Nessie and similar Lake Monster Discussion

**The Rock Worm** · 02-05-2013, 12:36 AM

I've decided to start a thread talking about any/all aspects on Nessie and other creatures similarly described 'Nessie' monsters. To start things off, I will list some info on select lake monsters then describe what it could/couldn't be.

Most of the lakes that talk of monsters dwelling in them for centuries are not land locked but are connected to rivers. In some cases, like Loch Ness, it is thought to have an underground river but this has yet to be discovered. Many theories abound as to the identity of the species that are living in these lakes. Some lake monsters include: Nessie [Scotland], Cressie [USA], Champ [USA], and Nesskie [Russia].

Some commonalities between them are:

1: Serpentine body
2: Has been known to be on land
3: Usually 20-30' long, though some have been reported to be up to 50' long
4: Undulates when swimming
5: Seems to be capable of echolocation (or something similar) [this refers to Nessie and Champ]

6: Rarely seen when searched for by sonar.

So, what kind of animal are we dealing with? Many people have theories on it, the top theories are:

1: Plesiosaur was a marine reptile that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. They had a serpentine head and neck and a big body with four flippers. Sometimes described as the 'seal' of the dinosaur era, this is a popular theory on Nessie and her kind. However, this theory has a few problems. First, being a reptile it's cold blooded; places like Loch Ness is simply to cold for reptiles to dwell in. Another problem is that, as of current evidence, Plesiosaurs do not emit some form of echolocation. Being the 'seals' of their era, they might have been on the shoreline to relax. This would mean they would be more frequently seen that it currently is. Being an air breather, it would have to the surface from time to time to breath... but it's unknown how long it can hold its breath (lack of fossilized lungs or living relatives to compare). Elasmosaurus, the biggest plesiosaurus, was 40' long so it fit the size.

2: Basilosaurus was a prehistoric toothed whale, and one of the few whales to be serpentine. Being a whale, it could echolocate. It could undulate while swimming so no problem there. They did grow to 70' long, though they could have shrunk down being forced to survive in lakes. The problem with this theory are that it couldn't survive on land. Another problem is that known whales regularly stay either on the surface or make occasional dives down. A modern day Basilosaurus, still being a whale, would follow this pattern were it to survive today... thus being frequently seen.

3: Giant Eel This theory has a lot of potential. Eels are known to live in the areas where the Lake Monsters live; like Nessie and Champ for example. Regular eels (like the American Eel and European Eel) are nocturnal and spend a lot of time at the bottom of their habitats. They come up at night to feed, and while their eyes may not be great their sense of smell as very powerful. They even have been known to slither/crawl onto land for about 400 meters! Although eels can't echolocate, the Electric Eel (granted not a true eel) has its own form of sonar. While it's known for its electric ability to shock its prey, they have been known to use it to send an electric pulse. This acts very much like sonar! Now the known eel species are 6-8' long and sometimes attack people in self-defense or mistaken identification. Known eels live in caves or, if the bottom is soft enough, burrow into the ground. A 20' or bigger eel doing this would easily evade sonar; being nocturnal would mean rarely seen during the day (though can be seen during the day, as other nocturnal species are known to do from time to time); being much larger, it would have to eat more prey and/or bigger prey (so humans could be on the menu); being a large eel it would be able to be on land. Now being a much larger species of eel (possible traveling to the sea as an adult like known eels) it would be smarter than our eels. Being a smarter eel, its electrical pulses could be more 'evolved' and be mistaken for echolocation. Now known eels do not undulate, these massive eels could have evolved to undulate for better travel.

As you can see, I've put some thought into this (and tried to make it brief as much as I could). As you can guess, I think Nessie and the others are some form of giant eel. A giant eel fits the description better, hides better, and is plausible (considering its smaller relatives also live in the lakes) than the other theories.

Feel free to state what you think Nessie and her kind is, and any other aspects on the 'Nessie' discussion... including your own sightings (if any).

**Kman** · 02-05-2013, 12:43 AM

omg rock worm why

**Nice** · 02-05-2013, 12:55 AM

i vote for Giant Eel,

basilo def not...

Plesio maybe.

@kman SHUSH YOU!

**Froge** · 02-05-2013, 12:59 AM

Consistent shaky footage and lack of solid evidence suggests that none of these are real.

**The Rock Worm** · 02-05-2013, 01:05 AM

(02-05-2013, 12:55 AM)DogFood Wrote: i vote for Giant Eel,

basilo def not...

Plesio maybe.

@kman SHUSH YOU!

Thanks for the vote Smile

.

I suppose [for the Plesiosuar] it could be like sharks... cold blooded but warm bodied. Great White Sharks are 12 or more degrees (Fahrenheit) warmer than the water around them. We have no evidence to say they didn't have this trait.

**Kman** · 02-05-2013, 01:12 AM

(02-05-2013, 12:55 AM)DogFood Wrote: @kman SHUSH YOU!

it's just that he's basically made this exact same thread like 15 times now

i mean come on omg

**The Rock Worm** · 02-05-2013, 01:15 AM

(02-05-2013, 01:12 AM)Kman Wrote:
(02-05-2013, 12:55 AM)DogFood Wrote: @kman SHUSH YOU!

it's just that he's basically made this exact same thread like 15 times now

i mean come on omg

I've never talked about Nessie Creatures. Mostly I've talked about monsters for Amnesia (some being from Penumbra) as this is a Frictional Games Forum. I did once start a Megalodon Survival Thread (wasn't very popular).

**Adny** · 02-05-2013, 01:17 AM

But Rock Worm, every thread you make is a wall of text about monsters. You also make them rather often.

**The Rock Worm** · 02-05-2013, 01:24 AM

(02-05-2013, 01:17 AM)andyrockin123 Wrote: But Rock Worm, every thread you make is a wall of text about monsters. You also make them rather often.

I was just talking about some stuff I like. I hope I'm also inspiring new enemies for Frictional Games (to those who can model and actually have a working model editor).

I feared that some of my other likes wouldn't be noticed in a forum such as this, that's why I limited my talking points for the forum.

I was bold and had a thread on the upcoming Titanic 2 ship that's planned to start being built later this year, but it didn't last long (hence my point).

**Kman** · 02-05-2013, 01:37 AM

(02-05-2013, 01:17 AM)andyrockin123 Wrote: But Rock Worm, every thread you make is a wall of text about monsters. You also make them rather often.