The Daily Telegraph

Monster mystery

Science meets fiction in the quest to prove Nessie exists

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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.

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