Scotland's Loch Ness monster 'could be giant eel'

Professor Neil Gemmell from New Zealand's University of Otago said that he found a surprisingly high amount of eel DNA in the water of Loch Ness.

The geneticist warned that it is not certain whether this indicates a gigantic eel or simply many little ones.

The DNA project led by Gemmell, which involved scientists from Britain, Denmark, the US, Australia and France, concluded that there was no evidence that the fabled creature was an ancient long-necked reptile.

However, Gemmell said that the existence of a giant eel could be very possible.

"We can't exclude the possibility that there's a giant eel in Loch Ness but we don't know whether these samples we've collected are from a giant beast or just an ordinary one, so there's still this element of 'we just don't know,'" the scientist said.

The study also ruled out the presence of large animals such as dinosaurs. Gemmell noted that despite the idea of a giant eel having existed for decades, nobody had ever caught one in the loch. Smaller eels are, however, "very plentiful" in the lake.

Gemmell said that as an "element of doubt" remains, "there'll still be plenty of people who want to believe" in the Loch Ness monster.

"I'm not a believer ... but I might be proved wrong."

Read more:Off-season fun in the Scottish Highlands

The quest to find Nessie

Loch Ness is the biggest and second deepest body of fresh water in the British Isles. Legends surrounding the loch and its monster emerged as early as 565 AD in the time of St Columba, who is said to have tamed the monster after it snatched a servant.

The most famous picture of Nessie was taken in 1934 and showed a reptile-like long neck and head emerging from the lake's icy waters. However, 60 years later the photo was revealed as a hoax in which a sea monster model was attached to a toy submarine.

Countless failed attempts to find the monster followed, with advanced searches using sonar beams, satellites, and a high-tech marine drone.

Scotland's official tourist agency said there had been "over 1,000 eyewitness accounts and lots of unexplained evidence" at Loch Ness.

mvb/bk (AP, dpa, Reuters)

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