A little girl’s photo of the elusive ‘Loch Ness Monster’ has been branded the best picture of the beast in years and incorporated into the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings’ Register.
Charlotte Robinson had been staying at the Loch Ness Highland Lodges at Invermoriston nack in 2018 when something popped up in the water 50 feet from the bank.
Grabbing her camera, Charlotte was able to snap a picture of a blob in the water which apparently surfaced for a minute before disappearing again, reports the Mirror.
Charlotte had been on holiday with her parents Kat and Dave when the incident occurred at about 7pm one evening.
Describing the moment she came face to face with ‘Nessie’, Charlotte explained she knew there had been ‘something’ there.
Charlotte Robinson at Loch Ness where she took a photo of what she thinks is the Loch Ness Monster
The grainy picture appears to show an object moving out of the grey water
She said: ‘There was something in the water about 50 feet from the shore. I took a photo. It had a neck and head was in the shape of a hook.
‘I just took what I saw. It was black – I just don’t know how far it was out of the water. I’m not good at judging distances.
‘But after about a minute it disappeared and then came back up again in a different place. It was up for less than a minute the second time.
‘I kind of believed in Nessie, but I wanted to see the proof. I always imagined her as having a long neck and flippers. I have seen something but I’m not sure what.’
The photograph was rapturously received by the Nessie spotting community including long-time loch hermit Steve Feltham – who has spent the last 27 years watching the water.
Mr Feltham, 55, who holds the Guinness world record for the longest continuous monster hunting vigil of Loch Ness, said: ‘I am totally excited by this photograph – it is the best of “Nessie” in years.
‘There is clearly a solid object in it and it is relatively clear. It warrants further study. There may be a mundane explanation such as a seal, but I have not heard of a seal in the loch this year.
‘For my money it is larger than a seal or an otter. It is a fantastic picture by Charlotte.’
Rumours of a strange creature living in the waters of Loch Ness have abounded over the decades, yet scant evidence has been found to back up these claims.
The first reported sighting of the monster is said to have been made in AD565 by the Irish missionary St Columba when he came across a giant beast in the River Ness.
An online register lists more than 1,000 total Nessie sightings, created by Mr Campbell, the man behind the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and is available at www.lochnesssightings.com.
Many Nessie witnesses have mentioned large, crocodile-like scutes sitting atop the spine of the creature, leading some to believe an escaped amphibian may be to blame.
Native fish sturgeons can also weigh several hundred pounds and have ridged backs, which make them look almost reptilian.
Some believe Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur – like an elasmosaur – that survived somehow when all the other dinosaurs were wiped out.
Others say the sightings are down to Scottish pines dying and flopping into the loch, before quickly becoming water-logged and sinking.
Sturgeon’s Photograph: For 60 years this celebrated photograph of a long necked creature helped keep afloat the legend of the Loch Ness Monster
Over the years there have been thousands of ‘Nessie sightings’ at Loch Ness
Charlotte’s picture has drawn parallels with the the ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’ an infamous shot of Nessie that was eventually proven as a hoax.
In 1934, The Daily Mail published a picture by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson of what appeared to be a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster.
For 60 years this celebrated photograph of a long necked creature helped keep afloat the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.
It became known as the ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’ as Lieutenant Wilson was a Harley Street gynaecologist.
However, this photograph was actually of a modified toy submarine.
Now it’s alleged he was part of a plot to perpetuate the myth of the monster which began as a joke.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk