Loch Ness Monster

                                  

World famous lake monster said to live in the cold, dark depths of Loch Ness in Scotland. The Loch Ness Monster is possibly the most well known cryptozoological creature in the world with thousands of tourists flocking to the loch each year to see if they can catch a glimpse of the elusive beast.

History

One of the earliest reported sightings of the monster was over 1400 years ago when St. Columba commanded the beast to retreat after it had attacked several people in the River Ness.

Modern sightings begun in ernest in the 1930's. In 1933 a family driving their car along the edge of Loch Ness encountered a large lumbering beast crossing the road in front of them. In 1934 surgeon Robert Kenneth Wilson took a photograph of the creature in the Loch that became the most famous image of the monster - showing a long slender neck and head protruding from the depths. For decades the picture was thought to be the most convincing piece of evidence for its existence until it was finally revealed to be a fake, the surgeon had actually taken a photograph of a model neck and head mounted on a toy submarine.

Theories

There are many theories surrounding the Loch Ness Monster legend. One enduring idea is that it is a relic from the dinosaur age, a plesiosaur, however without a viable population it seems unlikely that such a creature could exist there. Another enduring theory is that the monster doesn't exist and that sightings of the creature can simply be put down to people looking too hard for something that isn't there and interpreting everything from wakes in the water to floating logs as evidence of the beast