The Loch Ness Monster
In Britain there are many stories about unexplained things such as ghosts and UFOs (unidentified flying objects), as there are in most countries in the world. Perhaps the most famous story, however, is about neither a ghost nor a UFO but a mysterious creature that some people believe lives in a lake in Scotland called Loch Ness. The creature is known as the Loch Ness Monster, and most people who say they have seen it say it looks quite similar to the plesiosaur, a long-necked dinosaur that existed millions of years ago and lived in water. Loch Ness is very long (37 kilometres) and deep (more than 200 metres), and even though submarines have explored under its surface, no one is quite sure what lies at the bottom of it.
One of the most famous sightings of the monster was in 1934, when a man called Robert Wilson took a black and white photograph of what looked like the head and very long neck of a strange animal coming out of the middle of the lake. The photograph appeared in one of the most important British newspapers and many people became very excited about it. However now we know it was a hoax: the back of the ‘monster’ was a toy submarine, and its neck and head were made from wood and plastic. Later, in 1960, a man called Tim Dinsdale filmed something very large moving underwater in the lake. Unlike the 1934 photograph the film seems not to be a hoax, but many people think it could just be a wave or a shadow in the water.
Those who believe the monster exists have some difficult things to explain, such as why the creature doesn’t spend more time on the surface of Loch Ness, or any time on land. Whether or not the monster exists, most people imagine it to be a friendly rather than an aggressive creature. It has an affectionate nickname, ‘Nessie’, and in most cartoon pictures it is happy and smiling. Nessie is also very good for Scottish tourism because many people visit the lake in the hope of seeing it, and buy lots of souvenirs while they are there.