According to scientists, "Nessie" could very well be a giant eel.
This is the latest theory doing the rounds after years of speculation that the fabled Loch Ness monster was a plesiosaur, sturgeon, catfish, and Greenland shark were discounted. Instead, the latest studies point toward European eels which may have been mistaken for the Loch Ness monster as Prof Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from the New Zealand's University of Otago explains to BBC: "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."
Conger eels are known to grow to incredible lengths of 10 feet or more. The article goes on to explain how juvenile eels, known as elvers, arrive in Scottish rivers and lochs after migrating more than 3,100 miles (5,000 km) from the Sargasso Sea near the Bahamas, where the animals spawn and lay eggs.
Stories of the Loch Ness monster have been circulating for many years. In fact, one of the oldest stories is from 1,500 years ago when the Irish missionary Saint Columba had an encounter with the fearsome beast. Since then, the myths and legends surrounding this mysterious creature have spawned books, and movies and boosted a vigorous tourism industry in Scotland.
Some of the myths that abound are that the Loch Ness monster is some kind of an aquatic dinosaur like the plesiosaur or elasmosaurus. Although many sightings have been reported, none are confirmed.
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