Monday 4 March 2013

Loch monsters in the news and a marine visitor to Orkney



Monsters Inc: Scottish lochs and their creatures
By Steven McKenzie BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter
Loch Ness is known all over the world for its legendary monster, Nessie. But it is far from the only creature said to inhabit Scotland's lochs. Could you place the locations of Lizzie or the slug pig? Morag, a lesser-known cousin of the Loch Ness Monster, was in the spotlight last week. Researchers had found accounts at the University of Edinburgh library of the mysterious creature from the 1900s.The historic papers revealed local descriptions of Morag as a mermaid-like creature and a beastly death omen.But Morag is just one of several loch monster stories hidden in the long shadow cast by Nessie.

Walrus basks in Orkney attention
A walrus has turned up on a small Scottish island in what has been described as a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. The animal, thought to be a young male, was spotted on the shoreline of North Ronaldsay in Orkney. It appeared to be in good health and happy to be the centre of attention.Wildlife experts said it was extremely unusual for a walrus to be spotted so far south of the North Pole and Arctic Ocean. The animal was first discovered on Sunday morning by Mark Warren, an assistant warden at the North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory.

wonder if this was mistaken for a sea monster in the past?

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