ANIMAL PLANET'S #1 SERIES RETURNS SUNDAY, APRIL 5

JEREMY WADE GOES TO NEW DEPTHS IN THE MOST DARING "RIVER MONSTERS" EXPEDITIONS YET

- Host, Jeremy Wade Dives Into Murky Depths to Face His Man-Eating Foes Eye-to-Eye -

- In the Season Finale, Wade Goes Fishing in the Jurassic Past in an All-New "River Monsters: Prehistoric Terror" Special to Find Some of the Most Horrifying Monsters of All Time -

Animal Planet's best-performing series returns with the most daring RIVER MONSTERS expeditions to-date. Jeremy Wade, freshwater detective, biologist and extreme angler, is breaking the surface and diving into the lairs of aquatic beasts with six brand-new episodes of the seventh season of RIVER MONSTERS, premiering Sunday, April 5, at 9 PM (ET/PT).In the RIVER MONSTERS season finale, Wade travels back in time to uncover the greatest river monster that ever lived in the ground-breaking special RIVER MONSTERS: PREHISTORIC TERROR, premiering in late May during Animal Planet's fourth annual MONSTER WEEK.

Season seven is full of unexplored realms for Wade - both emotional and physical. In the season premiere, "Canadian Horror," he seeks to find the reason why boaters and fisherman are vanishing into thin air. The accused beast is described as a giant eel-like serpent and a fruitless search for this elusive predator sends Jeremy close to the edge. After nearly 13,000 casts, his determination borders on obsession as he waits for just one fated bite. Multiple setbacks and volatile weather have Jeremy looking to native spirits for a boost in confidence. Do monstrous captures come to those who wait, or is Jeremy hanging up his rod with the mystery unsolved for the first time in RIVER MONSTERS history?

Later in the season, Wade dives into the Okavango Delta in Botswana to face the aggressive tigerfish in its own environment - underwater in the river's depths, alongside killer crocodiles. In Cambodia, Wade finds a deceivingly adorable little fish may be responsible for slicing through a young man's testicle. Jeremy makes himself shark bait in Alaska's icy waters to prove that these particular fish won't attack a human - even if that human is diving right into the middle of a feeding frenzy. There's trouble in paradise with news stories of an unknown freshwater killer in Fiji. Wade has a fish he's met before in his crosshairs, but his search soon turns to a fierce predator that has never found its way on to his suspect list.

"Having trained to dive 20 years ago in the cold waters around the UK, I am now taking that skill and combining it with my unique knowledge of fish behavior around the world," explains Wade. "This season, I'm heading back to a few places I have been eager to revisit, searching for species that have thwarted me. I'll also face a number of RIVER MONSTERS face-to-face in their own environment - and all of them are not fish."

Just when viewers think Jeremy has caught almost every river monster alive, he is fishing in the past for the epic special RIVER MONSTERS: PREHISTORIC TERROR, premiering during MONSTER WEEK. Wade calls on the same instincts he uses to catch living monsters to uncover the most deadly underwater giants of all time. He must read the water (and in some cases the land) for clues in order to bring long-forgotten beasts to light. Using Wade's keen understanding of modern-day monsters, top scientific discoveries and state-of-the-art CGI, the apex killers of the prehistoric era such as the 25-foot, buzz saw-toothed Helicoprion and the bone-crushing Dunkleosteus, come to life for the first time in RIVER MONSTERS: PREHISTORIC TERROR. Jeremy catches the cousins to these ancient terrors, including the bottom-dwelling Frankenstein fish known as a Ratfish or Ghost Shark, in order to make all the connections necessary to determine which of these RIVER MONSTERS is the greatest to ever live.

Season seven RIVER MONSTERS episodes include the following:

Canadian Horror: Ontario locals tell unbelievable tales of a stealthy, 20-foot serpent lurking in Canada's expansive waters. The search sends Jeremy close to the edge and his determination to hook this elusive predator borders on obsession.

Africa's Deadliest: Once again, Jeremy tackles one of the largest fresh water systems on earth - the Okavango Delta in Botswana, where he willingly makes himself into human bait 40-feet underwater in hopes of finding a pack of hungry tigerfish.

Mekong Mutilator: Jeremy ventures to the Mekong River in Cambodia after receiving a disturbing report of a bloody attack by a toothy predator that has sliced clean through a young man's testicle. The clues carry Jeremy to the largest natural lake in Southeast Asia where he ditches his rod for a native fishing custom and zones in on the freshwater pufferfish.

Alaska's Cold Water Killer: Recent reports of fishermen vanishing without a trace on Alaska's south coast leads Jeremy to America's Last Frontier on a mission that takes him on the hunt for one fish he's never hooked before -- the mighty king salmon. When the investigation takes an unexpected turn, Jeremy finds himself in shark-infested waters!

Serial Killer Serpent (wt): Mysterious reports lead Jeremy across the world to tropical Fiji, the last place he'd expect to find a river monster. Fishermen are coming under attack from an unknown freshwater invader, leaving their bodies bruised and battered. With stories of attacks capturing international headlines, Jeremy is determined to unveil what is causing trouble in the Pacific Ocean.

Prehistoric Terror: Using Wade's keen understanding of modern-day monsters, top scientific discoveries and state-of-the-art CGI, the apex killers of the prehistoric era such as the 25-foot, buzz saw-toothed Helicoprion and the bone-crushing Dunkleosteus, come to life for the first time

Animal Planet's RIVER MONSTERS is a weekly murder mystery following Wade's life-long quest to discover which finned suspects are actually man-eaters, and which are victims of mistaken identity or part of an epic myth. Wade travels the world's waterways in search of all the man-eaters that lurk beneath the surface. No river monster will elude him for long and he'll stop at nothing to solve every cold-case involving a murderous underwater creature.

RIVER MONSTERS is a co-production of Icon Films and Animal Planet. Harry and Laura Marshall and Steve Gooder are the executive producers for Icon Films, and Andie Clare is the series producer. For Animal Planet, Lisa Lucas is the executive producer, and Patrick Keegan is the producer. RIVER MONSTERS was developed and created by Animal Planet's Charlie Foley. RIVER MONSTERS: PREHISTORIC TERROR is an international co-production from Icon Films and Handel Productions, jointly commissioned by Discovery Canada and Animal Planet in the United States. Harry and Laura Marshall are the executive producers, and Andie Clare is the series producer and Dominic Weston is the Director for Icon Films. Alan Handel is the executive producer for Handel Productions. For Discovery Canada, Stan Lipsey is the executive producer. For Animal Planet, Lisa Lucas is the executive producer, and Patrick Keegan is the producer. RIVER MONSTERS: PREHISTORIC TERROR was developed by Animal Planet's Kurt Tondorf.

The first five seasons of RIVER MONSTERS are available for purchase at AnimalPlanetStore.com. All six seasons are available for download at iTunes and Amazon Instant Video. Wade's book, River Monsters: True Stories of the Ones that Didn't Get Away, is in bookstores and available online.

Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. Animal Planet consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, and merchandising extensions.