The Loch Ness EEL! Scientists who plumbed depths for mythical monster and studied hundreds of DNA samples believe sightings by more than a 1,000 visitors could be giant slithering FISH
- Experts took samples of trace DNA from different depths up and down the loch
- Lead biologist Neil Gemmell has now claimed many theories have been ruled out
- But he said the latest research means one long-standing theory is still 'plausible'
- Findings published today suggest the loch may in fact be filled with giant eels
- Theory rubbished by leading 'Nessie' expert who said it 'has not proved anything'
Scientists have today revealed the fabled Loch Ness Monster could in fact be a giant eel.
The claim was made by researchers who carried out the most extensive study ever of the famous lake and its mythical beast.
According to experts who took more than 250 samples of water taken from the depths of Loch Ness - the British Isles' largest and second deepest body of fresh water - apparent sightings of the 'monster' were simply an eel.
Geneticist Professor Neil Gemmell, from the University of Otago in New Zealand, said eels as long as 13ft (four metres) may be living in the loch.
But the theory has been rubbished by a leading 'Nessie' expert who said it 'has not proved anything'.
Scientists have revealed the Loch Ness Monster could in fact be a giant eel. Among the most famous claimed sightings is a photograph (pictured) taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson which was published in the Daily Mail
Geneticist Professor Neil Gemmell, from the University of Otago in New Zealand, said eels as long as 13ft (four metres) may be living in the loch
Professor Gemmell said: 'There is a very significant amount of eel DNA. Eels are very plentiful in Loch Ness, with eel DNA found at pretty much every location sampled - there are a lot of them'
Researchers from New Zealand tried to catalogue all living species in the loch by extracting DNA from water samples.
Following analysis, the scientists ruled out the presence of large animals said to be behind reports of a monster.
No evidence of a prehistoric marine reptile called a plesiosaur or a large fish such as a sturgeon were found. Catfish and suggestions that a wandering Greenland shark were behind the sightings were also discounted.
Professor Gemmell said: 'There is a very significant amount of eel DNA. Eels are very plentiful in Loch Ness, with eel DNA found at pretty much every location sampled - there are a lot of them. So - are they giant eels?
'Well, our data doesn't reveal their size, but the sheer quantity of the material says that we can't discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness.
'Therefore we can't discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel.
'Divers have claimed that they've seen eels that are as thick as their legs in the loch, whether they're exaggerating or not - I don't know - but there is a possibility that there are very large eels present in the loch.
'Whether they are as big as around 4m as some of these sightings suggest - well, as a geneticist I think about mutations and natural variation a lot, and while an eel that big would be well outside the normal range, it seems not impossible that something could grow to such unusual size.
'Further investigation is needed to confirm or refute the theory, so based on our data, giant eels remain a plausible idea.'
As they sailed, the team took water samples from three different depths within the loch, in order to collect the traces of DNA found in the waters
DNA from each sample was captured, extracted and sequenced then compared against global DNA databases to reveal a comprehensive picture of life present in the Loch - examining the bacteria, the fish, and everything else in between
VisitScotland said the Nessie phenomenon is worth millions to the Scottish economy, with hundreds of thousands of visitors travelling to Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit every year to catch a glimpse of the mythical monster
But Gary Campbell, the keeper of the Official Loch Ness Sightings Register, said today: 'This research has not told us anything we did not know. It has not proved anything.
'It has not provided the environmental DNA that would have fitted the hundreds of credible sightings.
'We know Nessie is not a prehistoric monster - Loch Ness was a block of ice 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. Nothing would have survived.
'A fish or an eel was always the most plausible theory. What type of fish or eel would have helped.
'We welcome the interest this study has generated but it has not given us the answer what Nessie is.
'It won't stop the mystery or the sightings - or indeed the people coming from all over the world to look for Nessie. We would welcome more scientific studies that can throw more light on the mystery. But this one really doesn't.'
Steve Feltham, who is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records for the longest continuous monster hunting vigil of Loch Ness, is also not convinced the scientists have yet identified the creature behind the sightings.
Mr Feltham, who made childhood visits to the Highlands and moved from Dorset almost 30 years ago to look for Nessie, said he had seen seals in Loch Ness.
He added: 'A 12-year-old boy could tell you there are eels in Loch Ness. I caught eels in the loch when I was a 12-year-old boy.'
DNA from each sample was captured, extracted and sequenced then compared against global DNA databases to reveal a comprehensive picture of life present in the Loch - examining the bacteria, the fish, and everything else in between
Professor Gemmell taking environmental DNA samples to study what species may, or may not be in Loch Ness
Researchers collected samples of water from across the depths of the loch and sequenced the traces of DNA contained within
The new research points to the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie being a giant eel (file image used)
The myth dates back to the 6th Century - but theories were discounted, including that Nessie could be a shark, a sturgeon, or a catfish, or even a plesiosaur.
Professor Gemmell said: 'We can't find any evidence of a creature that's remotely related to that in our environmental-DNA sequence data.
'So, sorry, I don't think the plesiosaur idea holds up based on the data that we have obtained.'
DNA from each sample was captured, extracted and sequenced then compared against global DNA databases to reveal a comprehensive picture of life present in the Loch - examining the bacteria, the fish, and everything else in between.
Professor Gemmell added: 'What I'm most satisfied with is that we came here to study environmental DNA, and our analysis has captured everything we thought is in the loch.
'We now have an excellent database which if compared to any future testing could enable us to identify trends and changes in the Loch environment.'
As they sailed, the team took water samples from three different depths within the loch, in order to collect the traces of DNA found in the waters.
They apparently identified 15 different species of fish from within Loch Ness, along with 3,000 types of bacteria that were living in the water.
Cataloguing life within the loch has let experts test some of the theories around the Loch Ness monster — such as that it is a prehistoric reptile, or just a big fish.
If Nessie did exist, its DNA might have been picked up alongside those animals known to reside in the lake, such as pike, salmon and trout.
VisitScotland said the Nessie phenomenon is worth millions to the Scottish economy, with hundreds of thousands of visitors travelling to Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit every year to catch a glimpse of the mythical monster.
Unusual items previously found in the loch include a 30ft long Loch Ness monster model discovered on the loch bed in 2016 during a sonar search by Kongsberg Maritime and supported by The Loch Ness Project and VisitScotland.
The model was a prop from the 1970 film The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Robert Stephens and Christopher Lee.
It is believed the model sank after its buoyant humps were removed.
Professor Neil Gemmell examined environmental DNA in the loch
The study looked at environmental DNA samples taken from the length, breadth and depth of the loch
'Scotland is dear to my heart because my mother and her family are Scottish,' Professor Gemmell said when he announced the study last year.
'I'm delighted to be here [in Scotland] to undertake our environmental DNA investigation of Loch Ness.'
'It's a place of extraordinary natural beauty.'
'We're delighted with the amount of interest the project has generated in the science and, monster or not, we are going to understand Loch Ness, and the life in it, in a new way.'
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