DNA tests hope to solve Stronsay Beast riddle

Published on Thursday 4 September 2008 22:11

A STRANGE creature washed ashore by a storm in Orkney 200 years ago may finally be identified – thanks to pioneering DNA techniques.

The body of the "Stronsay Beast" was found draped over a rock in the winter of 1808. Eyewitnesses said it was more than 55ft long, with a small head, a neck more than 10ft long, a thin body and three pairs of appendages. Descriptions of the long neck led to comparisons with the Loch Ness monster.

It is thought it could have been a basking shark – although the creature from historic accounts would be too large – or a previously unknown species of shark.

Dr Yvonne Simpson hopes to have the answer in a matter of months after acquiring newly-found bone and bristle fragments held in a private collection since the 1930s. She plans to extract DNA from the fragments and compare it with samples on a database of shark DNA in a new laboratory in Florida.

Dr Simpson will discuss the latest findings at the Orkney International Science Festival next week.

She said: "From earlier tests I believe it is either from the shark family or closely related."