South Uist 'Loch Ness Monster' bones: New resident on South Uist 'amazed' as she spots 30 foot sperm whale bones for the first time on dog walk

Hannah Burns was on a walk with her golden retriever Bonnie and her boyfriend Jon when she spotted the ‘Nessie’ bones on a South Uist beach near Stoneybridge.

Bonnie the dog explores the Sperm Whale bones on South Uist beach (Photo: Hannah Burns).

Explaining the first time she saw the 30-foot long structure on Sunday afternoon, the 27 year-old nurse said: “We went to have a wee look, it was just myself, my boyfriend and Bonnie and it was amazing- I’ve never really seen anything like that before.

“I don’t know why I thought it was a whale skeleton – I think it’s just because it was so big like it was huge.

"It’s a new discovery for me and Jon but it’s not a new discovery for locals in general.”

Ms burns – who moved from London to South Uist two and a half weeks ago – commented that the bones ‘captured her imagination’ and made people think of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’.

She said: “I think the sea is quite a thought-provoking place and some people have responding saying ‘It’s a sea monster’ or ‘It’s the Loch Ness Monster’ and things like that.

“It’s take your mind off your day to day work.”

"It’s exciting and quite a cool feature to have on your daily dog walk.”

Bonnie discovering that this 'stick' might be a 'wee bit too big' to pick up (Photo: Hannah Burns).

Ms Burns added that Bonnie the dog was also ‘really excited’ to find the bones in her new home’s beach.

She said: “I think at first she thought it was a big stick for her- she went near to it and realised it may have been a wee bit too big to pick up.”

After discovering the bones, Ms Burns checked with her sister Polly Burns who is a marine scientist.

Her sister- after checking with marine contacts – was able to confirm that the bones were that of a sperm whale which washed up a year ago.

In February, Uist Sea tours said: “It was an adult sperm whale.

"The long structure is about 30 foot long and the smaller bit is 6 foot.

“Still a bit of flesh on it and a smell too.”

After her sister Polly posted a picture on Twitter which gained a ‘huge response’, other local residents have messaged Ms Burns to confirm that the remains are those of a sperm whale.

The Scottish Marine Animal and Stranding Scheme has been contacted for comment.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.