Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, gained attention in 1933 after eyewitness accounts. The most famous photo, The Surgeon’s Photograph, was revealed to be a hoax. Attempts to prove Nessie’s existence have been unsuccessful, and theories range from a surviving plesiosaur to misidentification of animals or objects. Nessie has marketing potential and has been involved in hoaxes, such as the discovery of a tooth in 2005.
“Nessie” is a nickname given to the Loch Ness Monster, a legendary aquatic creature that supposedly inhabits the waters of Loch Ness, Scotland. Along with other creatures like Bigfoot and Chupacabra, Nessie is one of cryptozoology’s most iconic study subjects.
Nessie first gained public attention in 1933, after a chilling eyewitness account by a London resident was published in the Inverness Courier in Scotland. The witness claimed he and his wife had spotted what they could only describe as a “prehistoric animal” or “dragon” crossing a road near the Loch with an animal in its mouth. Similar stories from other eyewitnesses soon emerged, and Nessie began grabbing international headlines.
A year after Nessie first made headlines, the most famous alleged photograph of the creature made its debut. “The Surgeon’s Photograph”, taken by London-based gynecologist Robert Kenneth Wilson, depicts what appears to be a swan’s neck and small lizard-like head emerging from the waters of the Loch. Although The Surgeon’s Photograph has become Nessie’s most iconic photo, it was revealed to be a hoax in 1994.
During the mid to late 20th century, several attempts were organized to scientifically prove the existence of an unidentified creature in Loch Ness, including underwater sonar scans, 1962-hour land surveillance, and other expeditions. In XNUMX, a self-funded research firm, the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau (LNPIB), was formed. Despite attempts to collect physical evidence of Nessie in an organized and scientific way, there has so far been no convincing photographic or forensic evidence of unidentified animals living in Loch Ness.
Based on the surgeon’s photo and other sighting descriptions, many have theorized that Nessie is a plesiosaur that somehow survived the Ice Age. Opponents of this theory cite the fact that Plesiosaurus was probably cold-blooded and required warm, tropical waters; as well as the fact that a creature with the anatomy of a Plesiosaur would be sighted far more frequently than Nessie, as it would need to surface regularly during the day for air.
Those who believe that Nessie is a misidentified animal rather than an unknown animal have put forward various theories to try to explain the strange hump shapes and water breaks spotted in the Loch. For example, gray seals are sometimes credited with Nessie sightings, due to their extendable necks. Other animals, such as otters, large eels, and even swimming deer, have also been cited as possible causes of animal misidentification. Misidentified inanimate objects have also been blamed for Nessie sightings, such as fermenting Scottish pinewood from the bottom of the Loch, which shoots to the surface of the water when propelled by gas emissions.
Like The Montauk Monster, Nessie has been identified as having enormous promotional and viral marketing potential. In 2005, Nessie grabbed the headlines again after two students reportedly discovered a large unidentified tooth embedded in a deer carcass on the lakeshore. Further studies showed that the tooth was actually a horn and the incident was later revealed to be a hoax orchestrated to promote a horror novel by Steve Alten, titled The Loch.
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