31 December 2023 , 17:11
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Giant undiscovered beasts similar to the legendary Loch Ness Monster could be scattered across Britain and hiding in our rivers, claims an expert on the elusive creature.
Andy McGrath believes there are more than a handful of similar beasties swimming about our watery depths. He is documenting sea serpents and other "living fossils" said to be living in bodies of water across the UK.
It would mean Nessie, whose existence is still up in the air, is not alone. Though many doubt the aquatic titan could exist in Scotland's Loch Ness, the search is now on for even more elusive watery giants. McGrath has spoken about the possibility of other, lesser-known creatures in the likes of Falmouth Bay and Lake Windermere.
The legendary Loch Ness Monster might have beastie friends in British waters (Getty Images)Beasts expert McGrath told the Star: "After visiting Loch Ness and other lakes and studying the innumerable arguments regarding the possible identity of this 'creature', I personally hold to the conviction that Nessie and Friends, most generally fall into the category of a 'plesiosaur-like', animal (an extinct aquatic lizard) or some other closely related 'living fossil'."
Those friends of Nessie include plenty of other "mysterious water-bound beasties", with the "swan-like" neck on the "hump" of a strange-looking distant blob in Cumbria a cause for concern. The alleged sighting of The Monster of Lake Windermere was captured by Ellie Williams, and expert McGrath says the sighting and photographs from the encounter resemble that of a plesiosaur.
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An aerial view of Loch Ness (Getty Images)Another sighting, this one back in 1876, allegedly had two fishermen encounter Morgawr, the "Beast of Falmouth Bay". The on-deck duo were not the last to see the beast either, with sightings as recent as 2000. Irene and Derek Brown claim to have spotted the "water-based dinosaur" which was "like one of those creatures you see in 1960s films," the couple said. An account of the beast notes a "flexible periscope-like neck" and "several humps" on its back.
Not as infamous but just as elusive as Nessie is the Thames River Monster, Tasmin, which McGrath has previously hunted. Three weeks of sightings in 2016 led some to believe there were three humps moving around the Docklands of Canary Wharf.
McGrath added: "Many other exotic locales around the world also boast their Nessie-like inhabitants." The sightings have prompted McGrath to pen the Nessie & Friends book, which is due to be published in early 2024. Earlier this year DNA testing threw up a new theory surrounding the Loch Ness Monster. Another sighting claimed to be the 'clearest yet'.