Off to See the Sights!

Since we moved to England, I’ve been looking forward to hosting visitors. My husband’s parents are working on seeing the world. They go someplace new every year. Since we happen to be living in a place they haven’t seen yet, this year they’re coming to visit! On top of that, a very good friend of mine is crossing the ocean to join us (the same friend who took me to Disney a little while back). The lot of us have a fabulous trip planned including London, Scotland, Stonehenge (!!) and Portsmouth.

Obviously with all that excitement, I’m going to be well and truly A.F.K for the next few weeks. I’d like to leave you something interesting to tide you over until my return. So here are some interesting facts about the Loch Ness monster (since the Loch Ness is one of our intended destinations ;)

-The Loch Ness monster is a famous example of cryptozoology, which is the study of, and search for, animals whose existence has not yet been proven, including living examples of animals thought to be extinct. The subjects of cryptozoology are called ‘cryptids.’ Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and many of its followers (or ‘researchers’) do not follow the scientific method.

-Possibly the most famous image of the Loch Ness monster is known as “the Surgeon’s Photograph.” It was published in the Daily Mail in 1934 and supposedly depicts the head and neck of the creature. It is referred to in such a manner because the London gynecologist who presented the photo refused to have his name associated with the image.

-In 1999, Christian Spurling confessed to faking the Surgeon’s Photograph in an attempt to get revenge on the Daily Mail. He claims to have created the photo using a toy submarine with a wooden head and neck attached. Nessie believers, however, reject the confession as a hoax because he did not come clean sooner and thus did not embarrass the newspaper on which he desired revenge.

-It has been suggested that the Loch Ness monster finds it’s origin in the myth of Kelpies. Kelpies were said to be creatures which appeared as horses when they stepped on land. If a child mounted the horse, they’d be dragged into the water and devoured by the Kelpie. Stories like these were meant to keep children out of the loch.

-Possible scientific explanations of the monster include seiches, a type of water oscillation caused by wind on the surface of the loch. Due to the loch’s shape, the wind will cause a large, rectangular ripple across the lake. When it reaches one side, it reverses. In Loch Ness, the process occurs every 31.5 minutes. Also due to the shape of the loch, boat wakes will make their way to the edges of the loch, then reflect back to the center. This can cause a strange optical effect which looks like humps long after the boat has passed.

-It is illegal for unidentified creatures to be removed from Loch Ness. In fact, in 1933, shortly after the first purported photograph of the monster, Scotland’s Secretary of State ordered police to prevent any attacks against the creature.

The blog resumes April 21st with a big announcement! Take care all! :)