In (Digital) Search Of Nessie
Google has made it easy to search for the Loch Ness Monster from the comfort of your own home…
Have you, like many others around the world, dreamed of going on a hunt for the Loch Ness Monster? Well if you can’t make it up to Loch Ness itself for your search, Google has now made it possible for you to be involved in the hunt from the comfort of your sofa, courtesy of your laptop. To mark the anniversary of the release of the 1934 “Surgeon’s Photograph” (pictured above) of the monster itself, Google has brought Street View imagery of Loch Ness to Google Maps “so you can go in search of Nessie yourself”.
In partnership with the Catlin Seaview Survey, Google has gathered imagery of even the deepest depths of the loch so you can peer into the murky waters and see if you can spot the monster. In addition to these celebrations, the Google Doodle of April 21st was an animated depiction of Nessie as a submarine operated by aliens. Given the mystery surrounding the monster, Google could very possibly have got it right – fancy meeting those little guys on Google Maps!
The history of the Loch Ness Monster began 1,500 years ago when local residents near the loch began to claim sightings of an aquatic beast living in the large freshwater lake, which is located in the Scottish Highlands. On May 2nd 1933, The Inverness Courier printed the account of a local couple who claimed to see “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.”. The story soon became a media phenomenon with a £20,000 reward for the monster’s capture.
Although Nessie’s story seems fantastical, there are many who still believe she exists; amateur investigators keep constant watch for a hopeful sighting. “It’s the sort of place where, if there weren’t any dragons, there really ought to be,” say Adrian Shine says in the Google Maps promo video. We have to say, dragons and Loch Ness Monsters would help our world be just a little bit more exciting (or have we been watching too much Game of Thrones?).
Start your search for Nessie today on Google Maps by clicking here.
Fancy yourself as a cryptozoologist?
Cryptozoologists and everyday citizens alike have their theories about Nessie. Theories have suggested that the monster is a plesiosaurs that could have been frozen for 65 million years before making its way to Loch Ness. Others have argued that Nessie is actually an archeocyte, or a primitive whale with a serpentine neck. Less adventurous sceptics have claimed that the sightings were due to “seiches” which are oscillations on the water’s surface caused by cold water flowing from the connecting rivers into the warmer Loch Ness.
Cryptozoology is the study of animals that have yet to be proved as real; its direct translation is ‘the study of hidden animals’. This field covers Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the ever elusive Chupacabra and, of course, the Loch Ness Monster.
Although this might sound like nonsense, cryptozoology hasn’t always been wrong, as these cases prove…
First case, the okapi: Discovered in 1901, this was thought to have been a mythical animal based on the sightings by Henry Morton Stanley during his Congo explorations.
Second case, the komodo dragon: Thought to be a mythical creature until 1912, it was previously known as the giant monitor.
So, if giant lizards and half zebra/half something else can exist along with that giant squid referred to throughout history as the Kraken, perhaps Nessie isn’t so far fetched after all? According to this article, they have disproved the theory of the Loch Ness Monster, although some theories could technically skirt around some of their findings (we still believe).
Have you made a sighting of Nessie on Google Earth? Let us know with a Tweet @UK2