The Loch Ness Monster: The Truth, Myths and Theories.
-Public domain/Wikimedia Commons-In the Highlands of Scotland, surrounded by picturesque mountains and lush green foliage, runs a loch famous throughout the world for what is believed to swim in its cold dark depths. The air of the place lends itself to an old legend, from the beautiful scenery to the crumbling ruins of Urquhart castle overlooking it all.
For centuries, Loch Ness has been a place of mystery and intrigue, but is there any real evidence for a monster inhabiting the lake? And if so, what exactly does it look like?
Sightings: Ancient and Modern
The oldest surviving record of a creature in Loch Ness comes from the seventh century A.D. manuscript written by a monk named Adomnan. It tells the story of St. Columbus, who came to Scotland as a missionary to the Picts. The natives told him tales of a creature who traveled the River Ness preying on the villagers. The chieftain, in an effort to impress this foreigner, sent one of his men to swim across the river to bait the monster to the surface. The creature rose from the depths in a whirlpool of foam and made as if to attack the petrified man. St. Columbus lifted his hands to heaven and rebuked the monster in the name of the Lord, then, hissing in anger, the creature returned to the bottom of the river, leaving the man unharmed. The chieftain and his followers were amazed by the power shown by the God St. Columbus served and the whole tribe converted to Christianity.
Note that the text was composed almost a hundred years after the supposed event, bringing the reliability of the tale under scrutiny.
The next important sighting took place in the 1930’s when a couple driving along a road parallel to the Loch claimed to have seen the lake disturbed by something playing close to the surface. An account of the encounter appeared in the Inverness Courier, taking the world by storm, leading to a spike in tourism and the modern Nessie fascination.
A newspaper called the Daily Mail went so far as to hire a famous game hunter, Marmaduke Wetherell, to capture the monster. All he managed to accomplish was ruin his career by “discovering” tracks that later turned out to be fabricated by a stuffed hippopotamus foot.
In 1934, a man by the name of Colonel Robert Wilson claimed to have taken a picture of the monster; this is the image that comes most readily to mind when we think of Nessie, the legendary monster of Loch Ness. Later, the photograph was confirmed as a fake by a deathbed confession from one of the men privy to the charade. The illusion was created using a toy submarine with a head attached to the top; then cropped to make the object appear larger. In recent years, many expeditions have been launched using modern technology like sonar in the hope of discovering the truth.
What is the Loch Ness Monster?
The real question is not whether Nessie exists, but rather what people are seeing. There are simply too many collaborating eyewitness reports to deny the presence of something curious in the waters of Loch Ness. Many explanations have been proposed throughout the years, both scientific and seemingly, mythical: from tree branches, to seals, eels, and even a circus elephant. It has even been proposed that waves created by passing boats, having bounced off the sides of the loch, might create the illusion of humps when viewed horizontally.
Is Nessie a dinosaur?
The most common theory centers around Nessie being a plesiosaur, a type of dinosaur that lived in water, with a long neck and flippers. However, scientists cite the cold temperature of the waters, limited food supply, and the supposed extinction of the species as facts against the possibility of cold-blooded dinosaurs living in the Loch.
I present a hypothesis that, if true, would explain many of the skeptical questions surrounding this theory. We classify dinosaurs as reptiles, because of similarities to modern lizards and therefore cold-blooded. However, a debate has raged for years on whether dinosaurs are neither but instead should be classified in between or in scientific terms Mesothermic. There are eight species alive today, including leatherback turtles, which fall into this category. In a recent study, “They (scientists) linked growth rates to metabolic rates, the measure of energy use that divides warm- and cold-blooded animals”(Webb). The bones of warm-blooded animals show evidence of a higher metabolic rate, because their bodies require more food to create the energy needed to stay warm. And likewise, the bones of cold-blooded animals show a slower growth rate and lower metabolic rate, which in turn means they need less food. The growth rate found in the bones of dinosaurs matches neither of these categories, but are instead somewhere in between.
So what does this have to do with Nessie? If a leatherback turtle can live, as a mesothermal animal, in the frigid Pacific Ocean, the temperature of Loch Ness is no longer a valid argument. And taking into account the indications above, a plesiosaur would have a lower metabolic rate and not need to eat as frequently as a warm-blooded animal, like how a snake can go weeks without a meal.
Let me reiterate that this is simply my theory and not fact. Loch Ness contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales put together. There is certainly room enough in its depths to hide a shy dino.
So, is Nessie real?
After more than a hundred years of searching, indisputable proof has never surfaced, and yet nearly a million tourists flock to the shores in hopes of seeing something, and many people have dedicated their lives to discovering the truth, believing with all their hearts in the legend of Loch Ness. My opinion on the matter is this: Nessie represents an aspect of the human mind, one that is intrigued by the unexplainable, the curious, and the queer. Do I believe that a prehistoric monster swims in the depths of the loch? I think everything is possible. But one thing is for sure; if someone believes in her, Nessie will always swim in the human imagination.
Sources
For centuries, Loch Ness has been a place of mystery and intrigue, but is there any real evidence for a monster inhabiting the lake? And if so, what exactly does it look like?
The oldest surviving record of a creature in Loch Ness comes from the seventh century A.D. manuscript written by a monk named Adomnan. It tells the story of St. Columbus, who came to Scotland as a missionary to the Picts. The natives told him tales of a creature who traveled the River Ness preying on the villagers. The chieftain, in an effort to impress this foreigner, sent one of his men to swim across the river to bait the monster to the surface. The creature rose from the depths in a whirlpool of foam and made as if to attack the petrified man. St. Columbus lifted his hands to heaven and rebuked the monster in the name of the Lord, then, hissing in anger, the creature returned to the bottom of the river, leaving the man unharmed. The chieftain and his followers were amazed by the power shown by the God St. Columbus served and the whole tribe converted to Christianity.
Note that the text was composed almost a hundred years after the supposed event, bringing the reliability of the tale under scrutiny.
The next important sighting took place in the 1930’s when a couple driving along a road parallel to the Loch claimed to have seen the lake disturbed by something playing close to the surface. An account of the encounter appeared in the Inverness Courier, taking the world by storm, leading to a spike in tourism and the modern Nessie fascination.
A newspaper called the Daily Mail went so far as to hire a famous game hunter, Marmaduke Wetherell, to capture the monster. All he managed to accomplish was ruin his career by “discovering” tracks that later turned out to be fabricated by a stuffed hippopotamus foot.
In 1934, a man by the name of Colonel Robert Wilson claimed to have taken a picture of the monster; this is the image that comes most readily to mind when we think of Nessie, the legendary monster of Loch Ness. Later, the photograph was confirmed as a fake by a deathbed confession from one of the men privy to the charade. The illusion was created using a toy submarine with a head attached to the top; then cropped to make the object appear larger. In recent years, many expeditions have been launched using modern technology like sonar in the hope of discovering the truth.
The real question is not whether Nessie exists, but rather what people are seeing. There are simply too many collaborating eyewitness reports to deny the presence of something curious in the waters of Loch Ness. Many explanations have been proposed throughout the years, both scientific and seemingly, mythical: from tree branches, to seals, eels, and even a circus elephant. It has even been proposed that waves created by passing boats, having bounced off the sides of the loch, might create the illusion of humps when viewed horizontally.
The most common theory centers around Nessie being a plesiosaur, a type of dinosaur that lived in water, with a long neck and flippers. However, scientists cite the cold temperature of the waters, limited food supply, and the supposed extinction of the species as facts against the possibility of cold-blooded dinosaurs living in the Loch.
I present a hypothesis that, if true, would explain many of the skeptical questions surrounding this theory. We classify dinosaurs as reptiles, because of similarities to modern lizards and therefore cold-blooded. However, a debate has raged for years on whether dinosaurs are neither but instead should be classified in between or in scientific terms Mesothermic. There are eight species alive today, including leatherback turtles, which fall into this category. In a recent study, “They (scientists) linked growth rates to metabolic rates, the measure of energy use that divides warm- and cold-blooded animals”(Webb). The bones of warm-blooded animals show evidence of a higher metabolic rate, because their bodies require more food to create the energy needed to stay warm. And likewise, the bones of cold-blooded animals show a slower growth rate and lower metabolic rate, which in turn means they need less food. The growth rate found in the bones of dinosaurs matches neither of these categories, but are instead somewhere in between.
So what does this have to do with Nessie? If a leatherback turtle can live, as a mesothermal animal, in the frigid Pacific Ocean, the temperature of Loch Ness is no longer a valid argument. And taking into account the indications above, a plesiosaur would have a lower metabolic rate and not need to eat as frequently as a warm-blooded animal, like how a snake can go weeks without a meal.
Let me reiterate that this is simply my theory and not fact. Loch Ness contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales put together. There is certainly room enough in its depths to hide a shy dino.
After more than a hundred years of searching, indisputable proof has never surfaced, and yet nearly a million tourists flock to the shores in hopes of seeing something, and many people have dedicated their lives to discovering the truth, believing with all their hearts in the legend of Loch Ness. My opinion on the matter is this: Nessie represents an aspect of the human mind, one that is intrigued by the unexplainable, the curious, and the queer. Do I believe that a prehistoric monster swims in the depths of the loch? I think everything is possible. But one thing is for sure; if someone believes in her, Nessie will always swim in the human imagination.
This was such a good article! Great job! Have you ever read ‘Hoax For Hire’? It’s about this family that is behind all the sightings of these mystical creatures including the Loch Ness monster and so this article reminded me of it!
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't. But it sounds like an interesting read, I shall add it to my TBR. Thank you!
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