Loch Ness Monster: Nessie spotters not swayed by postcard depictions, says Scots university

The image of Nessie as a long, thin, three-humped monster has endured in Scottish mythology for centuries - luring thousands of visitors to the banks of Loch Ness every year with its mystery.

But now, new research has found the sea monster’s undulating physique rarely features in reports by those who claim to have spotted her.

Researchers found only 1.5 per cent of those who claim to have seen Nessie report hoops or humps in their description, suggesting they may not be influenced by the traditional imagery used in postcards and other memorabilia.

The research, by Dr Charles Paxton from the University of St Andrews and Adrian Shine from the Loch Ness Centre, explores the history of the image of Nessie as a three-humped creature and its prevalence in today’s culture.

They examined the frequency of the image in postcards. The researchers found between 25 and 32 per cent of all postcards of Nessie depict her as hooped.

A historical postcard showing Nessie as a three-humped monster | University of St Andrews

The findings contradict previous work that suggests witnesses are usually influenced by popular portrayals of mythical creatures they see in the media, showing more people than previously thought report what they experienced.

Dr Paxton, from the University’s Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM), said: "Scholars often assume that monsters are generated by cultural expectations, but it is always useful to test obvious hypotheses.

“In this case it really seems witnesses do not generally report the impossible, even though the hooped monster is a common portrayal of Nessie.”

Nessie is big business for tourism

The mythology of the Loch Ness Monster has continued to capture the public imagination ever since a ‘sighting’ nearly 1,500 years ago. The earliest recorded mention of Loch Ness’s oldest inhabitant, mooted to be a plesiosaur, dates back to the sixth century.

Today the enduring question over whether or not the prehistoric relic may still roam the murky depths of the Highland loch is worth millions of pounds a year to Scottish tourism.

Around half a million tourists are lured to the Loch Ness area each year, hoping to spot Nessie – generating upwards of £40 million for the Scottish economy.

Where did the rumours of the Loch Ness Monster start?

While rumours of an enigmatic creature wriggling around in the loch can be traced back all the way to the sixth century, the Loch Ness Monster was brought to global attention in 1933 when an article regarding a “whale-like fish” was published in the Inverness Courier.

That article acknowledged "Loch Ness has for generations been credited with being the home of a fearsome-looking monster". This was also where the creature gained the famous - and perhaps rather unfair - title of “monster”.

What sort of creature could Nessie be?

In 1933, it was pointed out the creature appeared to bear a striking resemblance to the plesiosaur – an aquatic dinosaur with a long neck thought to have become extinct around 66 million years ago.

Critics have since pointed out the plesiosaur was probably a cold-blooded creature that would not take kindly to the chilly waters of Loch Ness. And if it was warm-blooded, it would require far more food to sustain it than the loch could provide.

It would also need to surface several times a day for air, which would surely lead to far more sightings - although some have questioned whether it would be able to lift its head out of the water in the first place.

Less exciting theories have ascribed Nessie sightings to various modern animals. Greenland sharks can grow to around 20-feet long and have been known to appear near Scotland. They can survive in fresh water and would happily dine out on the loch’s fish.

However, when a team of scientists from New Zealand tried to document every kind of organism in the loch using DNA samples taken between 2018 and 2019, they found no evidence of Greenland sharks. They did find evidence of European eels and concluded these may account for the majority of sightings.