The Loch Ness monster is a Loch Ness myth. That’s the conclusion of the British Broadcasting Corp., which says a research team that trawled the lake came up with no signs of the famous Nessie.
photo credit: roblisameehan
The team used 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology to sweep the entire loch, but found no trace of a monster or any other large creature, the BBC reported this week.
Over the centuries, reported sightings of a big beast in the gray waters of the Scottish lake have led many people to believe it holds some huge creature.
Some enthusiasts have speculated Nessie is a descendant of a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that died out with the dinosaurs.
A series of searches has found no evidence of any such creature. A famous photograph of Nessie was later admitted to be a hoax.
The BBC researchers said they looked at the habits of modern marine reptiles, such as crocodiles and leatherback turtles, to try to work out how a might behave.
photo credit: David Plotzki
The BBC team also said the only explanation for the periodic “sightings” of Nessie is that people see what they want to see.
To test this, the researchers hid a fence post beneath the surface of the loch and raised it in view of bus full of tourists.
Interviewed afterward, most said they had observed a square object, but when asked to sketch what they saw, several drew monster-shaped heads, the BBC said in a program broadcast Sunday.
There have been reports of sightings of a monster in the loch since the time of Saint Columba in the 6th century.
Many who have reported sightings have described a beast similar to a plesiosaur, but experts say the most recent fossil of one dates from 65 million years ago. Loch Ness is only 10,000 years old.
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