"Mysteries at the Museum" The Loch Ness Monster: Mysteries at the Museum Specials

1 00:00:01,859 --> 00:00:04,593 Deep in a dark and ancient lake in the Scottish Highlands 2 00:00:04,595 --> 00:00:07,029 is believed to live one of the most mysterious 3 00:00:07,031 --> 00:00:09,498 and elusive creatures in existence -- 4 00:00:09,500 --> 00:00:12,634 the Loch Ness Monster. 5 00:00:12,636 --> 00:00:15,471 But what exactly is the Loch Ness Monster? 6 00:00:15,473 --> 00:00:18,407 And out of the corner of my eye, I saw this black hump. 7 00:00:18,409 --> 00:00:21,510 I'm on a journey to the mystical Scottish Highlands 8 00:00:21,512 --> 00:00:24,546 to dive deeper into the fabled lore of Loch Ness 9 00:00:24,548 --> 00:00:27,749 in search of the truth behind this mythical beast. 10 00:00:32,490 --> 00:00:35,424 Why, after all these years, are people still drawn 11 00:00:35,426 --> 00:00:38,460 to this loch in search of the storied monster? 12 00:00:38,462 --> 00:00:40,228 FELTHAM: If I solve this mystery, 13 00:00:40,230 --> 00:00:43,465 that's one of the last great discoveries on this planet. 14 00:00:43,467 --> 00:00:45,800 And can a new investigation prove 15 00:00:45,802 --> 00:00:48,637 whether or not the monster is actually real? 16 00:00:55,379 --> 00:00:56,845 I'm Don Wildman. 17 00:00:56,847 --> 00:00:59,348 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 18 00:00:59,350 --> 00:01:02,351 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 19 00:01:02,353 --> 00:01:03,986 That is unbelievable. 20 00:01:03,988 --> 00:01:07,022 Now, I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 21 00:01:07,024 --> 00:01:09,691 and famous cases in history. 22 00:01:09,693 --> 00:01:12,127 My goal -- to get closer to the truth... 23 00:01:12,129 --> 00:01:14,830 -Let's burn this place down. -Let's burn it down. 24 00:01:14,832 --> 00:01:16,698 WILDMAN: ...on this special episode 25 00:01:16,700 --> 00:01:20,569 of "Mysteries at the Museum: The Loch Ness Monster Lives." 26 00:01:26,177 --> 00:01:28,410 The Loch Ness Monster, 27 00:01:28,412 --> 00:01:31,880 or Nessie as she's affectionately known by locals, 28 00:01:31,882 --> 00:01:35,217 is a creature said to live in Scotland. 29 00:01:35,219 --> 00:01:37,519 Loch is the Scots word for lake, 30 00:01:37,521 --> 00:01:41,156 and legend has it that Nessie lives exclusively in one lake -- 31 00:01:41,158 --> 00:01:42,524 Loch Ness. 32 00:01:42,526 --> 00:01:45,761 With numerous sightings still reported each year, 33 00:01:45,763 --> 00:01:48,631 the Loch Ness Monster is believed to lurk somewhere 34 00:01:48,633 --> 00:01:52,701 out there in the depths of that dark and storied lake, 35 00:01:52,703 --> 00:01:55,904 but what kind of creature is the Loch Ness Monster? 36 00:01:55,906 --> 00:01:57,772 What does it actually look like, 37 00:01:57,774 --> 00:02:01,309 and what is it about this mysterious waterborne beast 38 00:02:01,311 --> 00:02:05,480 that draws so many people here in hopes of grabbing a glimpse? 39 00:02:05,482 --> 00:02:08,817 So I'm here to tackle the billion-dollar question -- 40 00:02:08,819 --> 00:02:11,086 is the Loch Ness Monster real? 41 00:02:11,088 --> 00:02:14,089 [ Helicopter blades whirring ] 42 00:02:14,091 --> 00:02:18,093 For a proper lay of the land and to truly grasp the scale 43 00:02:18,095 --> 00:02:21,764 and sweep of Loch Ness, the only way to go is up. 44 00:02:25,202 --> 00:02:28,270 And we're off. 45 00:02:28,272 --> 00:02:30,405 Located in the Scottish Highlands, 46 00:02:30,407 --> 00:02:33,842 this world-famous lake is a vast body of water 47 00:02:33,844 --> 00:02:36,712 that cuts across this wild and rugged region. 48 00:02:36,714 --> 00:02:37,979 Look at that. 49 00:02:37,981 --> 00:02:40,449 There she is, the incredible Loch Ness. 50 00:02:40,451 --> 00:02:41,950 Beautiful, right? 51 00:02:41,952 --> 00:02:44,987 You don't really know how big and broad this lake 52 00:02:44,989 --> 00:02:47,790 is until you get above it. 53 00:02:47,792 --> 00:02:50,259 Running along the Great Glen Fault line, 54 00:02:50,261 --> 00:02:53,528 Loch Ness is nearly 23 miles long, 55 00:02:53,530 --> 00:02:57,899 1 1/2 miles wide, and over 700 feet deep. 56 00:02:57,901 --> 00:03:00,402 In fact, Loch Ness holds more water 57 00:03:00,404 --> 00:03:04,339 than all the lakes and rivers in England and Wales combined. 58 00:03:04,341 --> 00:03:07,542 Loch Ness is actually part of the Caledonian Canal, 59 00:03:07,544 --> 00:03:11,780 which runs from the east of Scotland, the North Sea, 60 00:03:11,782 --> 00:03:14,516 all the way to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. 61 00:03:14,518 --> 00:03:17,552 And that connection to the ocean is important to know. 62 00:03:17,554 --> 00:03:22,758 It's one way a creature might travel into and out of a loch. 63 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:27,596 Seeing it from above, how long and deep and dark it is, 64 00:03:27,598 --> 00:03:30,766 I could completely understand why people believe 65 00:03:30,768 --> 00:03:33,869 that there is some mysterious creature lurking 66 00:03:33,871 --> 00:03:36,337 in the depths -- the Loch Ness Monster. 67 00:03:41,011 --> 00:03:43,511 Amazingly, the first written record 68 00:03:43,513 --> 00:03:46,781 of something unexplained living in Loch Ness dates 69 00:03:46,783 --> 00:03:50,618 back to the 6th century AD as told to Saint Columba, 70 00:03:50,620 --> 00:03:52,688 an Irish missionary. 71 00:03:52,690 --> 00:03:55,423 According to legend, a man was swimming in the loch 72 00:03:55,425 --> 00:03:58,526 when, suddenly, a giant serpentlike beast 73 00:03:58,528 --> 00:04:00,962 reared out of the water and lunged at him. 74 00:04:00,964 --> 00:04:03,364 A nearby witness saved the man, 75 00:04:03,366 --> 00:04:06,601 and their account gave birth to the infamous legend. 76 00:04:10,941 --> 00:04:13,308 Although the mythology of the Loch Ness Monster 77 00:04:13,310 --> 00:04:16,211 dates back more than 1,500 years, 78 00:04:16,213 --> 00:04:17,813 it wasn't until the 1930s 79 00:04:17,815 --> 00:04:20,549 that the legend was brought to worldwide attention, 80 00:04:20,551 --> 00:04:23,384 and Nessie fever took hold. 81 00:04:23,386 --> 00:04:24,686 Ah. Hello, Don. 82 00:04:24,688 --> 00:04:26,688 Adrian Shine is the resident expert 83 00:04:26,690 --> 00:04:29,324 at the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition. 84 00:04:29,326 --> 00:04:31,159 He's a naturalist who's published 85 00:04:31,161 --> 00:04:33,761 over a dozen scientific papers on the subject 86 00:04:33,763 --> 00:04:35,864 and has been involved with fieldwork here 87 00:04:35,866 --> 00:04:39,667 in the Scottish Highlands for over 45 years. 88 00:04:39,669 --> 00:04:44,405 Since 1973, he's been part of nearly every major expedition 89 00:04:44,407 --> 00:04:47,008 to find the monster and has dedicated his life 90 00:04:47,010 --> 00:04:48,477 to solving the mystery. 91 00:04:48,479 --> 00:04:50,746 What starts to happen in the '30s? 92 00:04:50,748 --> 00:04:53,715 Well, I suppose you could say 1933, 93 00:04:53,717 --> 00:04:58,853 which was when the road which passes us here was improved. 94 00:04:58,855 --> 00:05:00,622 -Ah, okay. -There was a road before, 95 00:05:00,624 --> 00:05:03,825 but it was improved, and in the improvements of it, 96 00:05:03,827 --> 00:05:05,894 they cut down a lot of the trees. 97 00:05:05,896 --> 00:05:09,264 It meant there was a better view of the loch 98 00:05:09,266 --> 00:05:12,401 than was before or since. 99 00:05:12,403 --> 00:05:13,902 WILDMAN: But when this new road 100 00:05:13,904 --> 00:05:16,004 started bringing more visitors here, 101 00:05:16,006 --> 00:05:20,075 something even more mysterious started to happen. 102 00:05:20,077 --> 00:05:23,245 This clearer view of the lake resulted in the first 103 00:05:23,247 --> 00:05:26,348 modern sighting of the Loch Ness Monster. 104 00:05:28,619 --> 00:05:33,155 In April 1933, a local woman, Mrs. Aldie Mackay, 105 00:05:33,157 --> 00:05:35,424 was driving along the loch with her husband. 106 00:05:35,426 --> 00:05:38,160 As she glanced over the calm waters, 107 00:05:38,162 --> 00:05:42,730 she suddenly witnessed something she had never seen before. 108 00:05:42,732 --> 00:05:46,067 Later, she would describe it as a whalelike fish that was 109 00:05:46,069 --> 00:05:51,373 rolling over along the surface and then disappearing below. 110 00:05:51,375 --> 00:05:53,341 So this becomes a newspaper story. 111 00:05:53,343 --> 00:05:55,377 Yes, but only locally. 112 00:05:55,379 --> 00:05:57,912 It seemed like the story ended there, 113 00:05:57,914 --> 00:06:00,916 but just 3 months later, there was another sighting. 114 00:06:00,918 --> 00:06:05,486 It is when an English couple see, apparently, a long-necked 115 00:06:05,488 --> 00:06:07,756 creature lurching across a road... 116 00:06:07,758 --> 00:06:10,258 -Really? -...on a hot July afternoon. 117 00:06:14,198 --> 00:06:18,000 That is where the long-necked idea came from. 118 00:06:20,337 --> 00:06:24,372 WILDMAN: This second sighting became big news all over the UK. 119 00:06:24,374 --> 00:06:28,243 In fact, one of Britain's best-selling tabloid newspapers, 120 00:06:28,245 --> 00:06:29,778 the "Daily Mail," 121 00:06:29,780 --> 00:06:32,748 made it its mission to find out what the witnesses had seen. 122 00:06:32,750 --> 00:06:35,884 Their first task -- to acquire proof 123 00:06:35,886 --> 00:06:37,285 of the creature's existence. 124 00:06:37,287 --> 00:06:39,154 There was a huge amount of awareness 125 00:06:39,156 --> 00:06:41,456 throughout the whole United Kingdom about this. 126 00:06:41,458 --> 00:06:45,394 It builds from that summer, and the "Daily Mail" 127 00:06:45,396 --> 00:06:48,530 hire a big game hunter called Marmaduke Wetherell 128 00:06:48,532 --> 00:06:50,164 to solve the mystery. 129 00:06:50,166 --> 00:06:51,767 Really, by a London newspaper? 130 00:06:51,769 --> 00:06:54,736 -By a London newspaper. -Interesting. 131 00:06:54,738 --> 00:06:57,605 Marmaduke Wetherell was a famous big game hunter 132 00:06:57,607 --> 00:07:01,409 whose conquests were regularly covered in the "Daily Mail." 133 00:07:01,411 --> 00:07:04,780 If anyone could bring home a monster, it was him, 134 00:07:04,782 --> 00:07:07,783 and sure enough, within just a few days, 135 00:07:07,785 --> 00:07:11,119 Wetherell discovered something astounding. 136 00:07:11,121 --> 00:07:15,624 They find on the shore some footprints. 137 00:07:20,697 --> 00:07:22,296 How exciting! 138 00:07:22,298 --> 00:07:25,133 And the "Daily Mail" publishes the fact that he's found them. 139 00:07:25,135 --> 00:07:28,870 -This is -- -And plaster casts are taken, 140 00:07:28,872 --> 00:07:32,073 and they are dispatched, with all due reverence, 141 00:07:32,075 --> 00:07:33,674 in a locked box 142 00:07:33,676 --> 00:07:36,511 to the Natural History Museum in London, 143 00:07:36,513 --> 00:07:39,514 and then the world waits. 144 00:07:39,516 --> 00:07:42,050 WILDMAN: This was going to be it -- 145 00:07:42,052 --> 00:07:43,918 the first concrete evidence 146 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:45,954 of a monster living in the lake. 147 00:07:48,125 --> 00:07:51,126 But there was a problem. 148 00:07:51,128 --> 00:07:54,062 Experts realized these prints had been created 149 00:07:54,064 --> 00:07:55,630 by a single foot, 150 00:07:55,632 --> 00:07:58,299 and it wasn't even one from a live animal. 151 00:07:58,301 --> 00:08:01,669 After an investigation by the foremost animal experts 152 00:08:01,671 --> 00:08:03,071 in the country, 153 00:08:03,073 --> 00:08:04,639 it turned out the prints were made 154 00:08:04,641 --> 00:08:07,709 by a taxidermied hippopotamus foot, 155 00:08:07,711 --> 00:08:11,980 and who happened to own a taxidermied hippo foot? 156 00:08:11,982 --> 00:08:14,115 None other than Marmaduke Wetherell. 157 00:08:16,453 --> 00:08:18,653 The whole thing was a fake. 158 00:08:21,191 --> 00:08:24,392 When the truth became known, Wetherell was exposed as a phony 159 00:08:24,394 --> 00:08:28,496 by the "Daily Mail," his reputation left in tatters. 160 00:08:28,498 --> 00:08:31,967 The Loch Ness Monster wasn't real, end of story. 161 00:08:33,971 --> 00:08:36,070 But then, just a few months later, 162 00:08:36,072 --> 00:08:39,107 yet another new report of a sighting surfaced, 163 00:08:39,109 --> 00:08:43,244 and this time, there was a picture. 164 00:08:43,246 --> 00:08:45,380 So how does the story develop? 165 00:08:45,382 --> 00:08:49,284 It's the next April really of 1934. 166 00:08:49,286 --> 00:08:54,089 A picture appears in the "Daily Mail" newspaper. 167 00:08:54,091 --> 00:08:55,656 It's this picture. 168 00:08:55,658 --> 00:08:59,661 It is the most notorious picture of the Loch Ness Monster. 169 00:08:59,663 --> 00:09:01,763 It is the Loch Ness Monster. 170 00:09:01,765 --> 00:09:03,065 I recognize it. 171 00:09:03,067 --> 00:09:05,767 Yeah, and so would most people in the Western world. 172 00:09:05,769 --> 00:09:07,369 It's an incredible picture. 173 00:09:07,371 --> 00:09:09,704 I mean, that's the Loch Ness Monster that I know and love. 174 00:09:09,706 --> 00:09:13,475 It has everything. It has that enigmatic quality. 175 00:09:18,148 --> 00:09:20,115 WILDMAN: And so the Loch Ness Monster 176 00:09:20,117 --> 00:09:25,052 suddenly became the most famous story in the entire world, 177 00:09:25,054 --> 00:09:26,688 but skeptics weren't buying it, 178 00:09:26,690 --> 00:09:29,491 and eventually this photographic proof 179 00:09:29,493 --> 00:09:31,760 was dismissed as another fake, 180 00:09:31,762 --> 00:09:35,296 and indeed, 60 years after this iconic image 181 00:09:35,298 --> 00:09:37,799 was emblazoned on the pages of the "Daily Mail," 182 00:09:37,801 --> 00:09:40,669 a 90-year-old man named Christopher Spurling 183 00:09:40,671 --> 00:09:45,006 came forward to once and for all put the controversy to rest. 184 00:09:45,008 --> 00:09:48,343 He confessed that he and a group of coconspirators 185 00:09:48,345 --> 00:09:50,879 staged the photo themselves, 186 00:09:50,881 --> 00:09:55,283 and the ringleader was none other than Marmaduke Wetherell. 187 00:09:55,285 --> 00:09:56,617 According to Spurling, 188 00:09:56,619 --> 00:10:00,055 Wetherell wanted revenge on the "Daily Mail." 189 00:10:00,057 --> 00:10:01,789 So how did they do it? 190 00:10:07,598 --> 00:10:09,831 Spurling explained that the Loch Ness Monster 191 00:10:09,833 --> 00:10:12,700 was nothing more than a model dinosaur 192 00:10:12,702 --> 00:10:15,136 floating on a toy submarine. 193 00:10:18,207 --> 00:10:20,475 -Wow, look at that. -There we go. 194 00:10:20,477 --> 00:10:22,777 WILDMAN: It is almost exactly the same. 195 00:10:22,779 --> 00:10:25,246 That's amazing. It's got everything going on. 196 00:10:25,248 --> 00:10:28,516 It's merely a psychological twist, isn't it? 197 00:10:28,518 --> 00:10:30,251 Like, you just assume that it -- 198 00:10:30,253 --> 00:10:31,653 It's a matter of scale. 199 00:10:31,655 --> 00:10:34,322 The prime image that so many people 200 00:10:34,324 --> 00:10:36,191 built their hopes and dreams on 201 00:10:36,193 --> 00:10:38,526 was actually a little model on the water. 202 00:10:38,528 --> 00:10:41,696 Yes. If there is an unusual animal in Loch Ness, 203 00:10:41,698 --> 00:10:44,566 then it probably hasn't got a long neck like that. 204 00:10:44,568 --> 00:10:46,034 Right. 205 00:10:46,036 --> 00:10:47,935 You might think that once these hoaxes were exposed, 206 00:10:47,937 --> 00:10:49,771 the story of the Loch Ness Monster 207 00:10:49,773 --> 00:10:54,408 would have gone away for good, but that is not what happened. 208 00:10:54,410 --> 00:10:58,480 Starting with this famous faked photograph from the 1930s, 209 00:10:58,482 --> 00:11:01,449 images and reports of strange shapes and movements 210 00:11:01,451 --> 00:11:04,118 in the loch continued to pour in, 211 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,821 catapulting Nessie to worldwide fame. 212 00:11:10,227 --> 00:11:12,627 So what are people seeing in the lake? 213 00:11:12,629 --> 00:11:14,228 The vast majority of eyewitnesses 214 00:11:14,230 --> 00:11:15,997 I think, are completely sincere. 215 00:11:15,999 --> 00:11:18,132 I saw something. I'm not sure what it was, 216 00:11:18,134 --> 00:11:19,467 but it was definitely mysterious. 217 00:11:19,469 --> 00:11:21,535 It was definitely something, definitely mysterious. 218 00:11:21,537 --> 00:11:26,341 And how close are we to finally solving this age-old mystery? 219 00:11:26,343 --> 00:11:31,112 So the secret to Loch Ness could be right inside this tube. 220 00:11:41,792 --> 00:11:43,425 By the end of 1934, 221 00:11:43,427 --> 00:11:45,526 with hundreds of sightings claimed, 222 00:11:45,528 --> 00:11:48,496 the Loch Ness Monster was firmly established 223 00:11:48,498 --> 00:11:50,165 as an international mystery. 224 00:11:50,167 --> 00:11:53,234 Boats were hired, expeditions organized. 225 00:11:53,236 --> 00:11:56,771 People from all walks of life sought to become the ones 226 00:11:56,773 --> 00:11:58,572 to obtain the conclusive evidence 227 00:11:58,574 --> 00:12:01,008 that the creature was real. 228 00:12:01,010 --> 00:12:03,444 Nessie fever was alive and well. 229 00:12:03,446 --> 00:12:06,114 The hunt was on. 230 00:12:06,116 --> 00:12:08,716 And it was not long before the scientific community 231 00:12:08,718 --> 00:12:10,351 began to pay attention. 232 00:12:10,353 --> 00:12:13,721 By the early 1960s, expeditions were dispatched, 233 00:12:13,723 --> 00:12:15,390 and the search for a fabled creature 234 00:12:15,392 --> 00:12:18,559 hidden in the depths of Loch Ness intensified. 235 00:12:18,561 --> 00:12:21,396 Could scientists finally track the creature? 236 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:33,841 Loch Ness Monster hunter Adrian Shine and I... 237 00:12:33,843 --> 00:12:35,610 May I come aboard? 238 00:12:35,612 --> 00:12:38,146 ...are going to take a stab at searching for Nessie 239 00:12:38,148 --> 00:12:41,315 using the latest sonar technology. 240 00:12:41,317 --> 00:12:46,054 We can get a view of what we can't see from on top. 241 00:12:46,056 --> 00:12:47,455 Do you want to come in and look? 242 00:12:47,457 --> 00:12:50,424 I'd love to, yeah. 243 00:12:50,426 --> 00:12:52,060 Now, the thing about Loch Ness 244 00:12:52,062 --> 00:12:54,929 is it is pretty significant 245 00:12:54,931 --> 00:12:56,298 in terms of its depth... 246 00:12:56,300 --> 00:12:58,533 -Mm-hmm. -...in a narrow compass, 247 00:12:58,535 --> 00:13:00,068 but this is the bottom of the loch. 248 00:13:00,070 --> 00:13:01,569 All right. 249 00:13:01,571 --> 00:13:03,271 We've been moving along the shore. 250 00:13:03,273 --> 00:13:05,106 We're at the surface right here. 251 00:13:05,108 --> 00:13:06,241 Okay. 252 00:13:06,243 --> 00:13:07,542 The only bit that counts is the bit 253 00:13:07,544 --> 00:13:09,110 between the surface and the bottom. 254 00:13:09,112 --> 00:13:10,645 Oh, I see. Okay. 255 00:13:10,647 --> 00:13:14,616 You can see how steeply the side wall is falling away. 256 00:13:14,618 --> 00:13:16,017 Yeah. 257 00:13:16,019 --> 00:13:18,653 We're already down to nearly 200 meters. 258 00:13:18,655 --> 00:13:20,722 Which would be 600 feet. 259 00:13:20,724 --> 00:13:23,591 The area we're searching in right now was the site 260 00:13:23,593 --> 00:13:27,896 of a series of famous scientific expeditions in the 1960s 261 00:13:27,898 --> 00:13:33,168 and '70s led by well-respected explorer Sir Peter Scott. 262 00:13:33,170 --> 00:13:35,703 It was the first time that sonar technology, 263 00:13:35,705 --> 00:13:37,572 similar to what we're using now, 264 00:13:37,574 --> 00:13:39,507 was deployed to find the monster. 265 00:13:39,509 --> 00:13:41,509 There was a very famous image 266 00:13:41,511 --> 00:13:43,511 taken back in the early '70s, yeah? 267 00:13:43,513 --> 00:13:47,515 Yes, there was, a beautifully outlined flipper. 268 00:13:47,517 --> 00:13:49,684 Had the elusive Loch Ness Monster, 269 00:13:49,686 --> 00:13:53,220 or at least its image, finally been captured? 270 00:13:53,222 --> 00:13:56,624 This would have been the first time that an image underwater 271 00:13:56,626 --> 00:14:00,194 had been taken of what could be construed 272 00:14:00,196 --> 00:14:03,865 as an appendage of the Loch Ness Monster, yeah? 273 00:14:03,867 --> 00:14:08,136 It was the first image that reached public prominence. 274 00:14:08,138 --> 00:14:11,205 Legions of monster hunters around the world took notice 275 00:14:11,207 --> 00:14:13,141 and waited for more details, 276 00:14:13,143 --> 00:14:15,610 but before Scott and others could dig in further, 277 00:14:15,612 --> 00:14:19,614 a debate erupted over whether these images had been altered. 278 00:14:19,616 --> 00:14:22,317 Were these actually Nessie's flippers, 279 00:14:22,319 --> 00:14:25,386 or was this yet another hoax? 280 00:14:25,388 --> 00:14:27,788 Well, it was a huge swirl of silt, 281 00:14:27,790 --> 00:14:29,724 and then, with a paintbrush, they'd... 282 00:14:29,726 --> 00:14:31,592 Oh, I see. They enhanced the shot. 283 00:14:31,594 --> 00:14:33,060 Enhanced. 284 00:14:33,062 --> 00:14:34,595 They said it was computer enhancement... 285 00:14:34,597 --> 00:14:35,797 -Okay. -...but no. 286 00:14:35,799 --> 00:14:38,332 -All right. -They'd drawn around the edges. 287 00:14:42,305 --> 00:14:46,440 WILDMAN: You can understand how tedious the search truly is. 288 00:14:46,442 --> 00:14:49,443 This body of water is endless. 289 00:14:49,445 --> 00:14:51,112 What are these big white stripes there? 290 00:14:51,114 --> 00:14:53,347 They're interference. We've crossed a boat way. 291 00:14:53,349 --> 00:14:54,549 Oh, I see. Okay. 292 00:14:54,551 --> 00:14:56,484 And as I monitor the sonar, I can see 293 00:14:56,486 --> 00:15:00,088 how the depth of the lake can mess with your mind. 294 00:15:00,090 --> 00:15:01,823 After a long day of searching, 295 00:15:01,825 --> 00:15:04,725 I can't even tell what I'm looking at anymore. 296 00:15:08,632 --> 00:15:10,564 For the next few hours, Adrian and I 297 00:15:10,566 --> 00:15:12,500 continue to scour the loch to see 298 00:15:12,502 --> 00:15:15,470 if we can find anything odd with the sonar scanner. 299 00:15:15,472 --> 00:15:19,874 If I saw a large creature, what would have happened? 300 00:15:19,876 --> 00:15:22,043 We'd have seen a crescent shape, 301 00:15:22,045 --> 00:15:27,515 a sort of an upward rising shape. 302 00:15:27,517 --> 00:15:30,885 We turn up nothing, 303 00:15:30,887 --> 00:15:34,856 but that doesn't end the quest for the truth. 304 00:15:34,858 --> 00:15:37,859 After all, Adrian has been doing this for decades. 305 00:15:37,861 --> 00:15:40,695 In fact, in 1987, he helped organize 306 00:15:40,697 --> 00:15:43,030 a famous and ambitious expedition 307 00:15:43,032 --> 00:15:46,568 known as Operation Deepscan. 308 00:15:46,570 --> 00:15:48,369 A multimillion dollar project, 309 00:15:48,371 --> 00:15:52,941 Operation Deepscan featured a flotilla of 24 boats. 310 00:15:52,943 --> 00:15:54,341 These vessels worked together 311 00:15:54,343 --> 00:15:56,878 to systematically sweep the depths of the loch, 312 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:00,048 searching for any signs of Nessie, 313 00:16:00,050 --> 00:16:04,385 and on October 9th, 1987, they saw something. 314 00:16:04,387 --> 00:16:08,823 We did two full sweeps along the length of the loch. 315 00:16:08,825 --> 00:16:11,959 During those two sweeps, the boats' sonar images 316 00:16:11,961 --> 00:16:16,530 revealed three separate objects that they didn't understand. 317 00:16:16,532 --> 00:16:20,735 These mysterious readings were called contacts. 318 00:16:20,737 --> 00:16:22,436 If they'd got a contact, 319 00:16:22,438 --> 00:16:25,973 they would chuck a float overboard and radio me. 320 00:16:25,975 --> 00:16:27,108 Uh-huh. 321 00:16:27,110 --> 00:16:28,576 Me leading from the back... 322 00:16:28,578 --> 00:16:29,744 Yeah. 323 00:16:29,746 --> 00:16:31,145 ...with the backup flotilla, 324 00:16:31,147 --> 00:16:34,115 and I would dispatch vessels to go and investigate. 325 00:16:34,117 --> 00:16:36,917 Did you find anything? 326 00:16:36,919 --> 00:16:39,053 These images on the sonar screen 327 00:16:39,055 --> 00:16:41,322 seem to show something bigger than a shark 328 00:16:41,324 --> 00:16:42,991 but smaller than a whale, 329 00:16:42,993 --> 00:16:45,159 but when they went back to look for them again, 330 00:16:45,161 --> 00:16:47,161 they were in for a surprise. 331 00:16:47,163 --> 00:16:50,331 The large shadowy images were gone. 332 00:16:50,333 --> 00:16:54,068 The three contacts were not there when we went back. 333 00:16:55,672 --> 00:17:00,275 And I suppose that's where any remaining enigma resides. 334 00:17:04,714 --> 00:17:07,348 Like Adrian, I'm not giving up either. 335 00:17:07,350 --> 00:17:09,751 In fact, there's a local tour boat operator 336 00:17:09,753 --> 00:17:12,753 who apparently saw something strange on his sonar 337 00:17:12,755 --> 00:17:14,289 and has a picture to prove it. 338 00:17:14,291 --> 00:17:15,589 Hey, Marcus. How you doing? 339 00:17:15,591 --> 00:17:17,625 How you doing? Hello, welcome. 340 00:17:17,627 --> 00:17:18,993 Thank you very much. 341 00:17:18,995 --> 00:17:21,328 So I'm going to have him take me out to the very spot 342 00:17:21,330 --> 00:17:24,098 and describe exactly what he saw. 343 00:17:24,100 --> 00:17:25,466 I want to be convinced 344 00:17:25,468 --> 00:17:27,835 that there really could be something down there. 345 00:17:30,206 --> 00:17:32,406 Marcus Atkinson spends most of his days 346 00:17:32,408 --> 00:17:35,509 giving tourists an up-close experience with the lake, 347 00:17:35,511 --> 00:17:38,212 but in 2012, while crossing the waters, 348 00:17:38,214 --> 00:17:41,816 he took one of Loch Ness' most famous sonar images. 349 00:17:44,721 --> 00:17:46,954 Tell me about your sighting. What happened? 350 00:17:46,956 --> 00:17:52,760 On the screen in front of me appeared this blob, this thing, 351 00:17:52,762 --> 00:17:56,431 and it sat between me, the bottom of the loch, 352 00:17:56,433 --> 00:17:58,132 20-odd meters below us. 353 00:17:58,134 --> 00:18:01,669 About 60 feet down, underneath the boat, 354 00:18:01,671 --> 00:18:05,005 a large animal... -A large contact, yeah. 355 00:18:05,007 --> 00:18:07,408 ...five feet in diameter is swimming underneath you. 356 00:18:07,410 --> 00:18:09,043 Yeah, yeah, is swimming underneath the boat. 357 00:18:09,045 --> 00:18:10,478 What'd you do? 358 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,214 Well, I fumbled for my phone and took a photograph. 359 00:18:16,853 --> 00:18:19,387 -And what do you think it was? -What else could it be? 360 00:18:19,389 --> 00:18:20,587 I've never seen it before. 361 00:18:20,589 --> 00:18:23,190 -Yeah, yeah. -Never seen it since. 362 00:18:23,192 --> 00:18:26,260 WILDMAN: Marcus' sonar picture showing a large 363 00:18:26,262 --> 00:18:29,197 unidentified object underwater in Loch Ness 364 00:18:29,199 --> 00:18:30,731 made international news 365 00:18:30,733 --> 00:18:33,434 and excited monster hunters with the possibility 366 00:18:33,436 --> 00:18:36,504 that the Loch Ness Monster had been found once and for all. 367 00:18:36,506 --> 00:18:37,739 You know, up until that point, 368 00:18:37,741 --> 00:18:39,807 I hadn't really believed in monsters, 369 00:18:39,809 --> 00:18:41,142 but I was -- I don't know. 370 00:18:41,144 --> 00:18:43,044 It was a very, very strange contact... 371 00:18:43,046 --> 00:18:44,311 -Right. -...very strange picture, 372 00:18:44,313 --> 00:18:46,347 and I genuinely don't know what it is. 373 00:18:46,349 --> 00:18:48,816 It lands in the legit category of, 374 00:18:48,818 --> 00:18:51,018 "I saw something. I'm not sure what it was, 375 00:18:51,020 --> 00:18:52,486 but it was definitely mysterious." 376 00:18:52,488 --> 00:18:54,254 It was definitely something, definitely mysterious. 377 00:18:57,927 --> 00:19:01,729 I mean, you talk to locals, hear these eyewitness accounts, 378 00:19:01,731 --> 00:19:05,700 many of which we've never heard of in the media and elsewhere. 379 00:19:05,702 --> 00:19:08,069 Makes you think there's something down there, 380 00:19:08,071 --> 00:19:10,037 who knows what? 381 00:19:10,039 --> 00:19:11,372 Being in this exact spot 382 00:19:11,374 --> 00:19:13,941 and seeing the sonar image up close, 383 00:19:13,943 --> 00:19:16,677 I'm definitely convinced of one thing -- 384 00:19:16,679 --> 00:19:19,747 Marcus and the others aren't making it up. 385 00:19:19,749 --> 00:19:22,450 They truly did see something out of the ordinary. 386 00:19:25,421 --> 00:19:27,088 But what is it? 387 00:19:27,090 --> 00:19:29,957 What are all these thousands of people seeing? 388 00:19:29,959 --> 00:19:31,693 All you could see was a spray of water 389 00:19:31,695 --> 00:19:33,861 off of this object like a torpedo. 390 00:19:33,863 --> 00:19:38,098 And can a brand-new DNA test finally reveal an answer? 391 00:19:38,100 --> 00:19:40,267 PAXTON: We can draw some rather interesting conclusions 392 00:19:40,269 --> 00:19:42,003 about the Loch Ness Monster phenomena. 393 00:19:42,005 --> 00:19:43,337 This is very exciting. 394 00:19:53,950 --> 00:19:57,318 WILDMAN: For decades, Loch Ness has been a magnet for tourists 395 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:01,155 and locals alike hoping to catch a glimpse of the famed monster, 396 00:20:01,157 --> 00:20:03,791 and while no hard evidence is yet to surface, 397 00:20:03,793 --> 00:20:07,394 eyewitness reports persist. 398 00:20:07,396 --> 00:20:08,662 Just this year alone, 399 00:20:08,664 --> 00:20:10,965 there have been three official sightings reported, 400 00:20:10,967 --> 00:20:14,769 and these accounts are from sober, levelheaded people, 401 00:20:14,771 --> 00:20:18,205 lawyers and priests, scientists, schoolteachers, 402 00:20:18,207 --> 00:20:21,442 policemen, fishermen, even a Nobel Prize winner. 403 00:20:21,444 --> 00:20:23,745 So what's to be done with all these accounts? 404 00:20:23,747 --> 00:20:26,347 Are there similarities between them that can make 405 00:20:26,349 --> 00:20:30,050 a clearer picture of what's been lurking in those waters? 406 00:20:33,189 --> 00:20:36,323 Back in the 1960s, members of an organization 407 00:20:36,325 --> 00:20:39,560 called The Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau 408 00:20:39,562 --> 00:20:41,762 stationed themselves around the loch 409 00:20:41,764 --> 00:20:45,132 gathering reports of sightings of the monster. 410 00:20:45,134 --> 00:20:46,667 It was the first organized effort 411 00:20:46,669 --> 00:20:50,237 to collate eyewitness accounts. 412 00:20:50,239 --> 00:20:51,672 I've heard there's a local statistician 413 00:20:51,674 --> 00:20:54,508 who's decided to try and make sense of all this. 414 00:20:54,510 --> 00:20:56,877 By comparing all these reports, 415 00:20:56,879 --> 00:20:59,313 can we figure out a composite description 416 00:20:59,315 --> 00:21:01,114 of the Loch Ness Monster? 417 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:06,286 Charles Paxton is a research fellow 418 00:21:06,288 --> 00:21:09,056 at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. 419 00:21:09,058 --> 00:21:11,758 Right now, he's working on a statistical analysis 420 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,895 of the Loch Ness Monster eyewitness accounts. 421 00:21:18,634 --> 00:21:20,500 Oh, my goodness, this is very exciting. 422 00:21:20,502 --> 00:21:25,239 So, for decades, an institution such as this 423 00:21:25,241 --> 00:21:27,675 has been gathering these kinds of... 424 00:21:27,677 --> 00:21:29,944 Yeah, not for the entire history of the Loch Ness Monster, 425 00:21:29,946 --> 00:21:32,380 but for a good half the history of the Loch Ness Monster, 426 00:21:32,382 --> 00:21:35,850 there were people have been formally collecting sightings. 427 00:21:35,852 --> 00:21:39,220 Before that, they were mostly in as newspaper reports. 428 00:21:39,222 --> 00:21:41,088 I want to figure out if there's any patterns 429 00:21:41,090 --> 00:21:42,556 that might shed more light 430 00:21:42,558 --> 00:21:44,992 on what this monster actually looks like. 431 00:21:44,994 --> 00:21:47,661 Does it really have a long neck? 432 00:21:47,663 --> 00:21:49,296 Is it as big as people have thought, 433 00:21:49,298 --> 00:21:51,198 or is there some new detail 434 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,901 that could actually help solve the mystery? 435 00:21:53,903 --> 00:21:55,369 Wow, look at this. 436 00:21:55,371 --> 00:21:57,538 So these are official reports. 437 00:21:57,540 --> 00:22:00,508 "Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau." 438 00:22:00,510 --> 00:22:02,343 Wow, cool. 439 00:22:02,345 --> 00:22:03,978 So what am I looking at here? 440 00:22:03,980 --> 00:22:10,217 So these are actual eyewitness reports of Loch Ness Monster, 441 00:22:10,219 --> 00:22:12,119 or what people thought was the Loch Ness Monster 442 00:22:12,121 --> 00:22:15,890 in from the mid-1960s when data was being collected 443 00:22:15,892 --> 00:22:17,959 by this Loch Ness Phenomena investigation. 444 00:22:20,129 --> 00:22:22,029 And then there's a personal account. 445 00:22:22,031 --> 00:22:25,466 "28th of July, 1968. At 8:00 AM, my daughter 446 00:22:25,468 --> 00:22:28,002 shouted to me to come and look at the monster. 447 00:22:28,004 --> 00:22:31,339 A great deal of spray shot into the air as it surfaced, 448 00:22:31,341 --> 00:22:33,874 and the waves were lapping against a black object." 449 00:22:33,876 --> 00:22:36,043 Wow! I mean, that's it, right? 450 00:22:36,045 --> 00:22:37,445 That's what everybody talks about. 451 00:22:37,447 --> 00:22:39,013 The vast majority of eyewitnesses, 452 00:22:39,015 --> 00:22:40,615 I think, are completely sincere. 453 00:22:40,617 --> 00:22:42,350 -Really? -Yep. 454 00:22:44,420 --> 00:22:46,888 Every single one of these reports 455 00:22:46,890 --> 00:22:48,355 represents a single data point. 456 00:22:48,357 --> 00:22:50,224 This is somebody having an experience. 457 00:22:50,226 --> 00:22:51,459 Okay. 458 00:22:51,461 --> 00:22:53,160 And I'm not saying they saw the monster, 459 00:22:53,162 --> 00:22:56,229 but it's an experience that's been reported from the loch, 460 00:22:56,231 --> 00:22:58,165 and if we put them together, 461 00:22:58,167 --> 00:23:00,368 we can see patterns in what they've experienced. 462 00:23:00,370 --> 00:23:02,937 Are you talking about what kind of of thing they saw? 463 00:23:02,939 --> 00:23:04,805 What kind of thing they saw, when they saw it, 464 00:23:04,807 --> 00:23:07,308 how long they saw it for, how far away it was, 465 00:23:07,310 --> 00:23:09,076 all of these different things. -Okay. 466 00:23:09,078 --> 00:23:11,145 And there's no shortage of data. 467 00:23:11,147 --> 00:23:14,581 There are 1,900 reports in total. 468 00:23:14,583 --> 00:23:16,483 That's a lot of people over the years 469 00:23:16,485 --> 00:23:18,419 who claim to have seen the monster. 470 00:23:18,421 --> 00:23:23,057 So from all the collection of the traits of these sightings, 471 00:23:23,059 --> 00:23:24,691 you're able to sort of gather together 472 00:23:24,693 --> 00:23:25,960 an idea of who is Nessie? 473 00:23:25,962 --> 00:23:30,597 We can tell about the habits of Nessie. 474 00:23:30,599 --> 00:23:32,099 So, for example, 475 00:23:32,101 --> 00:23:34,267 we know that it's mainly seen in the summertime. 476 00:23:34,269 --> 00:23:35,669 Uh-huh. 477 00:23:35,671 --> 00:23:37,971 Loch Ness Monsters, they're seen mostly in 478 00:23:37,973 --> 00:23:39,640 mid-morning and mid-afternoon, 479 00:23:39,642 --> 00:23:42,309 and perhaps one of the most interesting result of all 480 00:23:42,311 --> 00:23:45,946 is that Loch Ness Monster reports are massively 481 00:23:45,948 --> 00:23:47,447 disproportionately reported 482 00:23:47,449 --> 00:23:49,383 under very, very calm conditions. 483 00:23:49,385 --> 00:23:51,785 Hmm, interesting, when it's glassy and nice and smooth. 484 00:23:51,787 --> 00:23:53,286 When it's glassy and nice and smooth, 485 00:23:53,288 --> 00:23:55,523 that's when people report monsters. 486 00:23:55,525 --> 00:24:00,594 So based on 1,900 sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, 487 00:24:00,596 --> 00:24:02,095 are you able to glean an impression 488 00:24:02,097 --> 00:24:04,331 of what the monster looks like? 489 00:24:04,333 --> 00:24:07,601 Well, the monster takes multiple forms. 490 00:24:07,603 --> 00:24:09,903 -Hmm. -Sometimes it's a single hump. 491 00:24:09,905 --> 00:24:12,173 Sometimes it's multiple humps. 492 00:24:12,175 --> 00:24:13,774 Sometimes there's a head and neck, 493 00:24:13,776 --> 00:24:16,376 sometimes a head and neck and multiple humps. 494 00:24:16,378 --> 00:24:18,479 WILDMAN: So with all these reports, 495 00:24:18,481 --> 00:24:21,082 are people seeing the same monster, 496 00:24:21,084 --> 00:24:24,852 different monsters, or something else entirely? 497 00:24:24,854 --> 00:24:26,554 Unfortunately, this analysis 498 00:24:26,556 --> 00:24:28,755 hasn't really cleared things up much. 499 00:24:28,757 --> 00:24:30,324 In fact, I'm even less sure 500 00:24:30,326 --> 00:24:32,492 of what people have been seeing in these waters? 501 00:24:32,494 --> 00:24:35,529 GIRL: Yeah. 502 00:24:35,531 --> 00:24:37,365 WILDMAN: While it's still a total mystery 503 00:24:37,367 --> 00:24:39,332 what exactly is going on, 504 00:24:39,334 --> 00:24:41,801 as long as the accounts keep coming in and data 505 00:24:41,803 --> 00:24:45,506 keeps getting collected, the hunt continues. 506 00:24:47,876 --> 00:24:51,178 It doesn't matter how many alternative theories there are 507 00:24:51,180 --> 00:24:54,415 or how many monster sightings are proven to be hoaxes. 508 00:24:54,417 --> 00:24:57,918 People continue to come forward with eyewitness accounts, 509 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,790 and undoubtedly inexplicable phenomenon has been observed. 510 00:25:02,792 --> 00:25:04,624 It certainly sounds like people 511 00:25:04,626 --> 00:25:08,028 are seeing something in those waters, 512 00:25:08,030 --> 00:25:10,731 but is it truly a monster 513 00:25:10,733 --> 00:25:14,234 or some mutant form of a familiar species? 514 00:25:14,236 --> 00:25:16,103 What are they witnessing? 515 00:25:16,105 --> 00:25:19,373 What kind of creature could Nessie be? 516 00:25:34,790 --> 00:25:38,258 WILDMAN: I'm on the hunt for the truth about the Loch Ness Monster, 517 00:25:38,260 --> 00:25:41,161 the world's most famous and mysterious beast. 518 00:25:41,163 --> 00:25:44,764 If it's real and the thousands of sightings are true, 519 00:25:44,766 --> 00:25:47,567 what kind of creature would it be? 520 00:25:47,569 --> 00:25:50,204 The traditional image of the Loch Ness Monster 521 00:25:50,206 --> 00:25:52,139 looks like an ancient sea creature, 522 00:25:52,141 --> 00:25:56,076 but al evidence suggests that could not be true. 523 00:25:56,078 --> 00:25:58,379 For decades, the most common description 524 00:25:58,381 --> 00:26:00,847 involves a creature with a large body, 525 00:26:00,849 --> 00:26:03,184 four flippers, and a long neck, 526 00:26:03,186 --> 00:26:05,653 a contemporary form of a prehistoric animal 527 00:26:05,655 --> 00:26:07,854 called a plesiosaur. 528 00:26:07,856 --> 00:26:13,461 While dinosaurs ruled the land, plesiosaurs ruled the seas. 529 00:26:13,463 --> 00:26:16,129 A marine reptile with razor-sharp teeth, 530 00:26:16,131 --> 00:26:18,465 these creatures lived in shallow waters 531 00:26:18,467 --> 00:26:20,868 and came to the surface to breathe. 532 00:26:20,870 --> 00:26:23,803 With their signature long necks and the fact that their remains 533 00:26:23,805 --> 00:26:26,473 have been found in waters surrounding England, 534 00:26:26,475 --> 00:26:28,843 the plesiosaur has long been considered a match 535 00:26:28,845 --> 00:26:32,712 for what people have described seeing in Loch Ness. 536 00:26:32,714 --> 00:26:36,150 But there's a problem -- plesiosaurs went extinct 537 00:26:36,152 --> 00:26:38,719 65 million years ago, 538 00:26:38,721 --> 00:26:42,823 and after that time, Loch Ness was buried under a mile of ice. 539 00:26:42,825 --> 00:26:44,158 So while some believe 540 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,394 that perhaps a stray plesiosaur population 541 00:26:47,396 --> 00:26:51,831 found a way to survive, it's extremely unlikely. 542 00:26:51,833 --> 00:26:55,669 In fact, most scientists would say it's impossible. 543 00:26:55,671 --> 00:26:58,105 So what are people seeing in that lake? 544 00:27:02,278 --> 00:27:03,843 To investigate further, 545 00:27:03,845 --> 00:27:06,413 I'm meeting with full-time Loch Ness Monster hunter, 546 00:27:06,415 --> 00:27:08,348 Steve Feltham. 547 00:27:08,350 --> 00:27:09,783 -Hello. -Hi there. 548 00:27:09,785 --> 00:27:11,585 WILDMAN: How you doing? 549 00:27:11,587 --> 00:27:14,088 Steve has been captivated by the legend of Loch Ness 550 00:27:14,090 --> 00:27:17,625 since he was a boy and has dedicated the last 3 decades 551 00:27:17,627 --> 00:27:19,426 to searching for the monster. 552 00:27:19,428 --> 00:27:21,461 He's among a growing group of locals 553 00:27:21,463 --> 00:27:24,731 who have made monster hunting not only a full-time job 554 00:27:24,733 --> 00:27:26,700 but also a lifestyle, 555 00:27:26,702 --> 00:27:30,304 actually setting up homesteads all around the loch. 556 00:27:30,306 --> 00:27:32,873 So you have been here exactly how long? 557 00:27:32,875 --> 00:27:34,375 27 years. 558 00:27:34,377 --> 00:27:36,577 That's some kind of record, right? 559 00:27:36,579 --> 00:27:37,777 It's the world record. 560 00:27:37,779 --> 00:27:40,447 I hold the "Guinness Book of Records," 561 00:27:40,449 --> 00:27:44,885 what they call the record for the longest continuous vigil 562 00:27:44,887 --> 00:27:46,453 hunting for the Loch Ness Monster. 563 00:27:46,455 --> 00:27:48,522 What I do is a constant adventure. 564 00:27:48,524 --> 00:27:52,359 I'm never bored here because my passion for this subject 565 00:27:52,361 --> 00:27:55,996 has been with me since I was 7, so... 566 00:27:55,998 --> 00:27:57,264 Where does it come from? 567 00:27:57,266 --> 00:27:59,633 Where does that passion come from? 568 00:27:59,635 --> 00:28:04,404 For me, it's the possibility that, in this country, 569 00:28:04,406 --> 00:28:06,940 where we're only really a small island, 570 00:28:06,942 --> 00:28:09,810 and we know everything about every inch of land, 571 00:28:09,812 --> 00:28:14,715 and yet we've got this 23-mile-long stretch of water 572 00:28:14,717 --> 00:28:21,054 with people time and time again seeing big unidentified animals. 573 00:28:21,056 --> 00:28:23,890 If I solve this mystery, you know, 574 00:28:23,892 --> 00:28:27,294 that's one of the last great discoveries on this planet. 575 00:28:30,299 --> 00:28:33,133 In all this time, have you spotted things? 576 00:28:33,135 --> 00:28:36,804 I've seen -- In the first year, I saw one thing down 577 00:28:36,806 --> 00:28:39,540 the other end of Loch Ness, and all you could see 578 00:28:39,542 --> 00:28:42,976 was, if the waves were going that way across my vision, 579 00:28:42,978 --> 00:28:45,245 something went through against the waves 580 00:28:45,247 --> 00:28:47,747 so all you could see was a spray of water off of this object... 581 00:28:47,749 --> 00:28:49,082 Mm-hmm. 582 00:28:49,084 --> 00:28:50,517 ...like a torpedo going through the bay. 583 00:28:50,519 --> 00:28:51,885 Wow. 584 00:28:51,887 --> 00:28:53,954 So as it hit each oncoming wave, big splash of water. 585 00:28:53,956 --> 00:28:55,356 Huh! 586 00:28:55,358 --> 00:28:57,157 Like a torpedo. 587 00:28:57,159 --> 00:28:58,792 Really interesting. 588 00:28:58,794 --> 00:29:01,995 Less than 10 seconds, really fast, really big, 589 00:29:01,997 --> 00:29:05,665 and my motivation is satisfying the curiosity 590 00:29:05,667 --> 00:29:06,734 that I've had all my life 591 00:29:06,736 --> 00:29:09,169 about what could be the explanation here. 592 00:29:09,171 --> 00:29:11,405 WILDMAN: And Steve now has a theory 593 00:29:11,407 --> 00:29:13,907 of what the monster might be, 594 00:29:13,909 --> 00:29:16,877 but it's not a plesiosaur or a mystical creature. 595 00:29:16,879 --> 00:29:22,182 Instead, it's a monster-sized form of a more familiar animal. 596 00:29:22,184 --> 00:29:25,152 I would say the wels catfish. 597 00:29:25,154 --> 00:29:28,688 Oh, my goodness. This is very exciting. 598 00:29:28,690 --> 00:29:32,926 A wels catfish is the largest freshwater fish in Europe. 599 00:29:32,928 --> 00:29:36,630 Recognizable by their broad, flat heads and large mouths, 600 00:29:36,632 --> 00:29:38,966 these gigantic fish have been witnessed 601 00:29:38,968 --> 00:29:41,167 lunging out of the water, 602 00:29:41,169 --> 00:29:44,838 and there's certainly evidence to back up Steve's hunch. 603 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:48,075 During Victorian times, monster fish like catfish 604 00:29:48,077 --> 00:29:50,677 and sturgeon were introduced to Scottish lochs 605 00:29:50,679 --> 00:29:53,246 as a gentleman's hobby. 606 00:29:53,248 --> 00:29:56,216 These alien species can live for decades 607 00:29:56,218 --> 00:29:58,752 and have been shown to grow to staggering sizes, 608 00:29:58,754 --> 00:30:02,322 with wels catfish reaching over 15 feet in length 609 00:30:02,324 --> 00:30:05,826 and 300 pounds in weight. 610 00:30:05,828 --> 00:30:08,028 After speaking with all these experts, 611 00:30:08,030 --> 00:30:11,331 scientists and locals, I think I've heard it all. 612 00:30:11,333 --> 00:30:14,368 From a mythical beast to a prehistoric species 613 00:30:14,370 --> 00:30:16,704 that improbably survived the Ice Age, 614 00:30:16,706 --> 00:30:19,372 everyone seems to have a different opinion, 615 00:30:19,374 --> 00:30:21,108 but Steve makes an interesting case 616 00:30:21,110 --> 00:30:24,745 for something much simpler that I hadn't really considered. 617 00:30:24,747 --> 00:30:27,347 Is it possible that the Loch Ness Monster 618 00:30:27,349 --> 00:30:29,149 is really a monster fish? 619 00:30:35,758 --> 00:30:39,226 Now, with this new perspective on what I might be looking for, 620 00:30:39,228 --> 00:30:41,794 I wonder if can spot anything that could be mistaken 621 00:30:41,796 --> 00:30:43,364 for the famous monster. 622 00:30:45,634 --> 00:30:48,135 I'm going out on the loch to see for myself. 623 00:30:51,874 --> 00:30:54,341 So take a look right there. 624 00:30:54,343 --> 00:30:55,642 See these guys, these little fellows 625 00:30:55,644 --> 00:30:57,111 down in here on this island. 626 00:30:57,113 --> 00:31:00,180 Those are the harbor seals just resting here on this island. 627 00:31:00,182 --> 00:31:02,449 This is the mouth of the River Ness, 628 00:31:02,451 --> 00:31:05,585 so one of the many suggestions of what might be mistaken 629 00:31:05,587 --> 00:31:07,888 for the Loch Ness Monster are these guys 630 00:31:07,890 --> 00:31:09,556 because it's not uncommon for them 631 00:31:09,558 --> 00:31:13,293 to make their way back through the river into the Loch Ness. 632 00:31:13,295 --> 00:31:16,396 Now, imagine putting a couple different harbor seals 633 00:31:16,398 --> 00:31:19,533 in the water together or back to back or any number of, 634 00:31:19,535 --> 00:31:21,668 you know, arrangements of those guys -- 635 00:31:21,670 --> 00:31:25,205 easily mistaken for a strange shape. 636 00:31:25,207 --> 00:31:29,776 An amorphous black hump going through the water could be one, 637 00:31:29,778 --> 00:31:32,078 two, three harbor seals all together. 638 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:33,814 You never know. 639 00:31:36,051 --> 00:31:39,052 And seals might not be the only potential answer 640 00:31:39,054 --> 00:31:41,155 to the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster. 641 00:31:43,292 --> 00:31:44,858 Check it out. 642 00:31:44,860 --> 00:31:46,893 Just before me right in front, there are two dolphins, 643 00:31:46,895 --> 00:31:50,531 large, 6 feet long, and they're moving along... 644 00:31:50,533 --> 00:31:51,932 Oh, he's right in front of me, right there! 645 00:31:51,934 --> 00:31:53,967 That's a dolphin right there, two of them. 646 00:31:53,969 --> 00:31:56,336 I am practically touching him. 647 00:31:56,338 --> 00:32:00,340 Just like seals, dolphins can create that signature hump shape 648 00:32:00,342 --> 00:32:03,409 as they cut through the surface of the water. 649 00:32:03,411 --> 00:32:07,413 I mean, wait, I just saw the Loch Ness Monster. 650 00:32:07,415 --> 00:32:09,783 No, I didn't, I saw dolphins. 651 00:32:12,187 --> 00:32:13,887 Easily mistaken. 652 00:32:20,162 --> 00:32:24,598 So maybe the Loch Ness Monster is not a monster after all, 653 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:28,167 but why are so many people so unsatisfied with that answer? 654 00:32:28,169 --> 00:32:31,939 Why do they want to believe that Nessie is real? 655 00:32:31,941 --> 00:32:34,441 There were so many people saying that they had seen things, 656 00:32:34,443 --> 00:32:36,510 that there could be something here to explain. 657 00:32:36,512 --> 00:32:38,846 And can a cutting-edge DNA experiment 658 00:32:38,848 --> 00:32:43,217 finally answer the question, what exactly is in that lake? 659 00:32:43,219 --> 00:32:45,619 So if something was very unusual in there... 660 00:32:45,621 --> 00:32:47,221 -Yes. -...that wasn't on the list, 661 00:32:47,223 --> 00:32:50,123 it could possibly be a Loch Ness Monster. 662 00:33:03,138 --> 00:33:05,905 To this day, despite naysayers and skeptics, 663 00:33:05,907 --> 00:33:08,675 the legend of the Loch Ness Monster endures, 664 00:33:08,677 --> 00:33:10,811 and it's not just tourists who flock here. 665 00:33:10,813 --> 00:33:15,081 Large-scale expeditions continue to invest money and time 666 00:33:15,083 --> 00:33:18,385 using cutting-edge science to dive deeper 667 00:33:18,387 --> 00:33:22,121 into the possible truth behind the famed beast in the lake, 668 00:33:22,123 --> 00:33:24,358 but maybe a key question to ask is, 669 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:27,327 "Do we really want to know the truth, 670 00:33:27,329 --> 00:33:31,965 or does the Loch Ness Monster exist in our imaginations 671 00:33:31,967 --> 00:33:33,700 because we want to believe in it?" 672 00:33:36,705 --> 00:33:41,174 So what if the Loch Ness Monster isn't really a monster at all, 673 00:33:41,176 --> 00:33:43,343 and if it doesn't actually exist, 674 00:33:43,345 --> 00:33:45,679 why are so many people fascinated by it? 675 00:33:45,681 --> 00:33:46,980 -How you doing? -I'm good. 676 00:33:46,982 --> 00:33:48,715 Nice to meet you. It's a great spot. 677 00:33:48,717 --> 00:33:52,252 WILDMAN: Zac Baynham-Herd is an academic at the University of Edinburgh 678 00:33:52,254 --> 00:33:54,387 who studies Loch Ness. 679 00:33:54,389 --> 00:33:55,788 -You're an academic. -Yeah. 680 00:33:55,790 --> 00:33:58,759 I mean, many, many very smart and accomplished scholars 681 00:33:58,761 --> 00:34:02,062 have been drawn to this story from all walks of life, yeah? 682 00:34:02,064 --> 00:34:03,563 Yeah. Yeah. 683 00:34:03,565 --> 00:34:07,034 Over time, many people, really respected scientists. 684 00:34:07,036 --> 00:34:09,736 I think the appeal is the unknown. 685 00:34:09,738 --> 00:34:11,204 Yeah. 686 00:34:11,206 --> 00:34:13,339 They want to discover and explain a mystery of the story. 687 00:34:13,341 --> 00:34:16,275 Okay. They were approaching this as if it was true? 688 00:34:16,277 --> 00:34:18,879 Yeah. At the time, there were so many people 689 00:34:18,881 --> 00:34:22,282 saying that they had seen things that many prominent zoologists 690 00:34:22,284 --> 00:34:23,884 were open to the idea 691 00:34:23,886 --> 00:34:25,952 that there could be something here to explain. 692 00:34:25,954 --> 00:34:28,187 Whether that was a prehistoric animal 693 00:34:28,189 --> 00:34:30,290 or something we didn't know, 694 00:34:30,292 --> 00:34:33,527 there was something to be explained here. 695 00:34:33,529 --> 00:34:36,696 WILDMAN: And Loch Ness isn't the only place with something to explain. 696 00:34:36,698 --> 00:34:39,666 Its famous monster is just one example 697 00:34:39,668 --> 00:34:43,836 of a worldwide phenomenon of creatures known as cryptids. 698 00:34:43,838 --> 00:34:45,639 So what does the word "cryptid" mean? 699 00:34:45,641 --> 00:34:46,839 What does that refer to? 700 00:34:46,841 --> 00:34:49,509 So a cryptid is basically any species 701 00:34:49,511 --> 00:34:52,478 which has not formally been recognized by science, 702 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:53,980 hasn't been discovered properly. 703 00:34:53,982 --> 00:34:55,782 It seems every country in the world 704 00:34:55,784 --> 00:34:59,920 has its own legendary monster or monsters. 705 00:34:59,922 --> 00:35:03,423 I mean, the Loch Ness Monster is just one of many. 706 00:35:03,425 --> 00:35:07,727 Some famous cryptids include Bigfoot in North America, 707 00:35:07,729 --> 00:35:09,729 the Yeti in the Himalayas, 708 00:35:09,731 --> 00:35:12,432 and the Kraken in the ocean's depths. 709 00:35:12,434 --> 00:35:15,301 Evolutionarily, we are almost programmed 710 00:35:15,303 --> 00:35:17,136 to believe in mysterious beings. 711 00:35:17,138 --> 00:35:19,106 -Why is that? -Exactly. 712 00:35:19,108 --> 00:35:21,441 It's really important that as humans, as animals, 713 00:35:21,443 --> 00:35:23,744 that if we think we see something scary, 714 00:35:23,746 --> 00:35:26,680 big and scary, we assume it is, and we'd run away. 715 00:35:26,682 --> 00:35:28,715 Okay, so this is a survival technique. 716 00:35:28,717 --> 00:35:29,949 Yeah, precisely. 717 00:35:29,951 --> 00:35:31,984 I think there's also this nostalgia 718 00:35:31,986 --> 00:35:34,187 for a golden age of exploration. 719 00:35:36,624 --> 00:35:40,660 And I think, to some extent, we create cryptids 720 00:35:40,662 --> 00:35:43,863 because of our nostalgia for this past age of exploration. 721 00:35:43,865 --> 00:35:44,998 Interesting. 722 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:47,200 So you're saying that we want to believe 723 00:35:47,202 --> 00:35:49,336 something strange and mysterious is out there, 724 00:35:49,338 --> 00:35:50,737 both from a nostalgic point of view 725 00:35:50,739 --> 00:35:54,574 and also perhaps the old survival instinct comes out. 726 00:35:54,576 --> 00:35:57,911 Zac may not believe the Loch Ness Monster exists, 727 00:35:57,913 --> 00:36:00,747 but like everyone else, he can't really be sure. 728 00:36:04,153 --> 00:36:06,920 So can we ever prove that the Loch Ness Monster 729 00:36:06,922 --> 00:36:08,755 is real or not? 730 00:36:08,757 --> 00:36:11,791 This is our environmental DNA. 731 00:36:11,793 --> 00:36:14,460 Adrian Shine may have the answer. 732 00:36:14,462 --> 00:36:16,229 So this is happening right now? 733 00:36:16,231 --> 00:36:17,698 Absolutely. 734 00:36:27,376 --> 00:36:30,009 From its origins in the 5th century 735 00:36:30,011 --> 00:36:33,380 to its explosion in popularity back in the '30s 736 00:36:33,382 --> 00:36:35,982 to the numerous expeditions since then, 737 00:36:35,984 --> 00:36:37,751 the legacy of the Loch Ness Monster 738 00:36:37,753 --> 00:36:39,886 continues to resonate today. 739 00:36:46,728 --> 00:36:50,363 In fact, 2017 was a record year for sightings, 740 00:36:50,365 --> 00:36:52,666 with eight registered eyewitness accounts 741 00:36:52,668 --> 00:36:55,402 joining the thousands of others through the years. 742 00:36:55,404 --> 00:36:58,405 Surely, they must be seeing something in that water, 743 00:36:58,407 --> 00:36:59,439 but what is it? 744 00:36:59,441 --> 00:37:00,940 What are they witnessing? 745 00:37:00,942 --> 00:37:05,445 And if it is the monster, what could it possibly be? 746 00:37:05,447 --> 00:37:08,014 Before I go, I want to speak to one more person 747 00:37:08,016 --> 00:37:10,684 who had a strange encounter on the loch. 748 00:37:10,686 --> 00:37:12,452 Maybe he can persuade me one way or the other 749 00:37:12,454 --> 00:37:14,387 about what's really going on here. 750 00:37:14,389 --> 00:37:15,989 -Nice to meet you. -And you, how are you? 751 00:37:15,991 --> 00:37:17,624 WILDMAN: I'm meeting Richard White, 752 00:37:17,626 --> 00:37:20,827 a former Army engineer who has spent over 20 years 753 00:37:20,829 --> 00:37:24,331 trying to explain what he once witnessed in these waters. 754 00:37:24,333 --> 00:37:27,967 As I understand it, you've seen something on these waters. 755 00:37:27,969 --> 00:37:30,704 -Yeah. -Describe that for me. 756 00:37:30,706 --> 00:37:32,705 I was driving down the loch side, on this side. 757 00:37:32,707 --> 00:37:34,040 Yeah. 758 00:37:34,042 --> 00:37:37,477 I was probably only doing about 15 or 20 miles an hour. 759 00:37:37,479 --> 00:37:40,413 Now, the water, it was quite a flat, calm day. 760 00:37:40,415 --> 00:37:41,948 Mm-hmm. 761 00:37:41,950 --> 00:37:46,285 And I saw, out the corner of my eye, a disturbance on the water. 762 00:37:50,826 --> 00:37:52,758 -So I pulled this out... -Yeah. 763 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:54,861 ...and I just banged the button, 764 00:37:54,863 --> 00:37:58,298 and I fired off, and there were 10 shots left in it. 765 00:37:58,300 --> 00:37:59,699 Okay. 766 00:37:59,701 --> 00:38:02,035 And I just took the 10 shots, and then I realized I'd run out. 767 00:38:02,037 --> 00:38:04,304 So did your pictures catch anything? 768 00:38:04,306 --> 00:38:08,208 Well, the answer to that is yes, but there they are. 769 00:38:10,779 --> 00:38:11,978 All right. 770 00:38:11,980 --> 00:38:14,047 Well, I see what could be a disturbance. 771 00:38:14,049 --> 00:38:15,582 Disturbance. Yeah. 772 00:38:15,584 --> 00:38:17,417 Was that what you saw out of the corner of your eye at first? 773 00:38:17,419 --> 00:38:19,652 -At first, yeah. -Okay. 774 00:38:19,654 --> 00:38:21,087 And this... 775 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:26,492 Oh, yeah, there you go. 776 00:38:26,494 --> 00:38:28,294 There is a little head or something... 777 00:38:28,296 --> 00:38:29,495 Yeah, or something. 778 00:38:29,497 --> 00:38:31,398 ...or log or seal or whatever it is. 779 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:33,133 -Well... -There it is. 780 00:38:33,135 --> 00:38:36,135 So, after seeing that, 781 00:38:36,137 --> 00:38:40,540 I saw then two humps and one behind in the middle. 782 00:38:40,542 --> 00:38:42,475 Really. Are you a believer now? 783 00:38:42,477 --> 00:38:44,744 I'm neither a believer nor a disbeliever, 784 00:38:44,746 --> 00:38:47,280 but I'm inching towards believing 785 00:38:47,282 --> 00:38:48,748 that there is something in there. 786 00:38:48,750 --> 00:38:50,383 Got it. All right. 787 00:38:50,385 --> 00:38:52,218 I guess I'm on your team because I feel the same. 788 00:38:52,220 --> 00:38:53,553 Yeah. 789 00:39:00,895 --> 00:39:03,663 WILDMAN: After spending so much time out here on the loch 790 00:39:03,665 --> 00:39:06,599 talking to eyewitnesses and examining what they've seen, 791 00:39:06,601 --> 00:39:09,736 I have a pretty good sense of why this mystery rages on. 792 00:39:09,738 --> 00:39:12,772 People are definitely seeing something abnormal out 793 00:39:12,774 --> 00:39:16,109 on Loch Ness, but for all these years, 794 00:39:16,111 --> 00:39:19,813 it seemed like we might never know what it is, 795 00:39:19,815 --> 00:39:22,015 but that could be about to change. 796 00:39:22,017 --> 00:39:24,417 This is the machine we're going to use, and... 797 00:39:24,419 --> 00:39:25,652 Rather beautiful, isn't it? 798 00:39:25,654 --> 00:39:27,454 It is, yes, and when I lower it down, 799 00:39:27,456 --> 00:39:29,255 these lids, you see, will be open. 800 00:39:29,257 --> 00:39:30,790 The water will flow through it. 801 00:39:30,792 --> 00:39:33,593 Right now, a large-scale operation is underway 802 00:39:33,595 --> 00:39:36,629 involving a global team of scientists collecting 803 00:39:36,631 --> 00:39:38,631 and analyzing water from the loch... 804 00:39:38,633 --> 00:39:41,467 Down we go. 805 00:39:41,469 --> 00:39:44,337 ...to hunt for DNA evidence of the creatures 806 00:39:44,339 --> 00:39:45,739 that live within it. 807 00:39:45,741 --> 00:39:48,642 Over the rail, into the bucket. 808 00:39:50,478 --> 00:39:54,614 -That's our water sample. -And there's the water sample. 809 00:39:54,616 --> 00:39:58,985 WILDMAN: So will Nessie be discovered thanks to her DNA? 810 00:39:58,987 --> 00:40:00,453 Simple as that. 811 00:40:00,455 --> 00:40:02,989 Very, very satisfying. 812 00:40:02,991 --> 00:40:04,791 So that's water from 5 meters down. 813 00:40:04,793 --> 00:40:06,892 That's water from 5 meters down. 814 00:40:06,894 --> 00:40:08,995 Like most expeditions for Nessie, 815 00:40:08,997 --> 00:40:10,730 Adrian Shine is part of it, 816 00:40:10,732 --> 00:40:12,465 and he's going to show me what's going on. 817 00:40:12,467 --> 00:40:14,066 All right. We have our samples. 818 00:40:14,068 --> 00:40:15,602 Okay, so we have our sample. 819 00:40:15,604 --> 00:40:17,404 So what is the name of this technology 820 00:40:17,406 --> 00:40:18,671 that we're going to do? 821 00:40:18,673 --> 00:40:21,607 Well, this is our environmental DNA. 822 00:40:21,609 --> 00:40:23,509 -eDNA? -eDNA. 823 00:40:23,511 --> 00:40:24,944 It's a very elegant method 824 00:40:24,946 --> 00:40:28,214 that's been increasingly used throughout the world. 825 00:40:28,216 --> 00:40:30,951 That's the idea, that all living creatures, 826 00:40:30,953 --> 00:40:32,352 ourselves included... -And including ourselves. 827 00:40:32,354 --> 00:40:33,920 ...are shedding cells all the time. 828 00:40:33,922 --> 00:40:34,988 All the time, yeah. 829 00:40:34,990 --> 00:40:37,223 And in those cells, dead or alive, 830 00:40:37,225 --> 00:40:39,292 you can find remnants of the DNA? 831 00:40:39,294 --> 00:40:41,027 Certainly. 832 00:40:41,029 --> 00:40:43,563 WILDMAN: These samples will be taken to laboratories around the world, 833 00:40:43,565 --> 00:40:45,097 where they will extract and study 834 00:40:45,099 --> 00:40:48,635 all the DNA captured inside. 835 00:40:48,637 --> 00:40:51,937 Many of the world's species have already had their DNA profiled, 836 00:40:51,939 --> 00:40:54,340 and so, by comparing the DNA profiles 837 00:40:54,342 --> 00:40:57,377 of the Loch Ness samples to existing records, 838 00:40:57,379 --> 00:41:00,013 something exciting could be discovered. 839 00:41:00,015 --> 00:41:02,215 So if something was very unusual in there... 840 00:41:02,217 --> 00:41:04,083 -Yes. -...that wasn't on the list, 841 00:41:04,085 --> 00:41:09,122 it could possibly be a Loch Ness Monster or some such thing. 842 00:41:09,124 --> 00:41:11,758 You -- Naturally, everybody would be hoping 843 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,427 for something that maybe isn't in the book. 844 00:41:14,429 --> 00:41:18,131 And we might not have to wait too long to find out. 845 00:41:18,133 --> 00:41:19,799 The first results of the study 846 00:41:19,801 --> 00:41:23,570 are due to be announced in early 2019. 847 00:41:23,572 --> 00:41:26,205 Maybe this could provide the proof so many 848 00:41:26,207 --> 00:41:28,040 have been waiting for. 849 00:41:32,814 --> 00:41:34,547 And if not, who knows? 850 00:41:34,549 --> 00:41:36,982 Reports of strange happenings in the loch show 851 00:41:36,984 --> 00:41:41,187 no signs of slowing down, and the legend lives on. 852 00:41:44,759 --> 00:41:48,060 For centuries, people have tried to answer the question, 853 00:41:48,062 --> 00:41:50,163 "What is the Loch Ness Monster?" 854 00:41:50,165 --> 00:41:54,600 To this day, legions of tourists and scientific expeditions alike 855 00:41:54,602 --> 00:41:58,971 have come here to try to answer this question for themselves. 856 00:41:58,973 --> 00:42:02,708 In the end, maybe it doesn't matter how many images 857 00:42:02,710 --> 00:42:04,510 or accounts of the Loch Ness Monster 858 00:42:04,512 --> 00:42:08,615 appear or how many explanations debunk them. 859 00:42:08,617 --> 00:42:11,985 People will believe what they want to believe, 860 00:42:11,987 --> 00:42:15,255 and so, in many minds at least, 861 00:42:15,257 --> 00:42:17,891 the Loch Ness Monster is real, 862 00:42:17,893 --> 00:42:21,761 and only time will tell whether or not anyone can prove it.