The 76-year-old naturalist Adrian Shine, who has devoted more than half a century to the study of Loch Ness, has come to the conclusion that the famous monster most likely does not exist.
Shine began his research in 1973 and long hoped to find evidence to confirm the legend. However, over the years, enthusiasm has been replaced by doubts.
According to him, a series of episodes that he previously considered to be Nessie sightings have, over time, been given perfectly logical explanations. For example, he once mistook an ordinary stone for the characteristic “hump” of the mythical creature.
Later, the researcher came to the conclusion that many of the alleged appearances of the monster can be explained by the waves created by ships passing through the Caledonian Canal. These water oscillations, as the naturalist noted, can create the illusion of a moving object on the surface of the lake.
Separately, Shine also commented on the famous image of Nessie with the long neck. In his opinion, in reality it is an optical effect: such silhouettes are often formed by groups of aquatic birds on the surface of the water. In addition, the scientist pointed to another important argument: there are too few fish in Loch Ness to feed such a large creature.
Despite the disappointing conclusion, Shine stressed that he doesn’t think the years of searching have been in vain. He admitted that he sincerely enjoyed his work and that he remains open to new discoveries, even if they are not related to the legendary monster.
