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The Hunt for a Monster

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Does a giant prehistoric beast live in Scotland’s biggest lake? Legend has it that an enormous monster with the head of a snake is hiding in the murky waters of Loch Ness. (Loch is the Scottish Gaelic word for “lake.”) No one knows for sure what the creature looks like—or if it exists at all. But this past August, hundreds of volunteers were determined to find out. They took part in the largest search for the Loch Ness monster in more than 50 years. 

A Legend Grows

Tales about a shadowy creature living in Loch Ness have been around for centuries. But the legend really took off in 1933. A woman named Aldie Mackay claimed she had spotted a whale-like creature rolling and plunging into the lake for nearly a minute. 

Though many people didn’t believe her story, others were fascinated. They flocked to the lake to see for themselves. Over the years, hundreds of people have claimed they saw the monster, nicknamed Nessie. 

Many of those sightings turned out to be false. Still, some people are convinced Nessie is real. They often show blurry photos as proof. Those images help keep the myth alive, explains Adrian Shine, who has studied Loch Ness for decades.

“The more fuzzy or distant a photograph is, the more you can speculate,” Shine says.

Despite a lack of proof, interest in the monster hasn’t died down. Loch Ness has become a big tourist attraction. There’s even a Nessie-themed amusement park nearby. And monster hunters continue studying the lake.

Keystone/Getty Images

This famous photo taken in 1934 was said to be proof that Nessie exists. But it’s actually a toy submarine with a phony monster head.

Still Searching

Volunteers used high-tech equipment for their search in August. That included heat-sensing drones and a device called a hydrophone, which can detect underwater sounds. 

The search didn’t turn up any proof that the monster exists. But Nessie fans haven’t given up. 

“People want to believe,” Shine explains.

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