May is a month of exciting days to celebrate with friends and family. Graduations, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and Teacher Appreciation Day are just a few. But, did you know that May is also the month that a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was first reported in the London newspaper, Inverness Courier?
A local couple claims to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface” in a large freshwater lake near Inverness, Scotland. There was a 20,000 pound sterling reward for the capture of the beast by a circus owner.
What do we know about the Loch Ness Monster?
- The Loch Ness Monster is known by the nickname Nessie.
- Most scientists consider the Loch Ness Monster a myth and the sightings purely a hoax.
- The story of Nessie first appeared in the paper on May 2, 1933.
- Residents around the Loch created a tale to keep their children away from the lake. They said the beast lived in the Loch and turned into a horse when it was hungry. It waited for a traveler to climb on its back. It would then gallop into the Loch and eat its victim.
- Nessie is said to have two humps, four flippers, a tail, and a snake-like head.
While no scientist has been able to prove the existence of Nessie, people have not stopped trying to prove its existence or become less intrigued with the mystery of it all.
In honor of the Loch Ness Monster mystery, May is a great month to read the Fuddlebrook book, The Mysterious Creature of Duck Pond. Freddie, like many who believe they have seen a monster, thinks he sees a real live dinosaur! Fortunately, the mystery is solved and the students learn a great deal about dinosaurs, extinction, and endangered species, too.
Now, if we could only solve the Loch Ness Monster mystery. Maybe one day! In the meantime, people will keep coming up with their own explanations of this mysterious creature. Who knows…maybe you will solve the mystery.