The mystery of Loch Ness is one of the most popular legends of modern times. This location is one of the most visited tourist spots in Scotland. The colorful tale of a large creature existing in this deep, cold lake in northern Scotland is centuries old but became popular in the 1930's. Interest has peaked in modern times with expensive expeditions and constant surveillance to solve the mystery. The main support for the creature's existence is the thousands of eyewitness accounts. However, they are not consistent with the description of a single type of animal.
Explanations for the enigma of Loch Ness are numerous and varied. The most popular is that "Nessie" is a plesiosaur that, contrary to fossil evidence, would have had to survive the major extinction event 65 million years ago - an extremely unlikely situation. Many other animals have been proposed to be living in the Loch to account for the sightings - giant eels, sturgeons, primitive whales and seals. Also, certain ecological or geological conditions have been proposed to explain strange sightings. Most sightings could simply be misinterpretation of boat waves or floating debris. Several so-called authentic photos have been exposed as hoaxes. Other "evidence" from film has been too indistinct to be very useful. There have been some scientific investigations into the nature of the loch and it's inhabitants over the past several decades. But, even after all this inquiry and study, experts have yet to produce any solid evidence of a "monster" living in the loch.
- Sharon Hill (Scientist) |
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