Africa there are rumors of a terrifying river monster lurking in the eerie waters of the Okavango Delta. Witnesses say the fish have shark-like teeth and hunt in frenzied packs on schools of fish — and maybe even on human bodies. It sounds mysteriously like the work of giant piranhas, but there's nothing like that here. Or is there? Jeremy Wade sets out to uncover the truth.

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American Killers
star
8.13
153 votes

#7 - American Killers

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/1/2012

In the suspense-filled two-hour premiere, Jeremy Wade treks across the United States in search of deadly river monsters living in the nation's waterways. Wade ventures from the popular Indian River Lagoon in Florida where unsuspecting water enthusiasts are faced with what could become a modern day Jaws, to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, where underwater hunters have reached man-eating proportions.

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Face Ripper
star
8.10
151 votes

#8 - Face Ripper

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/7/2013

Angler Jeremy Wade investigates his most disturbing case yet - the story of a man who had his face ripped off in a remote Bolivian river. The journey through dangerous jungle ends with a confrontation with one of his oldest adversaries.

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Cold-Blooded Horror
star
8.09
223 votes

#9 - Cold-Blooded Horror

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/22/2011

Having never been to Japan, Jeremy Wade is entering new territory in more ways than one. The river monsters there are like no others he ever has encountered, from the devastating "Namazu," which legend says causes earthquakes, to a child-snatching killer called the "Kappa." Can our extreme fisherman uncover the truth behind these legends? Can he catch a monster in the rivers of Japan that reveals the reality behind these horrific tales? He is about to find out.

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Chainsaw Predator
star
8.06
178 votes

#10 - Chainsaw Predator

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/1/2011

Jeremy Wade heads to a remote river in the Australian Outback to try and catch the rare but fearsome freshwater sawfish. This shadowy predator is reputed to reach 18 feet long and attacks boats — but does the fact that it could slash Jeremy to shreds make it a killer? And why is this bizarre-looking sea monster swimming hundreds of miles inland?

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Amazon Apocalypse
star
8.05
131 votes

#11 - Amazon Apocalypse

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/6/2014

Looks back at one of the Amazon’s largest maritime disasters, the sinking of the Sobra Santos. Witnesses and surviving passengers retell the story of the event, in which as many as 200 passengers lost their lives. Something in the water is being blamed for many of the deaths, and Jeremy Wade wants to find out what that might have been

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The Mutilator
star
7.99
256 votes

#12 - The Mutilator

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/10/2011

Jeremy Wade travels to Papua New Guinea to investigate a spate of bizarre deaths on one of the world's last great unexplored rivers, the Sepik. A creature there is tearing chunks from unsuspecting fishermen and devouring certain male body parts. Jeremy has never fished in this part of the world and knows little of what might be there. Nothing could prepare him for what he discovers.

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Malaysian Lake Monster
star
7.99
149 votes

#13 - Malaysian Lake Monster

Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/29/2017

When two men mysteriously vanish on a remote lake in Malaysia, Wade sets out to track down the possible killer. Amid rumors of a giant fish on the loose, he follows the evidence into the last stronghold of an old adversary: the one river monster that he’s failed to catch.

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Razorhead
star
7.97
187 votes

#14 - Razorhead

Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/21/2016

Investigating reports of a creature terrorizing the Florida Keys that is so violent it slices through flesh and breaks bones.

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Vampires of the Deep
star
7.96
70 votes

#15 - Vampires of the Deep

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/12/2013

On the Canadian-U.S. border lies a vast and brooding lake that hides a dark history. For Native Americans, it’s an ancient and sacred site home to underwater spirits. But recently, something has risen from the murky depths to attack swimmers and stories abound of a nightmarish invasion of primordial bloodsuckers. In a journey that will take him to the heart of a thundering waterfall in the Pacific Northwest, extreme angler Jeremy Wade embarks on a punishing mission to battle the most ancient river monster he’s ever encountered, and reveal the true identity of the Vampires of the Deep.

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Phantom Assassin
star
7.94
178 votes

#16 - Phantom Assassin

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/20/2012

Jeremy Wade returns to Australia's croc-infested Fitzroy River for one of his toughest quests yet — to catch one of the world's rarest fish. This shark is so elusive it was only discovered ten years ago, and so rare only a handful of people have ever seen it. Almost nothing is known about this endangered beast. Could it be a man-eater? The expedition turns Wade's knowledge of freshwater killers upside down as these animals seem to break all the rules.

Watch Now:Amazon
Ice Cold Killer
star
7.94
166 votes

#17 - Ice Cold Killer

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/1/2017

When a sea monster washes up on an English beach, Jeremy Wade sets off to unmask the beast. His journey will take him to the ice sheets of Greenland and the fjords of Norway, where he races against the Arctic storm threatening to end his quest.

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Silent Assassin
star
7.93
227 votes

#18 - Silent Assassin

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/24/2011

Jeremy Wade travels to the Paraná River in the remote northeast corner of Argentina to investigate the death of a young girl. Once there, he discovers a second death. The people who live along this river bank fear the creature they call "River Dog." This is a new species to Jeremy, a river monster that somehow got under his radar. His discovery is not only the most alien of all river monsters, it is also the largest totally freshwater river monster Jeremy ever has caught!

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Return of the Killer Catfish
star
7.92
129 votes

#19 - Return of the Killer Catfish

Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/15/2017

Jeremy Wade investigates a case in Nepal that sounds strangely familiar - a lone fisherman dragged off his feet and into a mountain river by an unseen creature. Could the original river monster, the goonch catfish, be back from the brink?

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Coral Reef Killer
star
7.90
205 votes

#20 - Coral Reef Killer

Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/8/2017

On the tropical island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, a tourist snorkeler and several local fishermen have been killed and injured by a mysterious sea creature that impales its victims; Wade travels to the scene to investigate.

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Colombian Slasher
star
7.88
98 votes

#21 - Colombian Slasher

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/5/2013

A honeymoon bride is dragged to her death in the Colombian Amazon. The most dangerous country in South America, Colombia is known for drugs, remote jungles and hostage-taking rebels. Jeremy Wade’s investigation is turned on its head by a crucial piece of evidence. He concocts a farfetched hypothesis about the bride’s death and in proving it he uncovers a little known method of killing which reveals the true horror of this tragic story. To complete the puzzle Wade pushes himself and his gear past the breaking point to understand what killed the bride in Colombia’s Rivers of Blood.

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Russian Killer
star
7.88
208 votes

#22 - Russian Killer

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/6/2012

The eerie disappearance of three men in far eastern Russia proves to be a baffling case for Jeremy Wade. His first visit to Russia takes him on a three-day trip to the Amur River where he seeks to uncover what happened to the fisherman and others who have met their demise on these waters. The prime suspect is a predator that can top a ton and exceed 18 feet in length — yet for some reason, not a soul will help him find it. Stonewalled at every turn, Wade begins to believe there is there a dark secret he's not meant to discover.

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Bone Crusher
star
7.87
117 votes

#23 - Bone Crusher

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/18/2014

Le pêcheur extrême Jeremy Wade est sur la piste d'un nouveau monstre marin après la découverte d'un corps avec des blessures très inusitées. Il découvre aussi une vague de disparitions et une mystérieuse créature qui patrouille dans les eaux.

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Flesh Ripper
star
7.87
205 votes

#24 - Flesh Ripper

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/17/2011

Jeremy Wade is on the trail of a mysterious man-eater. New Zealand's fresh waters have been a safe place for swimmers, yet as Jeremy finds out, its remote rivers and deep lakes provide refuge for an ancient and slippery predator that can stay hidden for more than a century. To flush one out, he must put himself on the menu.

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Volcanic Island Terror
star
7.86
188 votes

#25 - Volcanic Island Terror

Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/22/2017

On a volcanic Pacific island, an ancient fishing community is being terrorized by something unknown in the water that’s been leaving behind mysterious puncture wounds on its victims. Can Wade uncover the identity of this fanged assailant?

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