Sunday, 3 February 2013

news from loch ness



Expert doubts Nessie 'crocodile' link
By Donna MacAllister
The discovery of a new super-predator species could shine new light on the origins of the Loch Ness Monster, it has been claimed.Tyrannoneustes lythrodectikos — which means blood-biting tyrant swimmer — were marine predators similar to dolphins, with serrated teeth and a large gaping jaw suited to feeding on large-bodied prey.Its ancient bones were found in a clay pit near Peterborough in the early 1900s and a specimen is held by the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University.Scientists at Edinburgh University suggested earlier this week the species was distantly related to the modern-day crocodile after studying its prehistoric skeleton.Now Loch Ness businessman Willie Cameron believes the reptile may have been the same creature that local people had been reporting from the loch edge over the years.He said: "I’m not saying that it was there one week ago, two weeks ago, or even 100 years ago. I’m just saying previous sightings could have been something like this."

Ancient rock art uncovered in Evanton
THE highest concentration of ancient rock art ever discovered in the Highlands has been found on hillside farmland in Ross-shire, it has been revealed.Bronze Age cupmarks carved into rocks up to 5,000 years ago have been found on twenty-eight separate sites on Swordale Hill outside Evanton.The remains of an enclosed henge have also been found on the hill’s Druim Mor ridge, which is also the location of a chambered cairn.The majority of the cup-marked stones, as well as the henge, have been identified and recorded by Tain man Douglas Scott who says all the evidence suggests the hill was once a “ritual centre of some significance” where ancient people worshipped the sun.It is thought the cupmarks were ground into rocks with quartz between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago to symbolise the sun and connect with ancestors during ritual gatherings to celebrate midwinter and the equinoxes.

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