Destination Truth returns for Season Two on Wednesday, March 5, 2008, at 10 PM Eastern, 9 PM Central, 8 PM Mountain, and 7 PM Pacific, on the SciFi Channel.

Joshua Gates (R) displaying alleged footprint of Yeti.

The following are overviews of three of their cryptozoological episodes to be aired. The episode first up this week is on Josh Gates’ Yeti discoveries that broke last December, including an exclusive to Cryptomundo from Josh.

Yeti

First reported in 1832 in Nepal, the large, bipedal, shaggy yet manlike creature has been sighted ever since. Much as Sasquatch was seen around North America, his Asian “cousin” has been suspected to be wandering all across the land. The frequency of his sightings increased as more and more people scaled the Himalayan Mountains, notably Mount Everest.

While never quite captured on camera, people have spotted his shape and even what they believe to be footprints. Researchers have studied the reports for years and years, and several have recently begun to suspect that the Yeti might actually be a more familiar animal. Their principal argument on that point is that “yeti” seems to be a mistranslation of the word “meti” from the local dialect — a word that means “bear”.

Death Worm

The first recorded encounter with the Mongolian Death Worm was in 1926. Its local name is allghoi, which translates literally as “blood-filled intestine worm”. Said to be bright red and as long as five feet, the death worm is alleged to resemble a cow’s intestine with spikes at either end. Sightings of the death worm have been reported (but never corroborated) in and around the Gobi Desert.

The worm reportedly spits a yellowish poison that kills on contact. Other reports describe the worm as giving off a deadly electrical charge. Legend has it that yellow objects and garments can attract the death worm. It is reputed to be dormant most of the year, but in June and July it emerges to seek sustenance.

Tarasque

With a lion’s head, six stubby legs, the body of an ox, a turtle shell and a tail tipped liked a scorpion’s, the Tarasque is a legendary sea creature of Vietnam. In the Hulong Bay region, local legends say the Tarasque came from the home of the Onachus — a bison-like creature — and was the product of an Onachus mating with the Leviathan.

The Tarasque terrorized the Asian lands until Saint Martha came to charm it with hymn and prayer. When she led it back to the village, the people attacked it, and it died without fighting back. Its noble sacrifice helped Saint Martha convert the people to Christianity. Since then, like the Loch Ness monster, people continue to claim to see the head and tail of the Tarasque poking up from the local waters.