Loch Ness monster could be an eel, or a catfish, say New Zealand scientists

In an extensive study, a team of researchers from New Zealand’s University of Otago tested hundreds of water samples from the Loch Ness lake and found “absolutely no evidence” of “any reptilian sequences”.

Speaking to reporters in Scotland, Professor Neil Gemmell who headed the team added that they did find large amounts of eel DNA, leading media reports to speculate that the infamous Loch Ness monster (also known locally as ‘Nessie’) could be a giant eel.

But, the team did not offer any conclusive commentary on whether Nessie exists in the form of a giant eel, adding that they were unsure if the eel DNA came from a single large eel or from a multitude of them, stating that the only thing that they were certain of was that “there is probably not a giant scaly reptile swimming around in Loch Ness.”

The team have not ruled out possibilities, adding that there are many eels in the lake. They said that there may also be giant catfish in the Loch Ness, but that they did not find any evidence of the same.

According to News Hub, the researchers studied 500 million different genetic sequences, in 250 locations across the lake. The researchers were collecting ‘eDNA’—environmental DNA—which is DNA collected from environmental samples like soil, water, feces, snow, and the like in order to detect species.

Gemmell, whose Twitter bio jests that he ‘hunts monsters’ and that the Loch Ness Monster is probably the result of ‘mind-altering parasites’, had earlier retweeted an article on how the hunt for the Loch Ness had led to people learning about eDNA.

Numerous studies have tried to locate the Loch Ness Monster till now, though the scientific consensus has usually been to find alternate explanations to the idea of a giant reptile lurking beneath the Scottish waters.

The suggestion that it could be an eel dates back to 1933, the year of the first sightings that led to significant public interest in the mythical beast. A Daily Mirror article then was titled “The Monster of Loch Ness – Official! Orders That Nobody is to Attack it ... A Huge Eel?".

The most famous photograph of the supposed monster—The Surgeon’s Photograph—was later confirmed to be a hoax.

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