The Loch Ness Monster, The Legend

Loch Ness is in Scotland, near the city of Inverness. Loch Ness is a lake of fresh water, with warm waters in the surface and very cold in the depths. It has 56.4 square Km (21.8 square miles). There are some points where the depth reaches 200 meters , in addition to numerous underwater canals that flow to the sea. It's a lake surrounded by mountains, what makes it very shady. It is said that the Loch Ness Monster, also known as Nessie, lives there. The characteristics of the lake make very hard to investigate about the existence of Nessie. Around the legend, it has been created a commerce that benefits the zone: hotels, merchandising, souvenirs, photomontages... But the belief in the existence of a huge creature that inhabits the Loch Ness is not modern. The first reference to the Loch Ness Monster is in 565 A.C. A missionary called Saint Columba encountered a strange creature. Since then, the sightings of these creatures, both inside or out from the water, have been counted in hundreds. Currently, the mysterious creature is "protected" by the law. Following the descriptions made by people who witnessed the monster, it may be some kind of Plesiosaur: a type of marine dinosaur of the Mesozoic Era. It is described as enormous, with long neck, small head and fins. Scientifics deny both the existence of Nessie as well as the possibility that it may be a Plesiosaur. The reason is that these creatures need to breathe air frequently. If it was that way, the sightings would have been much more usual. In addition, the lake is not large enough to ensure the survival of these creatures. An opposite theory would be that these Plesiosaurs would move through the underwater canals of the lake. Scientifics explain these sightings of Nessi like simple mirages, light distortions, confusion with a wood in the water, seals, water effects, or even bubbles produced by volcanic activity. In 1934 some photos of the Loch Ness Monster were taken. But the same people that took those photos confessed that it was a fraud. In 1936, 50 people said that they have seen Nessie during 15 minutes, near the castle of Urquhart. In 1960 T. Dinsale recorded a short video in which a strange shape emerges from the lake. In 1972 Robert H. Rine said that he had been able to photograph two creatures similar to Plesiosaurs. There are hundreds of photomontages. It seems that the myth of Loch Ness is profitable for some, and source of jokes for others. Real or not, who knows? The dark waters of Loch Ness will continue, for many years, being an inexhaustible source of mysterious stories. -Emma Alvarez- © 2008 by Emma Alvarez. Link to this post without copying the text. Some Related Posts: If you liked this post, subscribe to Emma Alvarez Site or give yourself a gift Stumble it! Add me to your del.icio.us network