Loch Ness Monster

Loch Ness Monster
The "surgeon's photograph" of 1934, now known to have been a hoax[1]
Sub groupingLake monster
Similar entitiesChamp, Ogopogo, Altamaha-ha
First attested1933[a]
Other name(s)Nessie, Niseag, Nessiteras rhombopteryx
CountryScotland
RegionLoch Ness, Scottish Highlands

The Loch Ness Monster (Scottish Gaelic: Uilebheist Loch Nis),[3] also known as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protruding from the water. Popular interest and belief in the creature has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal, with a number of disputed photographs and sonar readings.

The scientific community explains alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster as hoaxes, wishful thinking, and the misidentification of mundane objects.[4] The pseudoscience and subculture of cryptozoology has placed particular emphasis on the creature.

  1. ^ Krystek, Lee. "The Surgeon's Hoax". unmuseum.org. UNMuseum. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  2. ^ Life of St. Columba Archived 17 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine (chapter 28).
  3. ^ "(Ann) an tòir air uilebheist Loch Nis". Am Faclair Beag. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020.
  4. ^ Carroll, Robert Todd (2011) [2003], The Skeptic's Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 200–201, ISBN 978-0-471-27242-7, archived from the original on 16 October 2021, retrieved 15 November 2020


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