EXTREME ANGLER JEREMY WADE TRAVELS TO THE AMAZON TO EMBARK ON HIS LONGEST AND MOST DANGEROUS JOURNEY YET IN NEW SEASON OF "RIVER MONSTERS"

-- Animal Planet's #1 Series Returns with an All South American Adventure --

-- And in a Rare Encounter, Jeremy Tangles with a Freshwater Foe That Isn't a Fish! --

A river this dangerous won't give up its secrets without a fight...

Animal Planet's best-performing series ever for five years is back, and freshwater detective, biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade is taking viewers along on the mysterious adventure of a lifetime. Six brand-new episodes of the sixth season of RIVER MONSTERS return on Sunday, April 6, at 9 PM (ET/PT) with a special two-hour premiere called "Amazon Apocalypse." Re-told by witnesses and passengers who survived the sinking of the Sobra Santos, it's a horrific and poignant story of one of the Amazon's largest maritime disasters. That night, as many as 200 passengers lost their lives, and something in the water is being blamed for many of the deaths. Wade is hell bent on finding out what is was... or is.

This season is one of Wade's most challenging. He travels to locations so remote to solve mysteries so bizarre that he must dedicate an entire year in South America to catch the freshwater culprits thought to be behind human attacks. From the politically charged intersection of Brazil, Colombia and Peru, to the remote and secluded home of a rainforest tribe, Wade is crisscrossing the continent to tackle each incident and reel in each dangerous catch. While freshwater fish are normally on his suspects list, on one hunt, he forgoes rod and reel going deep underwater into a creature's lair to catch the culprit that is most definitely not a fish!

"I've been fishing the world for decades, but it's the Amazon that keeps calling me back," notes Wade. "Now, I'm returning to solve the mission of a lifetime to spend an entire year going farther, deeper and more remote than I've even been before."

This season's thrilling mysteries include the following:

· Amazon Apocalypse: After more than 200 passengers perished on a river boat on a pitch-black night and rumors circulated that something picked off survivors in the water as they attempted to get to shore, Wade is on the hunt to find out exactly what fish was behind this massive attack.

· Man-Eating Monster: Locals call it the lau-lau, a creature so huge it's said to swallow men whole, and Wade sets his sight on a specimen that is colossal in size and strength.

· Bone Crusher: When Brazilian locals uncover a corpse with highly unusual injuries and then an increase in missing persons cases are reported, Wade must confront one of his greatest fears to solve the mystery.

· Jungle Terminator: Three mysterious deaths in three countries lead Wade on an adventure where he must team up with a remote and secretive tribe that has a unique and death-defying way of catching these culprits!

· River of Blood: 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.

· Body Snatcher: In the remote rivers of Guyana, Wade is on the hunt for a potential news species and newest candidate for largest freshwater fish in the world - a legendary predator freshwater mermaid or siren that could be real.

Animal Planet's RIVER MONSTERS is a weekly murder mystery, following Wade's worldwide search for harrowing tales of man-eating fish with the hope of proving these freshwater mysteries as tall tales or frightening facts. Searching for a variety of aquatic attackers while navigating the globe's waterways, Wade has taken his life-long passion and turned it into a full-time career,. Wade's RIVER MONSTERS quests have him diving and reeling in fascinating and mysterious creatures - all alleged man killers...

RIVER MONSTERS is a co-production of Icon Films and Animal Planet. Harry and Laura Marshall 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 four seasons of RIVER MONSTERS are available for purchase at AnimalPlanetStore.com. All five 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.

Animal Planet Media (APM), 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. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 95 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.