Mystery surrounds gigantic ‘skeleton’ washed up on beach during Storm Ciara as locals say it’s the Loch Ness Monster
MYSTERY surrounds what appears to be a gigantic skeleton found washed up on a Scottish beach during Storm Ciara.
Locals were left baffled after a snap of what looked like a rotten carcass was posted online earlier this week, with some suggesting it could be the remains of the Loch Ness Monster.
The pic was shared on Aberdeen-based community Facebook page Fubar News yesterday - hours after Storm Ciara battered Britain with 90mph winds.
Fubar News posted: "Came across this weird creature today near Aberdeen. Any ideas what it could be?"
Possible suggestions of the identity of the mysterious North sea creature were put forward - with folk saying it was a whale, orca or dolphin
But some users joked the carcass could be the remains of Scotland's very own Loch Ness Monster.
Meg Plummer wrote: "Oh me it’s Nessie the Loch Ness monster".
But Emma –Louise Bolland disagreed that the nation's favourite folklore monster, adding: "Nessie could not adapt to salt water."
Dex Stewart meanwhile joked: ";Yep it’s a very very rarely seen deep sea Haggis."
Matthew Cook posting was convinced it dated back to the pre-historic age, writing: "At first glance I thought a brontosaurus but looking at the vertebrae in the skeletal structure I’m swayed towards a diplodocus/triceratops."
It's not the first time people have speculated over Nessie's existence.
Despite numerous "sightings" over the years, there's still no concrete proof the monster is real.
Nessie was first "spotted" back in 565 – a biography of Irish monk Saint Columba mentions a giant "water beast" dragging a man to his death in Scotland's River Ness.
However, wider interest in the monster was not sparked until 1933 after a road was built along the loch, making it far less isolated.
Within months, several people came forward claiming to have seen a giant beast lurking near the water.
The following year saw the publication of the "surgeon’s photograph", probably the best-known image of the creature.
In 1975 the famous shot was exposed as a hoax, made using a toy submarine with a carved monster’s head.
The vast majority of scientists agree that there's no giant marine monster living in the lake.
Sightings have often been dismissed as being large eels and catfish or otters and deer swimming in the water, viewed from a distance.
In 2013, TV presenter Jeremy Wade made a special edition of River Monsters devoted to the legend.
He compared Nessie's characteristics with the Greenland shark, which grow to 20 feet in length and survive in the fresh waters of the loch.
SIGHTINGS
It has also been claimed that sightings of Nessie are caused by misidentifying inanimate objects – tree trunks, logs and optical effects caused by wind conditions have all been suggested.
In September 2017, amateur photographer Ian Bremner took a photo from the banks of Loch Ness.
His friends claimed it showed three seals playing together, but the whisky warehouse worker suggested it "could be Nessie".
It has also been claimed that sightings of Nessie are caused by misidentifying inanimate objects – tree trunks, logs and optical effects caused by wind conditions have all been suggested.
In September 2017, amateur photographer Ian Bremner took a photo from the banks of Loch Ness.
His friends claimed it showed three seals playing together, but the whisky warehouse worker suggested it "could be Nessie".