The Legendary Loch Ness Monster
by Ishika Shah
Down in the depths of the Loch Ness lake of Scotland lives the
mysterious Loch Ness Monster. Or so it is said... The famous Loch Ness
Monster, nicknamed Nessie, has been puzzling many people for the past
century.
Many people claim to have seen it. The most common belief is that it is
from a line of plesiosaurs (a large extinct marine reptile) that
survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs around 65 million years
ago. Scientists say that it is just a myth and explain viewings as
tricks or wishful thinking. The evidence is unreliable and the
description changes on whose account is being looked at. Therefore,
scientists are still asking the question of “Fact or fiction?”
Sightings range from the sixth century to very recently. The
earliest recorded viewing of a monster in the Loch Ness area dates back
to 565 AD. However, this creature wasn’t brought to the world’s
attention until 1933. A Scottish newspaper published the story of a
sighting. A man named George Spicer and his wife had seen what they
called “the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I
have ever seen.” They described it as having a large body (about four
feet high and twenty-five feet long) and a long, narrow neck slightly
thicker than an elephant’s trunk and 10-12 feet long. The first picture
of what seemed to be Nessie was taken later that same year by Hugh Gray.
Countless sightings have followed.The Loch Ness Monster’s existence has been questioned time and time again. Numerous photographs have been doubted and proven wrong. Sonar has also been used to scan the lake for any signs of Nessie several times. Some have even tried diving in a submarine (which once ended with them finding a bunch of golf balls). None of these have provided reliable proof.
So far, we have no solid proof of Nessie. Whose side will you take until then? Would you like to go to Scotland to try and spot it for yourself? The mystery continues...
