Loch Ness monster believers and sceptics mark anniversary

edonline

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Hmmm, not exactly sure where I stand on this -- on one hand, I believe that large parts of the world, especially the waters, are still unexplored and strange lifeforms could exist but on the other, I also think that given all this time, some other "evidence" of Nessie should have surfaced (no pun intended) by now

Loch Ness monster believers and sceptics mark anniversary

Science festival symposium debates monster's existence 80 years on from first modern sighting


Loch Ness monster believers and sceptics mark anniversary | UK news | guardian.co.uk
 

Hoss

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It's only 80 years? I thought this had been going on for centuries the way it's always been talked about.

I have always wondered if it was real or just waves or some other thing going on in the water but one thing is sure, I would never actually get on a boat on that lake and take a risk.
 

Mr. Bungle

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I'm a sceptic - I believe that people are seeing many different things and mistaking them for what they believe is a large, prehistoric animal inhabiting the waters.. sturgeons, snakes, seals, driftwood, any type of fish that might happen to surface or create a wake, for that matter. The perpetuated legend of the monster causes imaginations to run rampant.
 

Matt_x

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Hmmm, not exactly sure where I stand on this -- on one hand, I believe that large parts of the world, especially the waters, are still unexplored and strange lifeforms could exist but on the other, I also think that given all this time, some other "evidence" of Nessie should have surfaced (no pun intended) by now

I recall seeing on the news that some fishermen in Asia had pulled out a strange creature in the form of Nessie. Very old dead creature I will try and link a pic..
 

ManofThunder

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If I remember correctly, Saint Columba wrote about the 'Loch Ness Monster' about 1,500 years ago. He was tasked with bringing Christianity to Scotland and while there, supposedly saw a creature appear above the water. I believe that's where the modern myth began. However, if I remember correctly - that was just a typical religious story where an 'evil beast' is repelled by performing some sort of 'water miracle'. That's what planted the seed of the idea, though.

Personally, I think a creature that seemed unusual may have been spotted at some point - by a genuine person. However, I suspect it only seemed unusual and was actually a whale or seal etc. When you consider that Loch Ness is connected to the ocean, a 'Thames Whale' scenario isn't impossible. It's also not completely impossible that a currently unknown, now extinct type of seal (or whatever creature) with green skin used to inhabit/hunt there in the middle ages - leading to many genuine sightings of a 'strange green monster' that has been exaggerated with the passage of time. It may seem unlikely that a simple seal could be viewed as a dragon-like, long-necked monster - but look at this jumping seal. From a distance, across a misty lake - that could be viewed as the neck/arching back of the 'Loch Ness Monster'. Over hundreds of years, an optical illusion and the imagination can do a lot.

Of course, modern people are aware of the legend and expect to see 'Nessie'. Also, 'genuine sightings' of the creature can do wonders for tourism. :wink:
 
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185248

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This has been round since I was way beyond a kid, and I'm nearng prehistoric :) There may be other goodies laying beneath the darrrrkish waters of ye ol' Loch, but if therrrre was a beastie once lurrrrrking, och, Iiiiiii, think she be long gone.
 

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Loch Ness has roads both sides and plenty of traffic. We now live in a world where every mobile phone has a camera. If Nessie were there we would have the photos by now.

The story of a travelling circus in the 1930s that used to let a couple of elephants swim in the loch might explain some of the early sitings. A swimming elephant doesn't show much above the water beyond back, top of head and trunk.
 
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185248

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Loch Ness has roads both sides and plenty of traffic. We now live in a world where every mobile phone has a camera. If Nessie were there we would have the photos by now.

The story of a travelling circus in the 1930s that used to let a couple of elephants swim in the loch might explain some of the early sitings. A swimming elephant doesn't show much above the water beyond back, top of head and trunk.

I bet the cold water would have made their trunks shrink.
 
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185248

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Thanks for the clean summary. If you get a minute, could you please go tell that to the ten inch dick people? :biggrin1:
---------------------------------------------------------------5---------------------------------------------------------------10

Looks longer if you tilt your head to one side..
 
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Matt_x

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Jason

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Plesiosaurs alive in the oceans are just about possible.

The reputation of Loch Ness has discouraged serious scientific study. The loch is deep and with very poor visibility, providing an unusual habitat of dark, cold, deep, fresh water. It is quite possible that it contains microscopic life so far unrecorded. Maybe Nessie really is there - just a whole lot smaller than we imagine.