Siriusly ~ Cryptozoology (Nessie)

Not necessarilly the only photo which shows the head of the mysterious creature, but certainly the most famous, if you've ever even vaguely heard of the Loch Ness Monster, you've probably seen this 1920s photo which appeared in hundreds of newspapers worldwide at the time, and has been almost everywhere else since ~ but is it valid ?

One of the men who snapped this classic Nessie portrait (left), recently admitted on his death bed that it was all a hoax from the very beginning. The world famous "Surgeon's Photo," he said, was of a home-made wire-framed sculpture that he and his friend had fastened to a floatation device. He went on to explain that he held the model in place from just underneath the surface, while his friend snapped the now famous picture from the rocky shore.

With respect to his "final confession," a few Nessie scientists have reasoned that it would have been impossible for the good doctor to have faked it in quite that manner. The photo above is cropped from a larger original that shows how very far the silhouette in question was from dry land ~ too far, some say, for him to have stood on the bottom underneath it. At that distance, he would have been swimming in meters of water.

Most witnesses report seeing massive black blobs that break the surface for just a few seconds, usually while fishing or out of the corner of their eye while driving along a coastal country road. Also, anomolous water disturbances and wakes have been reported, as if something as big as a train were just inches underwater. Many large, ominous, mysterious black humps (right) have also occasionally been sighted just above the surface, reminiscent of whales ~ but these shapes move as one creature, perhaps a giant eel, as some have supposed.

Loch Ness is very deep, and has many underwater caves which could serve as nesting places for the elusive creatures. If, as in nearby Iceland and Scandinavia, these caves lead to underground air pockets, Nessie could very well be a mammal, like a porpoise or a whale. This would explain its presumed feeding patterns and, when the waters are calm, the brief surface sightings (just long enough for a breath of air). Recent wildlife surveys were taken of the loch, and scientists found that it definately has enough fish to sustain even a medium sized "pod" of Nessie like creatures. It's a well balanced local ecosystem ~ and the billions of fish in Loch Ness are being consumed by somebody, or something, but not by Human fishermen. One other thing, there is a saying in the Scottish Highlands that may prove to be yet another tantalizing clue to this puzzle ~ "the Loch never gives up its dead" !

Proof of possibility is not necessarilly proof of life, however ~ or proof enough for most skeptics, scientists and laymen alike. The truth is that photos can and will be faked, regardless of the reality of the situation. Sadly, the only thing that will satisfy "the established scientific community" is hard physical evidence. Until then, despite all the evidence to the contrary, "there is no such animal" !

An ongoing scientific investigation, into the possibility of the existence of such large creatures living in Loch Ness, has produced a ton of fascinating (though circumstantial) evidence. While some scientists waited on shore in trailers equipped with state of the art electronic gear, others were in the loch, in boats and submarines, listening and watching for any sign of the elusive Nessie. Dozens of local residents also participated in the scientific event, forming a veritable fleet of Nessie hunters and combing the lake in a methodical grid pattern ~ during the time of year and in areas of the loch that the monster (going by statistics of previous sightings) was most expected to show its slippery head.

In comparing the 3D maps that they made from depth soundings of the loch's bottom, what were thought to be solid rocks or small hills (on the floor of the loch) actually moved, or even disappeared completely, from one night to another. But perhaps the most convincing evidence was the sonar readings which registered massive moving blips, alongside schools of fish in the wee hours of the morning, that ascended to the living clouds of food, then smoothly vanished to depths not easily readable by sonar. Other massive sonar echoes were also recorded, too solid to be schools of fish (and moving with definite purpose), descending at speeds that would be lethal to humans, even in a submarine ~ hence, it was not followed. Clearly the technology to absolutely detect such sea creatures beyond any shadow of a doubt is at least a few years away, just beyond our reach. Nessie has been ever thus.

During the expedition, an underwater robot seems to have captured a photograph of what resembles a fin in the murky depths. The shadow fits current anthropoligical models of a Pleisosaur, a water firendly dinosaur that was thought to have died off millions of years ago. If, when the glaciers retreated and cut off these waters from the open sea, creating a loch out of a strait, certain prehistoric creatures remained trapped ~ with no natural predators, and plenty of food to sustain a tiny population ~ we could be looking at a real Jurassic Park !

Many presumed extinct species have been rediscovered in recent years, especially sea creatures, from the Great Barrier Reef to Southeast Asia (watch this webpage for further details). Further investigation into the phenomenon can only help to clear up this mystery somewhat, and perhaps help us to better understand our planet ~ and ultimately, ourselves.