Mike Reed

Sea monsters and lake dwellers

July 13, 2007 |  2 comments
Image Credit: 2003 was crowned “The Summer of the Lake Monsters” by scientists because it was claimed that there were three times the number of sightings of enigmas like The Loch Ness Monster, Ogopogo and Champ. There have always been sightings of these creatures, but the world is still doubtful. Are there unexplained monsters living in our lakes and oceans? One of the factors of this subject is the reported sightings. Perhaps the most well-known lake monster is The Loch Ness Monster - or Nessie - which has been seen by countless people during its long lifetime. The first reported sighting in history was allegedly made by St Columba, in 565AD, who by making the sign of the cross, rescued a monk who was in the jaws of the monster. The animal then dropped the unfortunate monk and swam away. Sightings have been made by a wide repertoire of people who all seem to describe the same thing. BBC reporter Andy Cowan Martin claimed to have seen “…two very prominent sort of humps…” whereas Mr. Raymond Bain (a resident of Fort Augustus) was privy to “…a long neck and head, swanlike in outline…” These are just two of the many sightings. There are so many sightings made by so many different people that it would be the most sophisticated hoax in history if they were all lying. Scotland is not the only country with a resident sea monster - Lake Champlain in New York is host to a beastie known as Champ. Again, there have been sightings- Donald Brazee saw “Something dark in the water, with three humps…”

Skeptics point out that the people who claim to have seen The Loch Ness Monster could have seen anything. Many different theories have been prompted, including the slightly comical one that a circus elephant swimming in Loch Ness could be responsible for this photograph. Another suggestion points out that the loch is positioned over a fault in the earth’s plates and tremors could cause peculiar ripples on the surface of the lake that many people chalk up to being the monster. Oddly shaped logs, jumping sturgeon and giant eels are also strong candidates for the rational explanation scientists are searching for.

Sightings are one thing, but photographs are another. The Loch Ness Monster has been the main focus of many a photograph, but sadly, many have been proven to be fake. 1934 saw “the surgeon’s photo” – a photograph of the monster’s long neck and head that seemed to be genuine(left). It wasn’t until later that the ripples in the water were measured by scientists who found that the thing that made them would have been about 18 inches high. The surgeon confessed and the truth came out – Nessie was in fact a model that had been rigged to a toy submarine. Another red herring was the photograph taken by Lachlan Stuart in 1951. The three humps shown in the unclear picture turned out to be three bales of hay covered with tarpaulin. On the other hand, some photographs have never been proven to be fakes.

Filmed evidence also plays a small part in the lake monster’s defence. Champ made the news fairly recently when ABC News broadcast a piece of footage that was shot by two fishermen with a digital camera. It seems to show a shape just beneath the surface of the lake. The footage is unclear and neither of the fishermen could identify what they had seen. It isn’t the first time Champ has been filmed either. The Loch Ness Monster has also been caught on film - Tim Dinsdale’s footage is the most impressive to date. Is it possible that these unexplained creatures are remnants of the age of the dinosaur? They wouldn’t be the first animals that have survived the ages – crocodiles and sharks originated in the dinosaur era. Theories that the Loch Ness Monster could be a plesiosaur that had been disturbed by the building of a new road were reinforced by the discovery of a plesiosaur backbone in the loch. Some people may have trouble believing that a dinosaur could hide in a loch for millions of years and not be discovered, but it’s not that farfetched. The coelacanth(left) was thought to be extinct for millions of years until in 1938 one was caught off South Africa. They live in the Indian Sea and are the perfect example of the-hard-to-find – one scientist searched for 14 years before he found another specimen to study.

“There’s plenty more fish in the sea,” the saying proclaims and there certainly are. The open ocean has its fair share of creatures of huge proportions. Who hasn’t heard of the giant squid, for example? We also have photographs of giant jellyfishes that dwarf nearby divers. But occasionally something washes up that can’t be identified or named. A good example of this is the creature that the crew of the trawler the Zuiyo-maru found entangled in their net (right). Seventeen crew members and the assistant production manager and the captain could not identify the 4000 pound carcass, although allegations that it was a whale or a shell-less giant turtle were floated.

Another case of an odd find on the seashore came to light in 1925 when a carcass was washed up in Santa Cruz. The carcass possessed an exceptionally large head, tiny eyes, a beaklike snout and a 20-foot-long neck. Suggestions that the carcass was once a very rare type of whale called Beradius bairdi were made although many of the witnesses who saw the remains were certain that this was not a whale. The case remains unexplained.

No doubt the public dream up explanations and fantasies to explain these two occasions. On the other hand, perhaps too many carcasses have been credited to rotting basking sharks. The Cherbourg Carcass, the Effingham Carcass and the Hendaye Carcass have all been explained away as basking sharks that have decomposed beyond all recognition. And how many strange creatures on our beaches have been identified as clever fakes sprung from the imagination of taxidermy? Is this the final nail in the sea monster’s coffin?

In conclusion, I cannot really say whether sea monsters and lake dwellers exist. There are just too many arguments, for and against, from elephants to basking sharks for anyone to really know for sure. Comments (2)

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