The story of the creature that looks like a long-necked dinosaur, which lives in the Scottish lake, known as the Loch Ness monster, never ceases to be updated; science continues to work to find its origin.
When the word Nessi first appeared, there was a doubt, a myth and a concern: who is that creature? With the passage of time, the fear and distrust of its origin became a myth of the depths. Today, this myth made science analyze 500 million DNA sequences in the lake, finding genes from sheep, cows, deer, rabbits, birds and of course, humans.
But the DNA that has most caught the attention of scientists is from a species that could well be this mysterious creature, that of eels. In 2022 alone, there was talk of irrefutable proof of its existence and also of a study that analyzed more than 20 thousand eels, which would create the most popular theory: Nessie was a giant eel.
From legendary to scientific descriptions
Most modern descriptions of the appearance of the Loch Ness monster indicated that there was a creature that resembled the extinct plesiosaurs, prehistoric aquatic creatures that inhabited the seas between 200 million and 65 million years ago, indicating that this prehistoric animal must have be a physically huge animal, with an elongated neck, a small head and two pairs of underwater propulsion fins.
This could be proven in April 1934 when a photograph supposedly taken by surgeon RK Wilson appeared showing the enormous creature with an elongated neck protruding from the waters of the lake, that is, the Loch Ness monster. Although, years later this image would be refuted, this was only the beginning for the curious to begin their investigations regarding the creature.
It was then that after beginning the investigations, the eels that live in Scottish rivers were found, those that arrive from the Sargasso Sea region in the Bahamas where they nest. But could it be that Nessi, better known as the Loch Ness Monster, was a giant eel?
Could the Loch Ness monster be a giant eel?
The new study, published in the journal JMIRx BioEel, explains that the eel has an elongated body shape, a single pair of pectoral fins, strong muscles, a wide sinuous movement and dark skin. With eyewitness descriptions of Nessie describing a dark creature with an elongated neck, pectoral fins, and extreme bending, the theory seems reasonable.
Although the investigation ensures that to date the eels found do not exceed 4 meters, while Nessie’s body is double that, the DNA indicates that “The anthrozoological phenomenon in Loch Ness can be partly explained by observations of large specimens of European eel (Anguilla anguilla), as these animals are more compatible with morphological, behavioral and environmental considerations.”
Although, it is also stated that “purely statistical considerations do not support the existence of exceptionally large eels” to suggest that Nessi or the Loch Ness monster was a giant eel.
Do the doubts continue?
An upper size estimate for the Nessie captured in the surgeon’s photograph is 2.4 meters, and the size estimate for Nessie overall is around 6.1 meters. This means, according to Foxon, if you see an eel in Loch Ness, it probably won’t be giant, so finding a specimen longer than 6 meters is essentially zero.