If anything was going to clear up the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster, it’s this.
A camera trap, lowered to the bottom of the Loch more than 50 years ago, has been discovered by scientists.
The device is thought to be one of six cameras placed 180 metres (590ft) below the surface in 1970 by Professor Roy Mackal, of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, and the University of Chicago.
It is likely one of the earliest attempts to catch the famous monster on film and, remarkably, remained dry within its clear waterproof plastic container.
It was unearthed during trials of a National Oceanographic Centre (NOC) submersible vessel – commonly known as Boaty McBoatface.
During the test, part of the mooring that was holding the camera system in place became caught on its propeller.
Thankfully, a NOC engineer was able to develop the film, which was still in a good condition.
So, can you spot any signs of the legendary beast?
Film recovered from the camera – can you see any hint of the mythical beast lurking in the depths of Loch Ness?
Another image captured by the device, which had been lowered to a depth of 180 metres (590ft)
Remarkably, the camera has remained dry despite being submerged for more than 50 years – meaning its film could be developed
Close analysis of images of the loch’s murky depths unfortunately showed no evidence of its most famous inhabitant.
Adrian Shine, who founded the Loch Ness Project in the mid-1970s, helped to identify the camera as one of those placed in the water by Professor Mackal.
‘It was an ingenious camera trap consisting of a clockwork Instamatic camera with an inbuilt flash cube, enabling four pictures to be taken when a bait line was taken,’ he said.
‘It is remarkable that the housing has kept the camera dry for the past 55 years, lying around 180 metres deep in Loch Ness.’
Sam Smith, of NOC’s marine autonomous robotics systems group, said: ‘At 230 metres deep, Loch Ness is an ideal location to test our robotics, their sensors and systems, before they’re deployed in the deep ocean to help answer the big questions we have.
‘While this wasn’t a find we expected to make, we’re happy that this piece of Nessie-hunting history can be shared and perhaps at least the mystery of who left it in the loch can be solved.’
The camera, it’s housing and the film have been given to the Loch Ness centre in Drumnadrochit so that it can be displayed as part of Nessie’s history.
Nagina Ishaq, manager of the centre, said she hoped people would be inspired by what could be hidden in the loch.
Adrian Shine, who founded the Loch Ness Project in the mid-1970s, holding the camera within its protective housing
‘It’s been over 90 years since the first sighting of Nessie, since then there have been many expeditions to find the elusive beast,’ she said.
‘We are guardians of this unique story and, as well as investing in creating an unforgettable experience for visitors, we are committed to helping continue the search and unveil the mysteries that lie underneath the waters of the famous loch.
‘We want to say a big thank you to Noc for handing over the film and camera, that we believe has been hidden for over 50 years, for everyone to come and discover and be inspired by what could be hidden in the mysterious loch.’
NOC is currently testing two Autosub vehicles in the loch – one used for mapping seabed habitats and another used for long-range autonomous operations.
The vehicles can descend to 6,000 metres (19,685ft), collecting a vast amount of ocean data that would be ‘extremely difficult’ to gather using other means.
What IS the Loch Ness Monster?
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.
One of the first sightings, believed to have fuelled modern Nessie fever, came in May 2, 1933.
On this date the Inverness Courier carried a story about a local couple who claim to have seen ‘an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface’.
Another famous claimed sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson.
It was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, who, on his deathbed, revealed that the pictures were staged.
Other sightings James Gray’s picture from 2001 when he and friend Peter Levings were out fishing on the Loch, while namesake Hugh Gray’s blurred photo of what appears to be a large sea creature was published in the Daily Express in 1933.
Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London physician, captured arguably the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster. The surgeon’s photograph was published in the Daily Mail on April 21, 1934 – however it was later proven to be a fake
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.
But no one has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation for the sightings – although in 2019, ‘Nessie expert’ Steve Feltham, who has spent 24 years watching the Loch, said he thought it was actually a giant Wels Catfish, native to waters near the Baltic and Caspian seas in Europe.
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.
So what could explain these mysterious sightings?
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.
While submerged, botanical chemicals start trapping tiny bubbles of air.
Eventually, enough of these are gathered to propel the log upward as deep pressures begin altering its shape, giving the appearance of an animal coming up for air.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .