Loch Ness Monster

:For the cryptography research project, see NESSIE.

Theories

Most accounts of Nessie's appearance, including historical ones, indicate a creature resembling the long-extinct plesiosaur. Actual fossil evidence for this Mesozoic creature shows it to have been physically large, with a long neck and tiny head, with flippers for propulsion. The alleged connection of this creature with the Loch Ness monster has made it a popular topic in the field of cryptozoology. However, most scientists suggest the idea that the Loch Ness Monster is a remnant of the Mesozoic era is highly unlikely; there would need to be a breeding colony of such creatures for there to have been any long-term survival, and coupled with the fact that plesiosaurs needed to surface to breathe, this would result in far more frequent sightings than have actually been reported (some animals, such as crocodiles, that need to breathe air intermittently, can stay underwater for extended periods of time by remaining still and conserving its oxygen supply). Many biologists also argue Loch Ness is not large or productive enough to support even a small family of these creatures. Moreover, the loch was created as the result of geologically recent glaciation and was frozen solid during recent ice-ages.

Related Topics:
Plesiosaur - Fossil - Mesozoic - Cryptozoology - Glaciation - Ice-age

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Other sightings, however, do not fit the plesiosaur description or even a water-bound creature: In April 1923, Alfred Cruickshank claimed to have seen a creature 3 m to 3.5 m long, with an arched back and four elephant-like feet cross the road before him as he was driving. Other sightings report creatures more similar to camels or horses.http://www.crystalinks.com/loch_ness.html

Related Topics:
Plesiosaur - April - 1923 - Alfred Cruickshank - Elephant - Camel - Horse

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Theories as to the exact nature of the Loch Ness Monster sightings are varied: pareidolia or misidentification of seals, fish, logs, mirages, seiches, and light distortion, crossing of boat wakes, or unusual wave patterns.

Related Topics:
Pareidolia - Seals - Fish - Log - Mirage - Seiche - Wake - Wave

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Very large sturgeon have been found in inland streams close to Loch Ness, and due to sturgeons' size and unusual appearance, one could easily be mistaken for a monster by someone not familiar with it. A recent theory postulates that the "monster" is actually nothing more than bubbling and disruptions in the water caused by minor volcanic activity at the bottom of the loch. This latter argument is supported to a minor degree by a correlation between tectonic motion and reported sightings.

Related Topics:
Sturgeon - Volcanic

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Some researchers, notably John Keel, F.W. Holiday, and Jon-Erik Beckjord, postulate that there are no anomalous physical creatures within the loch. Because of the complete absence of physical evidence, these researchers argue that many of the reported sightings can be attributed to hoaxes or misidentification of conventional creatures and objects. They also argue that a small residue of reported Loch sightings could be paranormal, or supernatural in nature, i.e., having a temporal semi-physical construction, similar to other anomalous phenomena such as Bigfoot and UFOs.

Related Topics:
John Keel - F.W. Holiday - Hoax - Bigfoot - UFOs

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