Nessie: The Legend Of The Lochness Monster
The famous legend “The Lochness Monster” is a well known mystery that has puzzled people since it’s first sighting in 1933. The Lochness Monster is said to be living in the Loch Ness lake of Scotland, where it remains to be discovered. Nessie, the official nickname of the Loch Ness monster, has gained popularity by being photographed by tourists and locals. However, there is no way to tell if the images are fake or not. There are speculations about the existence of Nessie. Researches and Nessie enthusiasts have came up with some theories behind the monster. A common and most logical theory is that the legend of the Lochness Monster is actually a Wels catfish. The Lochness monster was first heard of when Romans found drawings of a beast-like
…show more content…
creature with a small head and flippers. The drawings were found carved on stones by a tribe called the Picts. These drawings served as the earliest known evidence of Nessie. A written account of Nessie can be found in Saint Columba's biography, which was written in 565 A.D. In his biography he saw a large creature about to attack a swimmer. When he saw this, he raised his hand and yelled, “Go back with all speed.” The beast left the swimmer alone and the swimmer was saved. The legend we know today dates back to 1933 when a couple saw “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface,” states the Inverness Courier, which wrote about the couple’s account with the monster. The sighting has made Nessie extremely popular ever since. Nessie continued to become more popular, especially as more eyewitness accounts were documented. Shortly after the first sighting in 1933, a couple reported that they saw a similar monster on land waddling on the road next to the Loch Ness shore. With the new sightings, people from all over traveled to the Loch to try to find Nessie. In all, there is was an estimate of over 4,000 sightings of Nessie. What makes these sightings a bit more believable is that the eyewitnesses were normal, respectable people. In
THE LOCHNESS MONSTER?
1950, Dr.
Constance Whyte wrote a book that collected all the sightings and people’s sketches of Nessie. This caused the legend of Nessie to be taken more seriously and made scientific research seem necessary. Throughout Nessie’s “existence” several expeditions were launched in hopes of uncovering and locating the legendary monster. The first attempt happened in 1934, when 20 men with binoculars and cameras stationed themselves around the Loch. They stayed there from 9 P.M. to 6 A.M. and repeated this for 5 weeks. Over the course of their stakeouts 21 pictures were taken. In 1970 hydrophones were placed in the Loch by Roy Mackal. Mackal, a biologist, retrieved the hydrophones after two days and had them analyzed. In the recording, there were a series of chirps and clicks. In the beginning of the 1970’s, a submersible underwater camera was put into the Loch in order to try to capture pictures of Nessie. This attempt was lead by Robert Rines. Several pictures came back with objects resembling the monster seen in Nessie sightings. In 1987, 20 sonar equipped boats sent out waves into the entire Loch. This attempt was called Operation Deep Scan. A large object was picked up by one of the sonars, puzzling the sonar expert Darrell Lowrance. Lowrance said, “There's something here that we don't understand, and there's something here that's larger than a fish, maybe some species that hasn't been detected before. I don't know." In 2003, another sonar search was conducted. 600 sonar
beams scanned the whole Loch, but nothing was detected or found. Rhines, in 2008, suggested that the monster became extinct. This would explain the lack of sightings and evidence picked up by the sonars. There are several theories of what Nessie really is. The most popular and favored theory is that Nessie is a plesiosaurus. A plesiosaurus is a cold-blooded marine reptile that is thought to have been extinct for 60-70 million years. Another theory is that all photos taken were actually just birds, otters, and fish. One theory states that the famous pictures were a hoax and were actually a toy submarine with an attached Nessie head to bob out of the water. One of the most popular theories, however, is that Nessie is a
THE LOCHNESS MONSTER?
Wels catfish. a Wels catfish is a large fish with a curved back. The fish is native to Europe waters and can grow up to 13 feet. Steve Feltham, a Nessie hunter, believes Nessie is a Wels catfish. Feltham has been searching for Nessie for 24 years. He has devoted his life to solving the mystery behind the Lochness monster. Feltham says, “I have to be honest. I just don't think that Nessie is a prehistoric monster.” He too believes that Nessie is actually a Wels catfish. Feltham states, “What a lot of people have reported seeing would fit in with the description of the catfish with its long curved back." A Wels catfish also resembles some of pictures taken by the sonar. This is the most realistic theory; it is logical and makes sense.
creature with a small head and flippers. The drawings were found carved on stones by a tribe called the Picts. These drawings served as the earliest known evidence of Nessie. A written account of Nessie can be found in Saint Columba's biography, which was written in 565 A.D. In his biography he saw a large creature about to attack a swimmer. When he saw this, he raised his hand and yelled, “Go back with all speed.” The beast left the swimmer alone and the swimmer was saved. The legend we know today dates back to 1933 when a couple saw “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface,” states the Inverness Courier, which wrote about the couple’s account with the monster. The sighting has made Nessie extremely popular ever since. Nessie continued to become more popular, especially as more eyewitness accounts were documented. Shortly after the first sighting in 1933, a couple reported that they saw a similar monster on land waddling on the road next to the Loch Ness shore. With the new sightings, people from all over traveled to the Loch to try to find Nessie. In all, there is was an estimate of over 4,000 sightings of Nessie. What makes these sightings a bit more believable is that the eyewitnesses were normal, respectable people. In
THE LOCHNESS MONSTER?
1950, Dr.
Constance Whyte wrote a book that collected all the sightings and people’s sketches of Nessie. This caused the legend of Nessie to be taken more seriously and made scientific research seem necessary. Throughout Nessie’s “existence” several expeditions were launched in hopes of uncovering and locating the legendary monster. The first attempt happened in 1934, when 20 men with binoculars and cameras stationed themselves around the Loch. They stayed there from 9 P.M. to 6 A.M. and repeated this for 5 weeks. Over the course of their stakeouts 21 pictures were taken. In 1970 hydrophones were placed in the Loch by Roy Mackal. Mackal, a biologist, retrieved the hydrophones after two days and had them analyzed. In the recording, there were a series of chirps and clicks. In the beginning of the 1970’s, a submersible underwater camera was put into the Loch in order to try to capture pictures of Nessie. This attempt was lead by Robert Rines. Several pictures came back with objects resembling the monster seen in Nessie sightings. In 1987, 20 sonar equipped boats sent out waves into the entire Loch. This attempt was called Operation Deep Scan. A large object was picked up by one of the sonars, puzzling the sonar expert Darrell Lowrance. Lowrance said, “There's something here that we don't understand, and there's something here that's larger than a fish, maybe some species that hasn't been detected before. I don't know." In 2003, another sonar search was conducted. 600 sonar
beams scanned the whole Loch, but nothing was detected or found. Rhines, in 2008, suggested that the monster became extinct. This would explain the lack of sightings and evidence picked up by the sonars. There are several theories of what Nessie really is. The most popular and favored theory is that Nessie is a plesiosaurus. A plesiosaurus is a cold-blooded marine reptile that is thought to have been extinct for 60-70 million years. Another theory is that all photos taken were actually just birds, otters, and fish. One theory states that the famous pictures were a hoax and were actually a toy submarine with an attached Nessie head to bob out of the water. One of the most popular theories, however, is that Nessie is a
THE LOCHNESS MONSTER?
Wels catfish. a Wels catfish is a large fish with a curved back. The fish is native to Europe waters and can grow up to 13 feet. Steve Feltham, a Nessie hunter, believes Nessie is a Wels catfish. Feltham has been searching for Nessie for 24 years. He has devoted his life to solving the mystery behind the Lochness monster. Feltham says, “I have to be honest. I just don't think that Nessie is a prehistoric monster.” He too believes that Nessie is actually a Wels catfish. Feltham states, “What a lot of people have reported seeing would fit in with the description of the catfish with its long curved back." A Wels catfish also resembles some of pictures taken by the sonar. This is the most realistic theory; it is logical and makes sense.