Could the Loch Ness Monster be dead? That is the fear of many locals around Loch Ness, after 18 months since the creature was last sighted. This is the longest stretch Nessie has not been seen since 1925.
Gary Campbell has been tracking reports of the mysterious creature for 17 years. His list of sightings goes back 1,500 years.
The lack of reports is now troubling the resident of Inverness.
"It's very upsetting news and we don't know where she's gone. The number of sightings has been reducing since the turn of the century but this is the first time in almost 90 years that Nessie wasn't seen at all," Campbell told BBC News.
Three sightings in 2013 were explained by other causes, according to The Inverness Courier. One photo was a wave, another was a duck, and the third was taken at a different location.
Loch Ness is a deep waterway in Scotland, approximately 20 miles long and one mile wide. The Loch Ness monster first became widely-known in 1933. The legend began when a story about splashing in water, likely caused by two ducks fighting, was published in a local newspaper. The most famous Nessie photo, apparently showing a head and part of its body, was published in The Daily Mail on 21 April 1934. That photo was exposed as a hoax in 1994. Still, stories of the dinosaur-like animal persist to this day.
One part of the Loch Ness rumor states earth tremors and bubbles often accompany appearances by the creature. Some scientists speculate the effects are geological in origin, and are not triggered by a giant creature. These researchers speculate that what people are seeing is the effect of these tremors on the surface of the water, and not a large, aquatic animal.
One of the earliest legends of a creature like the Loch Ness monster was reported in the year A.D. 565. Saint Columba was said to have frightened off a huge serpent, which was threatening another man. Critics postulate this story was a story of a saint versus Satan.
The state of Vermont, in the northeast United States, has a similar legend of an animal named Champy. This creature is said to inhabit Lake Champlain, which separates Vermont from New York.
Many observers believe the Loch Ness monster, if it existed, was not a solitary animal. To have lived so long, there were likely several members of the species. In that case, the lack of sightings is even more strange. Instead of a single death, it is possible the species went extinct.
The Loch Ness monster is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Scotland. Whether or not Nessie ever existed, there are merchants, restaurant and inn owners who depend on the creature for their livelihood. They may face the greatest loss of all if the creature does not show her head again soon.
