WHAT ARE THESE?

WHAT IS THIS?

WHAT ARE THESE?

REAL OR FICTITIOUS ? Do you know these animals? Have you seen them? Do they look real? People have reported sighting these animals. But scientific studies have proved them to be mere figments of people’s imagination.

CRYPTOZOOLOGY Cryptozoology (from Greek kryptos, "hidden" + zoology; literally, "study of hidden animals") is a pseudoscience involving the search for animals whose existence has not been proven.

CRYPTOZOOLOGY The animals cryptozoologists study are often referred to as cryptids, a term coined by John Wall in Eg:Mythical and folkloric animals, such as Bigfoot and Chupacabra

CRYPTIDS Apart from such mythical animals, Cryptids also include: Animals that are considered extinct, such as dinosaurs and Wild animals dramatically outside their normal geographic ranges, such as phantom cats (also known as Alien Big Cats).

LOCH NESS MONSTER The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid. It inhabits Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It was first brought to the world's attention in 1933.

 SIGHTINGS  Spicers (1933) On 22 July 1933, George Spicer and his wife saw 'a most extraordinary form of animal' cross the road in front of their car. They described the creature as: Having a large body (about 4 feet high and 25 feet long) A long, narrow neck, slightly thicker than an elephant's trunk and as long as the 10–12-foot (3–4 m) width of the road The neck had undulations in it They saw no limbs, possibly because of a dip in the road obscured the animal's lower portion This was the first reported sighting of the Loch Ness monster.

 SIGHTINGS  C. B. Farrel (1943) In May 1943, C. B. Farrel of the Royal Observer Corps was supposedly distracted from his duties by a Nessie sighting. He claimed to have been about 250 yards away from a large-eyed, 'finned' creature, which had a 20-to-30-foot long body, and a neck that protruded about 4–5 feet out of the water.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND FILMS HUGH GRAY'S PHOTOGRAPH (1933) On 12 November 1933, Hugh Gray was walking along the loch after church when he spotted a substantial commotion in the water. A large creature rose up from the lake. Gray took several pictures of it, but only one of them showed up after they were developed. This image appeared to show a creature with a long tail and thick body. Four stumpy-looking objects on the bottom of the creature's body might possibly be a pair of appendages, such as flippers. Although critics have claimed that the photograph is of a dog swimming towards the camera, researcher Roland Watson rejects this interpretation and suggests there is an eel-like head on the right side of the image. This picture is the first known image allegedly taken of the Loch Ness Monster.

SONAR IMAGE (2011) On 24 August 2011, Marcus Atkinson, a local Loch Ness boat skipper, photographed a sonar image of a long 5 ft wide object which was apparently following his boat for two minutes at a depth of 75 ft. Atkinson ruled out the possibility of any small fish or seal being what he believed to be the Loch Ness Monster. In April 2012, a scientist from the National Oceanography Centre said that this image is a bloom of algae and zooplankton.

DAVID ELDER'S VIDEO (2013) On 27 August 2013, tourist David Elder presented a five-minute video of a "mysterious wave" in the loch. He believed that the wave was being produced by a 15-foot "solid black object" just under the surface of the water. Elder was taking a picture of a swan when he captured the movement. Sceptics suggested that the wave may have been the result of a gust of wind

SEARCHES FOR THE MONSTER SIR EDWARD MOUNTAIN EXPEDITION (1934) Edward Mountain decided to finance a proper watch for the monster. Twenty men with binoculars and cameras positioned themselves around the Loch from 9 am to 6 pm, for five weeks starting 13 July They took 21 photographs, though none was considered conclusive.

Searching for the Loch Ness Monster BBC (2003) In 2003, the BBC sponsored a full search of the Loch using 600 separate sonar beams and satellite tracking. The search had enough resolution to pick up a small buoy. No animal of any substantial size was found whatsoever and despite high hopes, the scientists involved in the expedition admitted that this essentially proved the Loch Ness monster was only a myth.

EXPLANATIONS MMisidentification of common animals Bird wakes Eels Seals

MISIDENTIFICATIONS Trees Optical effects Seismic gas

Popular Representations: In Literature In the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001) by J.K. Rowling In The Loch (2005) a novel by Steve Alten In The Water Horse, a novel by Dick King-Smith

Popular Representations: In Music The song "Water Beastie“ written by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (1978 album) The Real McKenzies' 2001 album Loch'd and Loaded features a song titled "Nessie“ The Judas Priest song "Lochness" from their 2005 album Angel of Retribution

POPULAR REPRESENTATIONS: IN FILMS Secret of the Loch (1934) an English feature film directed by Milton Rosmer was the first film to deal with the Loch Ness monster In the 1970 film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes the monster is revealed to be a miniature submarine in disguise. The 2001 horror movie Beneath Loch Ness deals with a series of attack allegedly made by the monster In the 2004 movie Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster the characters travel to Loch Ness. In the end the film shows Scooby briefly seeing the real Loch Ness Monster. The Ballad of Nessie released by Disney Animations in 2001 is a story about Nessie's origins.

(.(. Oil painting by Heikenwaelder Hugo

STUDY OF CRYPTIDS: AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY? Cryptozoology has been criticised on the following grounds: It relies mostly on anecdotal information It does not always follow a scientific method It devotes its efforts to study about animals that most scientists believe are unlikely to have existed. Cryptozoologists are not generally interested in researching and cataloguing newly discovered species of animals; instead devote time (in vain) in search of "more elusive" creatures. Actual discoveries of new species have rarely, if ever, been predicted by cryptozoologists.

Let them Dwell in Our Imagination Mankind has always had a fascination for the mysterious and the elusive. Scary creatures like witches, vampires, genies, ghouls and yakshis exist in the popular imagination of various cultures. Like these creatures, animals like the Yeti and Loch Ness monster will continue to interest and intrigue mankind despite there being no scientific proof of their existence. Let them live in our imagination and serve as inspiration for literature, arts and popular culture. But do we need to chase a mirage spending years of effort and huge amounts of money when there are more “real” things and problems that merit rigorous study and scientific investigation?

Prepared by ASIF ABBAS CLASS IX ROLL NO 19