The Lochness Monster

Loch Ness Monster: Fact or Fiction

Loch Ness is the most mythical and imaginable creature in story books and scientific papers today. It is common in Scotland, to hear a story from an eye witness and hear the feat of their encounter with the beast. The beast included in uncountable claims and the beast of the story books. The most famous mythical creature; is it a dinosaur from the past, or another imagination the public of Scotland have taken out of story books? Does the idea of the Loch Ness Monster bring about memories of fairy tales and the stories that give life to our imaginations today? But, with endless amounts of witnesses and stories; does this raise the idea of a monster called Nessie. Life for many Scottish have become full of life from the fame of their little lake and neighboring villages. But could so many people come up with the idea of this conversation catcher, or a nation wide conspiracy? With evidence never-ending, and the stories unverifiable; does the Loch Ness Monster hold true? The Loch Ness Monster is true; covered in the media, scientific evidence, and the idea of national wide conspiracy unrealistic. With scientific evidence and the power of pictures, I believe this creature to have survived the ages and my evidence is soon to come.

Loch Ness is a deep, dark lake in the Highlands of Scotland. Loch Ness is twenty-four miles land and two miles wide. On either side of the dark, inky water are steep tree-covered mountains rising to heights of almost three thousand feet. Few towns have been built nearby because the weather becomes very cold near the lake in winter. However, a small city called Inverness is located at its northern tip. Breaking the European land's sparseness, the ruins of an ancient castle stand lonely guard at Urquhart Bay on the west side of the loch. The Great Glen in which Loch Ness rest is believed to be at least 300 million years old. Before and after the Ice Age, Loch Ness was part of the North Sea and gradually filled with saltwater. In time, the land began to rise, and Loch Ness was cut off from the sea except for the five-mile-long River Ness which flows out of the loch at its northern end. The saltwater disappeared because five rivers and a number of mountain streams pour a continuous amount of fresh water into the lake. But this is not clear fresh water. Instead the water is stained dark brown by particles of peat seeping from the local bogs. Peat is mostly moss which has changed to carbon through natural processes. Millions of tiny pieces of soft coal are constantly being washed into the lake. They make it impossible to see below the surface. Peering into Loch Ness, visitors do not see the bottom; they see only a few feet below the murky surface. Loch Ness is 925 feet deep in areas near Urquhart Bay. And more recent evidence may prove the Loch Ness to contain many deeper areas and crevices. Twice as deep as the North Sea, Loch Ness never freezes. However it is not warm either. The bottom temperature is an average 40oF, while the surface is near 55oF. The cold, slightly acid water of the loch also could hide the death of any monster living in it. In a warm lake, a dead body will fill with gas and rise to the surface. The gas is formed by bacteria feeding on the body and causing the carcass to rot. But the peat in the loch causes an acidic condition, and in very cold acid water, bacteria slow down. Instead of building up, gas escapes and the animal's body sink to the bottom instead of rising to the surface. Adding to the lake's ability to camouflage its inhabitants are the small earthquakes which occur on a fault line, a huge crack going deep into the earth's surface. Divers report these tremors have created large underwater cracks which could also provide hiding places. The loch has places near it bottom where the sides from overhangs. Beneath these ledges almost nay size creature could hide safely, perhaps detect able only by the most precise modern equipment aimed at exactly the right spot. For many years rumors have persisted that there are deep caves, caverns, valleys and secret passages to the North Sea in the lake. So farm the existence of these has neither been proven of disproved. Though the surrounding mountains are covered with trees and shrubs, around the lake itself few plants can be seen. But there are plenty of fish: big brown trout, salmon weighting thirty pounds or more, pike, char, sticklebacks, and masses of eels. While there would be slim pickings for a huge plant eating beast, a creature that ate fish would find sufficient food in the lake. Even if Nessie should come to the surface occasionally, it might not be easily seen here either. The blackish brown waters of the Loch Ness, when quiet, act almost like a mirror. They reflect shapes from clouds and flying birds. A darkish head, hump or fin might just seem another reflection. This constantly verified hiding place a perfect environment for an animal not wanting to be seen.

Almost everybody who hears about Nessie takes a guess as to what it might be. Many believe they have the key that will prove Nessie's real identity. Accusations have been made that Nessie is no monster or strange beast, but really a very ordinary whale or stranded sea cow. With no recovered body, being the ideal evidence, witnesses have all described unwittingly similar accounts and descriptions of its identity. The general picture of Nessie from these reports is of a dark creature twenty to forty feet long, with at least one hump rising above the water, a long, thing neck, and a small head. Although most sightings take place in the water, a few people say they have seen Nessie on the land. The swimming movement is smooth and perfectly displayed. Whales have been one of the ideas of Nessie's identity. True, whales can swim underwater and hold their breaths for very long periods of times, but eventually they need to retire to the surface. They breathe air as many mammals do, but a frequent visit of every 20-25 minutes. These breaths occurring to frequent for the sparse timing of reported sightings of this sea monster. Whales also eat a kind of saltwater algae, algae not common in this very acidic freshwater lake. Sea Cows are another fascinating possibility of this creature's identity. Very verifiable, but wait; sea cows this large were extinct ten million years ago. Nessie has been described as being as large as semi-truck and as long as a bus. In scientific terms, nearly 4 tons in weight and about sixteen to twenty feet long. Stellar sea cows were discovered by scientific fossils; that possibly could fit the criteria of length, weight, long neck, small head, and humps. Unfortunately, this fit ends because sea cows ate plants. Plants are no where to be found in any great abundance, at Loch Ness Lake. The most frequent explanation