Note: this topic was posted 3/6/2006. Thanks presidio9. Ludicrous, with the emphasis on 'luud.
Posted on 03/06/2006 8:39:50 AM PST by presidio9
NESSIE, the Loch Ness monster, is in fact an elephant, according to a Scottish palaeontologist who claims to have solved the riddle surrounding the unexplained sightings of a monster in a lake near Glasgow in Scotland.
Neil Clark, curator of palaeontology at Glasgow University's Hunterian Museum, who has spent two years investigating the myth, said that the idea for Nessie was dreamt up as a "magnificent piece of marketing" by a circus impresario after he saw one of his elephants bathing in the loch.
In 1933, the same year as the first modern "sighting" of Nessie, Bertram Mills offered £20,000 ($47,298) - or £1 million ($2.36 million) in today's money - to anyone who could capture the monster for his circus at Olympia, based in London.
Clark, who made a name for himself by discovering a 165 million-year-old dinosaur footprint on the Isle of Skye in 2004, said that the legend of the Loch Ness monster was "largely a product of the 20th century".
He said: "Most sightings occurred after 1933 ... All we have are eyewitness accounts, fuzzy photographs, distant video footage and proven hoaxes".
Most could be explained by floating logs or waves, but there were a number of unexplained sightings of a creature elephant grey, with a long neck and humped back particularly from 1933.
"My research suggests that these were elephants belonging to circuses. Circus fairs visiting Inverness stopped on the banks of Loch Ness to allow their animals to rest", said Clark.
"When their elephants were allowed to swim in the loch, only the trunk and two humps could be seen: the first hump being the top of the head and the second being the back of the animal.
"The resulting impression would be of an animal with a long neck and two humps perhaps more if there were more than one elephant in the water.
"It is not surprising Bertram Mills offered a £20,000 reward to anyone who could capture the monster for his circus. He already had the Loch Ness monster in his circus", said Clark.
Nessie fans, however, have reported four sightings in 2005 alone.
A circus guy letting his elephants bathe in Loch Ness...that's a bit hard to swallow. Don't most animal keepers just hose the elephants down?
Note: this topic was posted 3/6/2006. Thanks presidio9. Ludicrous, with the emphasis on 'luud.
“So maybe circus guys let their animals out now and then.”
Our old neighbor likes to tell the story how 40+ years ago she looked out her window. There in her back yard was a monkey dressed like a pirate. With a parrot on its shoulder! She went to go get her husband, and by the time they got back to the window the pair were gone. The husband told her to knock off the drinking. (I’m envisioning that lady across the street in “Bewitched” calling Abner to the window each episode!)
She pondered it for quite awhile, but KNEW she had seen the pirate monkey and parrot. Against her husband’s wishes she called the police. Indeed, the pair had escaped the traveling circus! They finally caught them a few days later.
Don't be silly!
They don't let you put stuff on the internet that isn't true.
Bonjour!
Fascinating stuff. Thanks for posting that.
Am I correct in assuming you think this is bunk?
Uh, yeah.
Aided, no doubt, by a bit more than a wee dram...
Would you please add me to this ping list?? Thank You.
If you drink too much on the Scotch Road, I guess you can see them.
I'm afraid this is an old thread, from 2006. I retired from the Crypto ping list (and FReeping in general) a long time ago, and actually handed the responsibilities over to dragonblustar. Don't know if the list is still active...SunkenCiv may also have some knowledge on this. I hope this helps!
(I'm originally from Georgia, too).
That's the first lie. It's meant to make it appear that the research itself is speaking. What's really happening is that the researcher is suggesting.
Actually, this is the most sensible explanation I have seen, assuming, of course, that there is actually a phenomenon to explain.
It’s still good to see you around here though. :’)
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