Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster, also known as Nessie, is a creature said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands.

Description:
Nessie has been referred to on different accounts as a sea serpent, dragon, and dinosaur. The widely accepted rendition of Nessie's appearance is of a long-necked creature of similar shape to the plesiosaurus.

St. Columba:
The most ancient report of a monster in Loch Ness is in the Life of St. Columba by Adomnán. According to Adomnán, Irish monk Saint Columba witnessed local residents near the Loch Ness burying a man at the River Ness. The residents claimed the man had been killed by a sea monster, and so Columba sent one of their men out to investigate. The monster then arose from the water to attack the man, but was stopped when Columba used the sign of the cross.

George Spicer:
Modern interest in Nessie was sparked after the sighting in 1933 by George Spicer. George claimed he and his wife saw a strange creature cross the road in front of their car.

Surgeon's Photograph:
In 1934, the famous "surgeon's photograph" of Nessie was taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson. This photo was believed to be evidence of Nessie's existence for 60 years, until analysis of the photo proved that it was a hoax. The creature was apparently a toy submarine built by Christian Spurling.

Dinsdale Film:
In 1960, the Dinsdale film was recorded by Tim Dimsdale. Tim shot 40 feet of film when he noticed a hump breaking the water of Loch Ness. The film is extremely controversial: skeptics claim that increasing the contrast reveals the hump to be a man in a boat, while a man working for Discovery Communications who enhanced the film in 1993 claims that the enhanced film depicts the shadow of a creature beneath the water.

Other:
Many other sightings occurred which are not included on this list, most of which ended with similar conclusions.

Numerous searches for Nessie, including the Edward Mountain expedition, Robert Rines studies and Operation Deepscan have been launched with the intent of discovering Nessie. None have provided conclusive evidence of the creature's existence.

In Popular Culture:
Nessie is an extremely popular example of folklore, and has made many appearances in modern popular culture.

One notable example includes the character Plessie from the Mario franchise, which takes inspiration from Nessie both in design and name.