Of all the legendary beasts in this world, which is the most talked about, and sought out in cryptozoology and unexplained mysteries is the famous, Loch Ness monster. Commonly known as “Nessie”, this mythical beast dwells within the depths of Loch Ness lake within Highland, Scotland. Loch Ness lake is 24-mile long, one-thousand foot deep freshwater lake within Great Glenn which has been a potent location for this international celebrity who has most likely brought more tourists in than any other Scottish native.
The earliest report of a Nessie sighting dates back to 565 AD by a man named Saint Columba, who allegedly banished a ferocious “water beast” to the depths of the river after it had killed a fellow Scottish man and tried to attack his disciple. Pundits believe Saint Columba had encountered a typical marine animal, however there continued to be strange sightings. It wasn’t until the 20th century that this mysterious phenomena truly flourished. In the year 1933, the Loch Ness lakeshore road was constructed which began a flood of sightings that inevitably led to the creation of the Loch Ness monster legend.
In July of 1933, a couple reportedly saw a ‘most extraordinary form of animal’ cross the road in front of their car. This couple described the creature as 25-foot long with a bulky body, a long, narrow neck which was detailed as being a bit thicker than a elephant’s trunk with a small head attached. They did not see any limbs due to a dip in the road which obscured the creatures lower body portion.
In August 1933, motorcyclist named Arthur Grant declared he nearly hit a creature on the north-eastern shore at about 1am on a moonlit night. Grant described seeing a small head attached to a long neck, and when the creature noticed him, it crossed the road while diving back into the loch. Being a veterinary student at the time, he recounted this creature as possibly being a hybrid between a seal and a plesiosaur.
In May 1943, a man of the Royal Observer Corps, C.B. Farrel was distracted from his duties by a supposed Nessie sighting. He claims to have seen a large-eyed, finned creature which had a long body and neck that protruded out of the water.
In December 1954, a fishing boat, Rival III, made strange sonar contact. The ship’s crew noticed a large object keeping pace with the vessel at a depth of around 480 feet. It kept up with the boat for half a mile before contact was lost, and then found it again later. Numerous sonar attempts have been undertaken, but ended up inconclusive.
With over 3,000 similar sightings by human beings, Nessie had always been reticent with dedicated, scientific research teams. A most interesting find had occurred in recent years, using sonar equipment underwater caverns were discovered. These caverns were large enough to house a family of monsters, which was dubbed “Nessie’s Lair”. It has been agreed upon by scientists however, that a breeding colony of the Loch Ness monster were needed to perpetuate it’s existence. Nonetheless, numerous witnesses have reported more than one Nessie which supports these findings. Experts are clearly unaware of which species could be roaming the Loch Ness lake, however its thought to be a species of an extinct marine dinosaur which lived more than 60 million years ago, the plesiosaur. This dinosaur had large flippers, small head, a elongated body, which seems to be a very similar description to the mysterious Loch ness monster dwelling in Loch Ness lake.