Could the Loch Ness Monster be a giant eel?
The mystery of the Loch Ness Monster may have been solved by researchers from New Zealand, who found that the loch contains “surprising” amounts of eel DNA. They found no evidence of reptilian DNA, ruling out past theories of a Jurassic-era plesiosaur. “What people see and believe is the monster might be a giant eel,” said Dr Neil Gemmell, from the University of Otago.
A GIANT eel lurking in the depths of Loch Ness may be behind sightings of the fabled monster, scientists have said.
The loch contains “surprising” amounts of eel DNA that could explain the enduring legend, according to the first study of its waters.
Researchers from New Zealand extracted genetic samples at different depths all over the loch in an effort to establish what lives within.
In a blow to Nessie hunters, they found no evidence of reptilian DNA, ruling out past theories of a Jurassicera plesiosaur. The findings also failed to support the idea that a large fish, such a sturgeon or a catfish, could be lingering in the depths, or that a wandering Greenland shark may be living in Inverness-shire.
But Dr Neil Gemmell, from the University of Otago, said that the “sheer volume” of DNA samples found in the study from eels “was a surprise”. It was possible, he said, that some of the creatures had grown so large that people may have mistaken them for a monster.
“There is a very significant amount of eel DNA.
We can’t discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness
Monster might be a giant eel,” he said.
“Divers have claimed that they’ve seen eels that are as thick as their legs in the loch.
Whether they’re exaggerating or not, I don’t know – but there is a possibility that there are very large eels present in the loch.
“Whether they are as big as around four metres as some of these sightings suggest
– well, as a geneticist, I think about mutations and natural variation a lot, and while an eel that big would be well outside the normal range, it seems not impossible that something could grow to such unusual size.”
Dr Gemmell also admitted that 20 per cent of the DNA came back as “unidentified”, leaving open the possibility of an unknown creature in the waters.
Juvenile eels, known as elvers, arrive in Scottish rivers and lochs after migrating more than 3,000 miles from the Sargasso Sea. The largest specimen ever caught was nearly five feet long, and Dr Gemmell said it was possible that a few may have grown “even larger” deep in the Loch.
Nessie hunters were unimpressed by the research, however, and declared that the search for the monster would continue. Steve Feltham, who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous vigil on the banks of Loch Ness, suggested the study “proved nothing”. “I’ll keep looking,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “A 12-year-old boy could have told you that eels live in the loch. These scientists are simply out to make a name for themselves. The fact is that people have seen large creatures here for years. This socalled study means absolutely nothing.” The story of the monster can be traced back 1,500 years, when Irish missionary St Columba is said to have encountered a “water beast” in a nearby river in 565AD. It was in the 20th century, however, that the myth was spectacularly revived. On July 22 1933, George Spicer said he saw “a most extraordinary form of animal” cross the road, leaving torn undergrowth in its wake.
The following year, Col Robert Wilson, a respected surgeon, claimed to have taken the most notorious photograph of the monster apparently rearing its head from the waters. The picture was later revealed to be a fake, and in fact showed a toy monster bought from Woolworth’s by Christian Spurling, a disgruntled hoaxer. Since then, a series of experiments including underwater vehicles and sonar have failed to find conclusive evidence of a monster lurking beneath the loch.
Tourism bosses insisted that the legend of the Loch Ness Monster was still alive, and would continue to attract visitors from across the world.
Chris Taylor, of Visitscotland, said: “This scientific investigation … will provide further insight into what lies beneath – but questions still remain, and visitors will, no doubt, continue to be drawn to the loch to seek the answers for themselves.”
There is no shark DNA in Loch Ness, therefore the fabled monster must be a giant eel. That’s what the conclusion of scientists investigating the mystery boils down to. Researchers have found no catfish DNA or sturgeon DNA in the water, so the monster could not be those. Eel DNA there is – and vole DNA. So it could be a giant vole (if giant voles exist), supposing that giant voles look like sightings of the monster. Yet there is much popular resistance to giant eels, because people have grown fond of the monster, giving it the pet name Nessie. They feel they could not love Nessie if she were an eel. But why is the question raised at all, in this year without a summer’s silly season? Is it to avoid confronting for a moment the real monster occluding all else? Even a giant eel is far easier to fathom than the Brexit boojum.