Loch Ness Monster
The world's most famous lake monster.
- Region
- Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, Scotland
- Documented sightings
- 22 on map →
Overview
The Loch Ness Monster — affectionately "Nessie" — has been reported from the deep glacial waters of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands since the 6th century, when the "Life of St. Columba" recorded an early account. The modern era of sightings began with the May 1933 Inverness Courier report of a "fearsome-looking monster" by George Spicer.
Identification
Most commonly reported as a long-necked plesiosaur-like creature 6 to 18 meters in length with one or more rounded humps, dark gray or brown coloring, and small flippers. Sightings divide between long-necked surface views and humped-back surface views, with sonar and underwater photographic claims continuing into the present. Loch Ness reaches 230 meters in depth and contains more freshwater than all the lakes in England and Wales combined.
Lore & Origin
Hugh Gray's 1933 photograph and Robert Kenneth Wilson's 1934 "Surgeon's Photograph" — later confessed to have been hoaxed — established the cryptid in popular consciousness. Major scientific investigations include the 1972 Robert Rines underwater photographs and the 2018 University of Otago environmental DNA survey, which found no reptilian DNA but high concentrations of European eel DNA.