Sightings of the Loch Ness Monster have been recorded since the sixth century. Some claim Nessie to be a descendent of the plesiosaur which has somehow survived in the loch. The legend of the Loch Ness Monster has proved to be one of the world’s most enduring mysteries – as well as a useful source of income for the Scottish tourism industry. However, a team of researchers from New Zealand now believe they have found evidence the mysterious beast DOES (or at least did) exist – but it is no dinosaur.
The experts from the University of Otago have been extracting DNA samples from different depths all over the Loch Ness and found no dinosaur-DNA.
The team also managed to rule out the presence of giant crocodiles, sturgeon, otters and seals.
However, Dr Neil Gemmell said he was “surprised” by the “sheer volume” of eel DNA.
Dr Gemmell said divers saw massive eels in the loch, which he theorises could have been mistaken for a massive monster.
The Kiwi researcher said: “There is a very significant amount of eel DNA. We can’t discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel.
“Divers have claimed that they’ve seen eels that are as thick as their legs in the loch, whether they’re exaggerating or not – I don’t know – but there is a possibility that there are very large eels present in the loch.
“Whether they are as big as around 4m as some of these sightings suggest – well, as a geneticist I think about mutations and natural variation a lot, and while an eel that big would be well outside the normal range, it seems not impossible that something could grow to such unusual size.”
Juvenile eels known as elvers make their way to Scottish rivers from the Sargasso Sea near the Bahamas, a gruelling 3,100 mile (5,000 km) journey, each year to lay eggs.
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“There is a very significant amount of eel DNA. Eels are very plentiful in Loch Ness, with eel DNA found at pretty much every location sampled – there are a lot of them. So – are they giant eels?
“Well, our data doesn’t reveal their size, but the sheer quantity of the material says that we can’t discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness.
“Therefore we can’t discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel.”