Scotland is home to one of the world's most famous cryptids. Although the world may have first learned of the Loch Ness Monster (Nessie) in 1933, there were reports of a large aquatic monster in the Loch as far back as 565 A.D.
Loch Ness is the largest freshwater body of water in Scotland. It is more than twenty miles long, and up to a thousand feet in depth, although it is narrow; no more than a mile and a half at its widest point. Formed during the last Ice Age, about ten thousand years ago, its waters were originally salty sea waters, which turned fresh over time. It is believed that perhaps the animals that had washed in from the North Atlantic had adapted to the new environment.
Loch Ness is at the northern end of the Great Glen, a geologic fault that has bisected the Highlands for more than 300 million years. The body of water is also part of the Caledonian Canal, which is linked to Inverness to the north, and to Loch Oich to the south.
Significantly, Loch Oich is home to Wee Oichy, the local name for a similar creature said to occupy Loch Oich.
Despite early legends, sightings of Nessie began to be reported widely in 1933, when a couple reported seeing an enormous sea creature "rolling and plunging" in the waters of the loch. The resulting newspaper account referred to the creature as a "monster" and the Loch Ness Monster was born. Within the next few months, there were twenty more sightings, and reports were appearing in most of the Scottish newspapers. After the newspaper articles began coming out, others came forward to report sightings going back to the mid-1800s, which had not been previously reported.
That same year, passengers on board an airplane flying over the loch reported a shape resembling a very large alligator, about twenty-five feet long and four feet wide.
A possible reason for the flurry of sightings beginning in 1933 is that a new road was under construction along the south shore of Loch Ness that year, which included blasting and the clearing of forests, which may have not only disturbed the creature but also provided an improved view of the loch.
Nessie is one of the most photographed cryptids, having been photographed and filmed several times since 1933. By the fall of 2003, there were at least seventy photographs, thirty-one motion pictures, and three videotapes that claimed to represent Nessie. Four people reported seeing the loch creature through live webcams at Loch Ness.
Unlike some other cryptids, most descriptions of Nessie are basically the same, although the size changes, which may indicate that there are more than one of the creatures, and perhaps a breeding population. In 1937, there were some sightings that claimed to have seen more than one of the creatures at the same time. They are collectively known as Nessie, or the Loch Ness Monster.
Separate from the sightings, there have been several photographs and sonar trackings of the Loch Ness Monster. As might be expected, some of them have been demonstrated to have been hoaxed, but others could not be so easily dismissed.
Roy P. Mackal, a University of Chicago biologist known for his interest in cryptozoology, wrote, in a book published in 1976, that there had been more than ten thousand reported sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, but that only about a third of those were recorded.
David James, a British Conservative Party politician, author, and adventurer, who founded the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, claimed that there had been a total of three thousand recorded sightings as of 1981.
In the 1970s, some underwater photos which, although they were not perfectly clear, one showed the upper torso, neck, and head of a living creature, and a horselike face.
Nessie also seems to have several relatives in other lochs and lakes in England, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America.
Whether these are large beasts that have been uncatalogued by science, living creatures believed to be extinct, misidentifications of known animals or objects, or hoaxes, topics related to the Loch Ness Monster are appropriate for this portion of our guide.
Recommended Resources
Up-to-date information and photographs of new and past sightings of the Loch Ness Monster are featured here, including a variety of purported facts, photographs, and sightings of the creature and technical information, as well as sketches, and sonar contacts. Topics include searching for Nessie, the hunters, the evidence, and a view of Loch Ness. Live web cams of Loch Ness are included, and electronic post cards with depictions of Nessie may be sent from the site.
http://www.nessie.co.uk/
Focusing on evidence for the Loch Ness monster, known as Nessie, the site features eyewitness reports, above the surface and underwater photographs, sonar, and theories relating to the legendary creature, as well as references to similar creatures who have been reported elsewhere in the world. A discussion of what type of a creature the Loch Ness Monster is include a reptile, invertebrate, amphibian, mammal, or fish. Guided tours, talks, lectures, a blog, and an online game are available.
http://www.loch-ness.com/
Detailing the personal study of the Loch Ness phenomena since 1967, the site is prepared by Dick Raynor, an amateur naturalist with more than thirty years of experience in photography and electronics, as well as work experience in underwater technology, diving, and submersibles. The site includes textual reports of the research provided, including photographs of his own, as well as other photos of relevant activities at Loch Ness. An online sighting report form is included, along with webcams.
http://www.lochnessinvestigation.com/
Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register
Set up for the purpose of receiving and disseminating sighting reports of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, the site includes a form that can be used to report sightings as well as uploading any photographs, video, or other evidence. Information on what does not constitute a sighting, such as boat wakes, eels, seals, otters, logs, and so on, is included, and both historical and contemporary sightings are reported. Acknowledged researchers, fakes, jokes, and hoaxes are included.
http://www.lochnesssightings.com/
The reference site features information and resources for the investigation of the famed cryptozoological water creature known as the Loch Ness Monster, as well as Loch Ness itself. Maintained by Adrian Shine, the site offers a more serious perspective on the subject rather than the lighthearted tone taken by most of the sites and even the museums that have been built around Loch Ness. Photos, video, dissertations and other published papers are presented, along with book recommendations.
https://www.lochnessproject.org/
In 2005, a pair of American students searching for evidence of the monster in Loch Ness discovered the carcass of a deer floating in the water and found a four-inch tooth partially protruding from it. Although the evidence was taken from them by someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer, they retained photographs that they had taken. More facts about the Loch Ness monster are offered, along with a discussion as to whether paranormal creatures are real or fake
http://www.lochnesstooth.com/
The biography, "The Man Who Filmed Nessie," is an exploration of the life of Tim Dinsdale, from his childhood in Imperial China to the interest that he developed in the Loch Ness Monster, conducting expeditions into Loch Ness over a period of 27 years, which resulted in some of the best footage of the cryptozoological creature, a sixty-second sequence of which may be viewed here. The validation of his film is discussed here, with additional information about his experiences on Loch Ness.
https://www.themanwhofilmednessie.com/
Online since at least 1996, the site serves as a tour guide to Loch Ness and to information about its legendary monster. Suggestions as to where a visitor should go in order to have the best opportunity to see Nessie are given, as well as to which of the several exhibitions are worth visiting, and which are not, where to stay. The site makes an argument for Nessie being a surviving plesiosaur, or even a herd of them. Reports, articles, a web cam and other resources are included.
https://www.lochness.co.uk/
Strangemag: Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster
Prepared by Mark Chorvinsky, this multi-page section of the Strangemag website presents an overview of the water creature said to inhabit the Loch Ness in Scotland, outlines some of the better-documents sightings of the creature, and introduces some of those who have dedicated a portion of their lives to searching for Nessie. Other resources include information about the photographic and cinematic evidence for the cryptid's existence, as well as introducing some of the better-known debunkers.
http://www.strangemag.com/nessie.home.html
Tony Harmsworth's Loch Ness Information Website
Devoted to the understanding of the Loch Ness Monster mystery, this site includes photographs of the monster, video, sonar, tourist information, and local accommodations for those considering a visit to the Loch Ness. A description of the cryptid includes details about the climate of the area, prehistory, and eyewitness reports of sightings. Folklore, legends, fish, and other vertebrates in Loch Ness are introduced, along with a variety of facts, folklore, and other details.
http://www.loch-ness.org/
