At the Teso Dos Bichos excavation site in South America, Secona Indian diggers uncover
an Amaru urn embedded in the wall of a burial mound. The urn contains the remains of a
female shaman, which the Indians believe is sacred to their tribe. Bilac, a Brazilian-born
man acting as dig coordinator, tells Dr. Roosevelt, the American leader of the expedition,
that the urn should be left undisturbed. But Roosevelt insists it be transported back to the
United States. Later, Bilac participates in an Indian tribal ceremony and consumes a strange
liquid called yaje. Moments later, a jaguar-like form attacks Roosevelt inside his tent, killing
him.
At the Museum of Natural History in Boston, a night watchman discovers the body of Mr.
Horning, who participated in the archeological project. Dr. Lewton, the museum’s
coordinator, suspects that the murder may be an act of political terrorism. Mulder tells
Scully that the Secona Indians believe great evil will befall anyone who disturbs the remains
of an Amaru, a woman-shaman.
The agents question Bilac, who admits he objected to the dig from the very beginning.
Scully believes it was Bilac who murdered Horning, and not a mythological Jaguar spirit
sent by the Seconas. Later, Dr. Lewton is attacked by an unseen force as he works under
the hood of his stalled Jaguar automobile.
The agents search the area around the museum hoping for clues. Scully finds body parts
of dead rats wedged inside the engine. She suspects the animals were attracted by the car
engine’s warmth. While searching nearby woods, Mulder discovers Lewton’s eviscerated
remains dangling from a tree.
Mona Wustner, a grad student researcher, phones the agents with news that Bilac made
frightening comments to her. Inside the woman’s washroom at the museum, Mona discovers
rats trapped within a toilet. But when Mulder arrives at the museum, Mona has disappeared.
Scully, meanwhile, gains access to Bilac’s residence. She finds the liquid yaje inside a
ceremonial bowl, and reads journal entries indicating that Bilac has invoked the Amaru
curse.
Mulder discovers Bilac inside the woman’s washroom at the museum. He claims Mona is
dead, but insists he does not know where to find the body. Bilac is placed in a room guarded
by security men.
The agents find the dead body of Mona’s dog, Sugar. A veterinarian performs an autopsy
and discovers evidence that the dog had eaten a cat which had devoured a poisoned rat.
Mulder concludes the rats are trying to get away from something.
Bilac disappears. The agents suspect he escaped into steam tunnels that run beneath the
museum. Pulling up a manhole cover, the agents descend into the darkness. They discover
Dr. Lewton’s partially-devoured body parts… and dozens of ravenous house cats. Mulder
rescues Scully after she is attacked by a cat. But the felines give chase, and the agents
take refuge inside a room. As a sea of cats mass for another attack, the agents discover
Bilac’s body stuck inside an air vent. Realizing the vent is their only means of escape,
Mulder and Scully dislodge the body and make their way to safety. Animal control is
dispatched to hunt down the rampaging felines, but cannot locate them in the miles of steam
tunnels. Mulder receives word that the State Department is returning the urn to Ecuador.
THE X-FILES “TESO DOS BICHOS” #3X18
Original Air Date: 3/08/96
CAST:
DAVID DUCHOVNY as Special Agent Fox Mulder
GILLIAN ANDERSON as Special Agent Dana Scully
GUEST CAST:
GORDON TOOTOOSIS as Shaman
VIC TREVINO as Bilac
ALAN ROBERTSON as Roosevelt
RON SAUVE as Mr. Decker
TOM MCBEATH as Dr. Lewton
JANNE MORTIL as Mona Wustner
GARRISON CHRISJOHN as Dr. Winters
WRITTEN BY:
JOHN SHIBAN
DIRECTED BY:
KIM MANNERS
