BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID

ANIMAL PLANET'S MONSTER WEEK SLITHERS BACK TO THE SMALL SCREEN MAY 20-27 WITH 24 PREMIERE HOURS OF ALL-NEW SPECIALS

--The Much-anticipated Follow-up to Last Year's Investigation, MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE, Premieres Sunday, May 26, at 10 PM --

(Silver Spring, Md.) -- Beginning Monday, May 20, at 8 PM (ET/PT), Animal Planet's Monster Week is back with all-new stories about the world's most legendary and mysterious creatures. Monster Week, a week so big it lasts eight days, digs deep into our fascination with the unknown and proves that there are still real monsters out there...

Perhaps the most haunting, lingering imagery from last year's MONSTER WEEK is the physical evidence linked to the existence of mermaids. In MERMAIDS: THE BODY FOUND, Animal Planet stunned viewers with captivating footage and an in-depth investigation of these fantastical creatures. Toward the tail-end of this year's Monster Week, Animal Planet revisits this startling, groundbreaking topic in the much-anticipated follow-up special, MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE, premiering Sunday, May 26, at 10 PM ET/PT. In an exclusive interview with Dr. Paul Robertson, former NOAA scientist who led last year's investigation, journalist Jon Frankel probes for the unfiltered story and reveals new evidence of mermaids that only has come forward in the past year. MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE follows a two-hour MERMAIDS: THE BODY FOUND The Extended Cut, which airs Sunday, May 26, from 8-10 PM ET/PT.

Also not to be missed this Monster Week is the RIVER MONSTERS season finale, when host Jeremy Wade takes viewers on an epic odyssey in search for the fabled, infamous Loch Ness Monster. Also, tune in to the network premiere of MONSTER SQUID: THE GIANT IS REAL, a first-of-its-kind special, highlighting the most ambitious search ever mounted to find the greatest mystery of the deep - the giant squid. Check out SWIMMING WITH MONSTERS, featuring episodes about the world's biggest snake, the anaconda, and the world's deadliest killer, the fiercely territorial and ferocious hippo. Stay tuned for DEVOURED: MAN-EATING SUPER SNAKE RETURNS and MAN-EATING SUPER SQUID, and prepare for an apocalypse of creatures invading beaches, attacking boats and ambushing humans like never before. Can they be stopped, or is this beginning of a monster Armageddon? Then, prepare for an assault in INVASION OF THE SWAMP MONSTERS and INVASTION OF THE MUTANT PIGS, world-premiere specials that reveal deadly Floridian reptiles and other invasive species in the Sunshine State as well as out-of-control wild pigs running amok in Texas. These mutant pigs have razor-sharp tusks and a taste for mayhem; they destroy farmland, attack people and cause highway accidents in suburban neighborhoods.

To commemorate Monster Week, Animal Planet L!VE, a 24/7 digital destination with live access to the animal kingdom, is bringing more teeth to Animal Planet's multi-platform experience with the debut of Piranha Cam. Launching in tandem with Monster Week, Piranha Cam features freshwater fish known for their sharp teeth and omnivore appetites. Visitors can get their fill of these often feared creatures from the safety of their living rooms, laptops, smartphones or tablets by tuning in for regularly scheduled feeding frenzies.