It may be the most bizarre claim about the Loch Ness monster yet – that she is an ‘algae-based creature’.
That is the conclusion filmmakers have come to after using an innovative testing method following a sighting during the biggest hunt for Nessie in 50 years.
On the August bank holiday, hundreds of volunteers descended on the loch to help track down the elusive beast once and for all. Among that number were Matty Wiles, 49 and Aga Balinska, 42.
Before the official search kicked off, the pair went for an early morning swim at 6.30am, and saw two humps and a third appendage, possibly a head, in the water.
They took photos and videos and shared their findings with Loch Ness Exploration, the group behind the search.
Documentary producers Dragonfly Films were also on location for the event, which will feature in their new series, Weird Britain. After hearing about the sighting, they collected water samples for eDNA analysis.
All organisms leave traces of themselves everywhere they go, whether it’s hair, skin, blood, urine, bacteria, poop or other bits and pieces. Environmental DNA, or eDNA, analysis is a new method of amplifying those traces of DNA left behind by an animal in its habitat.
And unsurprisingly, the water samples tested positive for two types of algae. Which isn’t really surprising in a lake.
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Algae are very special organisms which are neither plant nor animal – yet can act as both. Although commonly thought of as plants because they photosynthesise, they are officially known as protists.
And while they come in all manner of weird shapes and sizes, from a single cell to enormous strands of seaweed tens of metres long, none have yet been spotted in monster form.
Nevertheless, TV presenter and cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard argues: ‘The tests only detected algae, which of course is exciting news if we consider the possibility that Nessie is a giant algae blob monster.’
The site where the water sample was collected was also made famous in 1934 when a housekeeper called Margaret Munro sighted the legendary beast.
A year earlier, hotel manager Aldie Mackay was driving past the loch with her husband when she saw a strange creature in the water. She later described it as ‘black, wet, with water rolling off it’.
That same year George Spicer and his wife reported seeing a ‘large, unfamiliar creature’ pass in front of their car and disappear into the loch, while in November of 1933 Hugh Gray captured a photo of what he said was the monster, appearing to show the long thin neck of the monster. Others continue to argue it is a dog carrying a stick.
The most famous Nessie sighting was ‘captured’ by Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson, but was later revealed to be a hoax.
It was in fact a model monster stuck to a toy submarine, created by Christopher Spurling and his stepfather Maramaduke Wetherell, who had been hired by the newspaper to find Nessie.
But despite a lack of concrete evidence since the first recorded sighting in the 6th Century, Nessie fans continue to keep their eyes peeled for a fleeting glimpse of the monster.
‘The ability to now make use of new eDNA analysis techniques presents an exciting step forward for wildlife researchers, and may help us to find answers to some of the most fascinating and puzzling mysteries of the natural world,’ said the show’s producer Tim Whittard.
And while most will be highly skeptical of these particular eDNA results, it has already solved the cases of other mystery animals.
In 2020, scientists found eDNA from a Brazilian frog thought to be extinct since 1968, while a team in Wales rediscovered an insect thought to have disappeared using the technique.
It can also be used to detect the early signs of an unwanted organism’s presence, such as ‘rock snot’ algae invasions, and to help track down environmental crimes by testing for the presence of illegal animals in markets.
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