Monster mystery
Science meets fiction in the quest to prove Nessie exists
1. A giant eel In 2019, researchers from New Zealand took DNA samples of Loch Ness and found no evidence of a prehistoric marine reptile or large fish. But they did find European eel DNA, leading researchers to speculate that giant eels may be living in the loch. 2. An optical illusion Loch Ness is positioned directly over the fault zone of the Great Glen Fault, a major fault line that causes the water to rise up in humps. Luigi Piccardi, an Italian geologist, discovered that monster sightings coincided with periods of strong seismic activity. 3. A folk tale The first report of the monster was made by Saint Columba, an Irish monk, in 565AD.
He is said to have met local people burning a man who had been attacked by “a water beast” which Columba repelled. The creature bears similarities to beasts in Irish folklore, such as the serpent-like Oillipheist.
4. An April fool In 1972, the body of a large creature was found in the loch and brought to shore. It later emerged that a man from Scarborough Zoo had dumped a frozen bull elephant seal in the loch as a joke to fool friends who were hunting for the creature.