The Loch Ness Monster is a large unknown creature that is believed to inhabit the Loch Ness in Scottish Islands. Though its precise description differs from one tale to another, it is largely believed to be similar to the other lake monsters found in Scotland or anywhere else around the world. The creature first captured the world’s attention in 1933 and since then, popular belief in the actual existence of the animal has been largely varied. There is limited evidence as to the existence of the monster since even the minimal photographic material is widely disputed.
The Loch Ness Monster is regarded as a myth among the scientific community who believe that the alleged sighting of the monster is based on misidentifications of mundane objects. Since the 1940s, the Loch Ness Monster has been referred to as “Nessie”.
The monster first appeared’ in 1933 when a couple claimed to have seen a pre-historic creature walking across the road with an animal in its mouth. The story was published in the Inverness Courier and resulted in a buzz with everyone trying to find out what the monster really looked like. Since then, several other letters have appeared in the Courier with anonymous writers claiming to have spotted the same creature either on land or in water. The stories circulated widely with different media labeling it differently – “sea serpent”, “monster fish” and eventually the “Loch Ness Monster”.
A motorcyclist claimed to have nearly hit the monster while he was approaching Abriachan which is on the eastern shore of the Loch Ness in August 1933. He described the Loch Ness Monster as having a small head and a very long neck that was slightly thicker than an elephant’s trunk. As soon as the creature saw him, it crossed the road back into the Loch Ness. He described the creature as a hybrid of a seal and plesiosaur.
Continued sightings of the monster have increased since then until 1963, attracting different people including tourists and workmen in the previously isolated region. After the completion of a road along the Loch Ness’s shores, a clear view of the water provided several motorists an opportunity to see the Loch Ness more clearly. In November of 1933, Hugh Gray took several photographs of an animal he believed was the Loch Ness Monster. Only one of them was developed which appeared to show an animal that had a long tail and a long neck on the surface of the water. Critics have criticized the photo saying it might be that of a dog attempting to swim towards the camera.
There have been several photos of the Loch Ness Monster taken by different people claiming to have seen the monster same as there have been several expeditions in the recent past to try and ascertain the authenticity of the photographs taken in the past of the monster. In 1994, there were revelations that the photographs taken in 1934 were actually a hoax and that there is no creature like that in the Loch Ness. However, this has still not dampened investigators’ enthusiasm of discovering the Loch Ness Monster. Whether or not the monster exists still remains a mystery.