Rumors have abounded over the decades about a strange creature living in the waters of Loch Ness, but little evidence has been found to support these claims.
One of the first sightings, which is believed to have fueled modern Nessie fever, occurred on May 2, 1933.
On this date, the Inverness Courier published a story about a local couple who claim to have seen “a huge animal rolling and sinking on the surface.”
Another famous sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson.
Later, one of the participants, Chris Spurling, revealed that it was a hoax and, on his deathbed, revealed that the images were a montage.
Other sightings: James Gray’s photograph from 2001, when he and his friend Peter Levings were fishing in the lake, while the namesake Hugh Gray’s blurry photograph of what appears to be a large sea creature was published in the Daily Express in 1933 .
Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London doctor, captured possibly the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster. The surgeon’s photograph was published in the Daily Mail on April 21, 1934; however, it was later proven to be false.
The first sighting of the monster is said to have been made in 565 AD by the Irish missionary Saint Columba when he encountered a giant beast in the River Ness.
But no one has ever found a satisfactory explanation for the sightings, although in 2019, ‘Nessie expert’ Steve Feltham, who has spent 24 years observing the lake, said he thought it was actually a giant catfish, native to nearby. the Baltic and Caspian seas in Europe.
An online log lists more than 1,000 total Nessie sightings, created by Mr Campbell, the man behind the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and is available at www.lochnesssightings.com.
So what could explain these mysterious sightings?
Many Nessie witnesses have mentioned large crocodile-like shields placed over the creature’s spine, leading some to believe that an escaped amphibian may be the culprit.
Sturgeons, native fish, can also weigh several hundred pounds and have striated backs, making them almost reptile-like.
Some believe that Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur, like an elasmosaur, that somehow survived when all other dinosaurs were exterminated.
Others say the sightings are due to Scots pine trees dying and falling into the lake, before quickly flooding and sinking.
While submerged, the botanical chemicals begin to trap small air bubbles.
Over time, enough gather to propel the trunk upward as deep pressures begin to alter its shape, giving the appearance of an animal rising for air.