subject: The Loch Ness Monster - Just a Myth? by:Ben Sleuth [print this page] The Loch Ness Monster is supposed to be an ancient creature that inhabits the 20 mile long Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is alleged to be a plesiosaur like animal and you may be very surprised to know that the legend of the monster dates back to the 6th century. The story though was brought to the world's attention in 1934 when Kenneth Wilson (a London Physician) published photographs of a beast with a plesiosaur type long neck protruding out of the cloudy waters of the Loch. Before this date the beast was merely a myth dating back to the 6th century when it is said St Columba (an Irish monk renowned for converting most of Scotland to Christianity) claim to have converter the monster to Christianity.
Since 1934 there have been hundred if not thousands of sightings including many on film. During 1962 The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau was launched with the intention to act as a research organisation. At first the bureau only light heartedly conducted research for a month or so but within 2 years they had a permanent presence at Loch Ness with camera stations with both video and still cameras. They also had vans than they converted to mobile camera stations and even underwater listening devices. They even have used submarines to search for the elusive "Nessie" but to date there has been no 100% proof that the monster exists.
If we look at all the reports and sightings of the monsters then we can deduce that the beast looks similar to a plesiosaur. Many reports state the monster has two humps, a long tail and neck and an almost snakelike head.
During the early 1970s again the Loch Ness monster story topped the world's headlines when an American, Robert Rines published underwater photographs which seemed to show a large flipper of a huge beast. Many though dismissed the image as simply air bubbles or even a fin of a fish. After this image was published one of the UK's leading naturalists announced in 1975 that the scientific name for the monster would be Nessiteras Rhombopterx1 which would enable Nessie to be registered as an officially protected species. London newspapers soon picked up that an anagram of the new name was "Yes, both pix are monstersR"
The debate on Nessie continues year after year and by all accounts will continue to do so for many years to come. Every year new sightings and photographs are brought to the attention of the media but none of these have provided concrete evidence that the monster does indeed exist. Many do suggest that the Loch is simply not big enough to support a colony of creatures, and as no material evidence has even been found they have a valid point.
Perhaps the biggest winners though of the Loch Ness story are local businesses close to the Loch as Nessie has become one of Scotland's best tourist attractions. For monster spotting there is no better location than Drumnadrochit as it not only has hotels just a short walk away from the Loch's shoreline but also many of the best sighing have come from the town.
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Drumnadrochit is an ideal location for Nessie spotting as it has many Loch Ness Hotels on the Lochs shore line, Drumnadrochit is the ideal location for your Loch Ness Hotel
