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The discovery -

A team of scientists found fossilized remains of plesiosaurs, small long-necked marine reptiles, in a 100 million-year-old river system in the Sahara Desert. This discovery has reignited speculation about the possibility of the Loch Ness monster being more than just a fictional tale.

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Sahara Desert -

The fossils were discovered in the Sahara Desert of Morocco. The finding suggests that these reptiles could have inhabited not only saltwater but also freshwater environments, contrary to previous beliefs.

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"Plausible" -

British scientists have deemed the possibility of a Loch Ness monster's past existence as "plausible" due to an amazing discovery.

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What are they? -

Plesiosaurs, a group of marine reptiles, emerged roughly 230 million years ago. These remarkable aquatic dinosaurs thrived during the Jurassic era, displaying both immense size and impressive agility.

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Top predator -

Plesiosaurs had an intimidating appearance as an apex predator in the oceans, swiftly pursuing and devouring sizable prey. Though freshwater classification wasn't previously assigned to them, a recent discovery challenges this belief.

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A freshwater monster? -

Scientists are reconsidering the possibility of a 'monster' inhabitant in the freshwater Loch Ness in Scotland due to recent North African fossil discoveries.

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Loch Ness -

Loch Ness is located in the Scottish Highlands, southwest of Inverness. It is a wide expanse of water, measuring approximately 37 km (23 mi) in length, with the deepest point reaching 230 m (755 ft). Legends of a creature haunting the depths can be traced back to ancient times and the stories told by the Pict peoples.

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Ice Age origins -

The formation of the loch occurred due to glacial processes in the Great Glen over 10,000 years ago, at the close of the last Ice Age. The Great Glen fault originated approximately 400 million years ago.

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Initial plesiosaur skeletons -

English fossil collector Mary Anning (1799–1847) made a groundbreaking find in 1826: she discovered two near-complete plesiosaur skeletons, which were the first ever encountered! The image depicts the invaluable notebook where Anning documented her remarkable discoveries.

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Natural History Museum -

Mary Anning's remarkable discovery, a plesiosaur skeleton, is now permanently exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London.

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Plesiosaur fossils -

Experts are puzzled by the findings in Morocco. The impressive collection includes bones and teeth from adult individuals measuring 3-m (10-ft) in length, as well as an arm bone from a 1.5-m (5-ft) long infant. However, the circumstances surrounding their discovery on the Cretaceous age riverbed remain unexplained.

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Freshwater and seawater tolerant? -

New findings from the Sahara have led paleontologists to reconsider the habitat of certain species previously assumed to be exclusively marine. It is now hypothesized that plesiosaurs had the remarkable ability to survive in both freshwater and saltwater environments.

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Aquatic dinosaurs -

In fact, researchers hint that the plesiosaur lived and fed in freshwater, alongside frogs, crocodiles, turtles, fish, and other aquatic dinosaurs.

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Spinosaurus -

Spinosaurus dwelled in present-day North Africa approximately 99 million years in the past. Despite being a massive land predator, it possessed semiaquatic tendencies and would plunge into the shallows to capture fish and other marine creatures to complement its diet.

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Nothosaurus -

Nothosaurus, a swimming reptile from the Triassic era, subsisted on fish and squid. Once capturing its prey underwater, Nothosaurus would resurface to consume them on stones and shorelines.

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Ceratosaurus -

Ceratosaurus, a meat-eating dinosaur from the Jurassic era, is well-known for its snout horns. In this image, we see one wading in a river while hunting aquatic animals like fish.

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Could Plesiosaurs have survived in Loch Ness? -

Scientists believe that it is possible for plesiosaurs to have existed in freshwater, prompting the question of whether one could have thrived in Loch Ness.

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Massive die-off -

The theory loses some credibility due to the extinction of plesiosaurs, which coincided with the demise of dinosaurs 66 million years ago. However, the recent fossil discovery in Africa has unexpectedly brought back discussion of "Nessie."

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Sightings -

During the 1870s and 1880s, there were multiple reports of an object moving and disturbing the water, as well as the sighting of a large animal with short legs emerging from Loch Ness. However, these observations were not widely acknowledged. Nonetheless, in 1933, the legend of the Loch Ness monster started gaining momentum.

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Nessie pictured? -

On May 2, 1933, the Inverness Courier reported that a couple claimed to have seen "a large creature moving and diving in the water" of the loch. However, it was the picture supposedly taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson and published in the Daily Mail on April 21, 1934 that really fascinated people. This photograph is widely recognized as the most famous depiction of the creature known as the Loch Ness monster.

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Nessiemania -

During the early 1930s, a craze called Nessiemania spread throughout Great Britain. Shown in this 1933 photograph, a replica of the Loch Ness Monster is being transported via trailer to Bertram Mills Circus in Olympia, London for the Christmas season.

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Additional photographic evidence -

The unidentified creature was quickly labeled "Nessie," leading to widespread fascination. In this picture from 1954, Urquhart Castle adds context as the alleged monster appears to be swimming near the significant landmark.

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Celebrity status -

Nessie's rise to fame resulted in her becoming a celebrity. This photo from 1969 captures a member of the Loch Ness Monster Investigation Team diligently monitoring the surface of Loch Ness for any indications of life.

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What lies beneath? -

In 1969, an American named Dan Scott Taylor, Jr. built his own yellow submarine called the "Viperfish" and made multiple dives to the bottom of Loch Ness. His goal was to uncover what mysteries lay beneath, but unfortunately, he didn't find anything during his expeditions.

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'Loch Ness' (1996) -

The television series 'Loch Ness' centers on the family drama and features Ted Danson and Joely Richardson. The plot follows Dr. Jonathan Dempsey (Danson), a scientist striving to provide evidence of the creature's existence.

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Allusive as ever -

Here's real-life scientist Thayne Smith Lowrance pictured in 1999 with a sonar device during one of his many attempts to find the legendary creature. But Nessie proved as allusive as ever.

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Was Nessie lured by an eel? -

In 2019, there was an announcement indicating that Nessie might actually be a colossal eel. Research carried out on the environmental DNA found in Loch Ness revealed a substantial quantity of eel DNA, as stated by Professor Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from the University of Otago (pictured). Nevertheless, no proof of the existence of a monster was discovered.

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Nessie found! -

In the year 2016, an interesting discovery was made - the remains of a model depicting the Loch Ness Monster from the film 'The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes,' made in 1970. Engineer John Haig, shown in the picture, found these remains using an underwater robot submersible in the Loch Ness.

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Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition -

Tourists hoping for a Nessie sighting at Loch Ness may be disappointed, but they can still enjoy the unique Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition in Drumnadrochit. Surprisingly, you might even get 'glimpses' of the legendary creature, who graciously poses for photographs!

Sources: (Newsweek) (Cretaceous Research), (BBC) (The Independent) (UOL) (The Guardian)

See also: Terrifying monsters you wouldn't want to encounter

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