ANIMAL PLANET'S BEST PERFORMING SERIES "RIVER MONSTERS" EXPLORES THE MYSTERIES OF THE OCEAN IN A SPECIAL SEASON BEGINNING THURSDAY, APRIL 7 AT 9 PM (ET/PT)

- Biologist, Explorer and Extreme Angler Jeremy Wade Dives Deep into the Depths of Deadly and Unforgiving Oceans to Confront Salt Water Monsters -

(New York) - Freshwater detective, biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade has spent three decades traveling the world's waterways in search of man-eaters that lurk beneath the surface of rivers and lakes in some of the most inhospitable locations in the world. Now, Jeremy will use his unparalleled knowledge to dive into a realm that is totally unknown to him and RIVER MONSTERS viewers - the vastness of the planet's oceans. On Thursday, April 7 at 9 PM (ET/PT), Animal Planet's #1 series, RIVER MONSTERS, returns for an eighth season devoted entirely to legends and myths of beasts that dwell in the mysteries of the ocean. Immediately following the premiere episode, Animal Planet executive producer Lisa Lucas gets rare, personal insight into the man behind RIVER MONSTERS, when she sits down with Jeremy in the RIVER MONSTERS AFTERSHOW, featuring exclusive content, a peek into Jeremy's life at home in England and behind-the-scenes stories from Animal Planet's most popular series.

Season eight sends Jeremy on epic adventures to investigate what creatures are responsible for deadly attacks involving underwater predators and unsolved disappearances. In the season premiere, "Deep Sea Demon," Jeremy tackles the legend behind one of the most enduring sea monsters in history - the sea serpent. This investigation leads Jeremy on a journey from the English Channel to Thailand and France, culminating in one of the most incredible encounters of his life. Later in the season, Jeremy travels to exotic locations including Peru, Australia, Mexico and the Bahamas in search of deep sea killers.

"It's been 30 years since I caught my first river monster and in that moment, my interest in underwater creatures became an obsession," explains Wade. "This season, I'm completely out of my comfort zone and not only relying on my expertise, but also my wildest imagination as I investigate unworldly accounts of myths and legends that inhabit our oceans. Needless to say, I'm eager to jump into the briny deep and come face to face with an entirely new set of aquatic monsters that I've never encountered before."

RIVER MONSTERS episodes this season include the following:

Deep Sea Demon: Jeremy ventures from the UK to Southeast Asia on a trail of clues in search of the mythological sea serpent. Throughout the incredibly difficult journey, Jeremy pushes himself to the absolute limit, but will his freshwater knowledge be enough to tackle this monster of the deep or will he end up in Davy Jones's Locker?

Terror in Paradise: Jeremy travels to the Bahamas after hearing tales of swimmers being ripped from the surface of blue holes surrounding the paradise island. The locals attribute the tragic disappearances to the legendary Lusca monster and it's up to Jeremy to unravel the myth of this horrifying hybrid monster fish by diving deep into its underwater lair.

Devil of the Deep: A chilling report of mutilated dead bodies ravaged by a mysterious ocean creature sends Jeremy on a dangerous mission from the Sea of Cortez in Mexico to Peru where he discovers a deep sea devil.

Razorhead: Terrifying reports surface of a creature terrorizing one of the most popular vacation destinations on the East Coast - the Florida Keys. With witness accounts of a beast so violent that it slices through flesh and even breaks bones, Jeremy sets off to the Sunshine State to find out what is triggering these unusual attacks.

Death Down Under: Jeremy travels to the scene of an ocean aircraft crash in Australia that left a group of Aboriginal elders brutally murdered almost without a trace. He embarks on one of his toughest investigations ever, taking on some of the deadliest animals on the planet in order to track down this elusive killer.

SPECIALS

Into the Ocean: In this special episode, Jeremy charts the journey that has taken him from freshwater rivers into the heart of the big blue and revisits the extraordinary and deadly monsters he has encountered along the way.

Secrets at Sea: What does it take to produce an episode of RIVER MONSTERS? In this special episode, viewers will witness what goes on behind the scenes with Jeremy and the crew as the series is filmed around the world in the most exotic, and often hostile locations on the planet.

Invisible Killers: Jeremy has tracked down freshwater killers for 30 years, but now he's discovered that he was sharing those waters with darker, deadlier creatures - parasites. Faced with the fact that he might be harboring his own undetected killer, Jeremy undergoes specialized tests at the world's first school of tropical medicine and embarks on one of his most disturbing missions ever as he returns to the Amazon to hunt down the victims of horrific invisible predators that could very well be living inside him.

Blood River: Jeremy looks back at his fishing expeditions in the Congo River in Africa. From catching the fearsome Goliath Tigerfish to a catfish so powerful that it could possibly drag someone to their death, Jeremy revisits his journey to one of the most dangerous rivers on the planet.

Deadly Superstitions: Jeremy's adventures have brought him an impressive haul of freshwater monsters, but his angling investigations have also immersed him in unique cultures around the globe. Jeremy looks back at some of the most memorable moments in his fishing career and asks if unseen forces could explain some of his greatest catches.

Killer Discoveries: The pressure is on as Jeremy joins scientific teams around the globe to help catch rare and dangerous specimens for vital research and new insight. Tagging freshwater monsters to map migrations, myth-busting age-old legends and even helping change environmental laws, Jeremy's work has never been so important. In this special episode, Jeremy looks back at the scientific collaborations that have had the most impact on his career and reveals new data from the teams he's worked with throughout the past seven seasons.

RIVER MONSTERS is a co-production of Icon Films and Animal Planet. Harry Marshall, Laura Marshall and Nicholas White 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.

The first five seasons of RIVER MONSTERS are available for purchase at AnimalPlanetStore.com. All seven seasons are available for download at iTunes and Amazon Instant Video. Jeremy 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.