Lough Erne creature

'O'Nessie Makes a Splash', Sunday People, August 22nd 1999

Mystery monster has made an Irish waterway its home!   This is the first picture of Ireland's own 'Lough Ness' monster. The sensational snap was taken by an amateur photographer along a 50-mile stretch of water in the Irish midlands. The creature, said to be more than eight feet long and 300lbs, has been spotted several times on the Lough Erne waterway. The latest sighting occurred last week with swimmers in Co Cavan. Local woman Claudia Westrich was swimming near Killykeen when she felt something pushing her down. She thought it was an oar from a boat accompanying her on the swim but when she looked up the vessel was five metres away. She tried to get a good look at the creature but it dived under the water. But local man Sean Walsh, who was on the nearby boat, mistakingly snapped a picture of the creature before it disappeared. "I was photographing calves on the foreshore. When I developed the film I realised what I had taken," he revealed. Sean (65) took the film and his camera equipment to loocal professional photographer Ray Reilly to check for faults.. Ray confirmed the film had not been tampered with. In a separate incident a group of sea scouts from Dalkey in Dublin also reported seeing a creature making a huge splash. Other sightings of the creature have been along the huge waterway in Eniskillen, Co Fermanagh and Belturbet in Co Cavan. Last night Sean, a founding member of Cavan Icebreakers Swimming Club told Sunday People he had no doubt the creature was real. "I don't know what it is but there is something in the water. It has been there for years. "There have been several sightings. People say it is up to eight feet long with a spikey head. It's bizarre," said Sean. Keen swimmer Sean revealed he has had two body contacts with the creature. The first was 25 years ago in almost the same place that Claudia had her eerie encounter. "I could feel it between my legs and swimming around me. It was a strange feeling. "I have never been afraid of it. It only seems to appear when there are swimmers in the water," he said. Chairman of the Cavan Icebreakers, Alex Moran has also reported seeing the creature. Sceptical locals say the creature is a huge catfish or a species of Wels which can grow up to 15 feet and weigh a whopping 600 Ibs. However, visiting English anglers Davy Burgess and Dick Salter of Hayes, Middlesex say they don't think the creature is either. Sean Walsh has his own theory of how the creature came to live and grow in the stretch of water. "Many years ago hundreds of English anglers used to use the Erne Waterway. They brought all sorts of baits with them to catch large pike". "I think the creature is some form of bait from a foreign country which thrived in the area. That's the only explanation I can think of." But now a Dublin detective Garda friend of his plans to look into the existence of the creature. The cop is in Cavan speaking with locals and building up a profile on the creature. "We have had a number of incidents which we would like to get to the bottom of. I have no doubt that the creature exists. "People can say what they like but there is too much evidence which suggests there's something there. "We will get to the bottom of it eventually," he vowed.

I have been unable to find any history of creatures in the Lough but perhaps if anyone knows of any folktales or stories about the area they will post a comment. I have also been unable to find any follow up to this so again if anyone knows anything please comment.

Life From Mars

Earth life 'may have come from Mars'

By Simon Redfern Reporter, BBC News, Florence

Life may have started on Mars before arriving on Earth, a major scientific conference has heard.New research supports an idea that the Red Planet was a better place to kick-start biology billions of years ago than the early Earth was.The evidence is based on how the first molecules necessary for life were assembled.

Read rest here :http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23872765

So Nessie could be an alien!

Two Loch Monster sightings in Scotland reported today

 

Tourists' shock as Morag of Loch Morar – Scotland's second most famous monster – makes a comeback after 20 years

25 Aug 2013 13:14    By Alan Dow

DOUG Christie and his wife Charlotte claim they spotted a 20ft black shape in the water three times in two days and are convinced the beast has returned.Read rest see pics here :

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/weird-news/tourists-shock-morag-loch-morar-2219656

read about morag here : http://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/morag-lake-morar-creature.html

Loch Ness Monster sighting: Was this freakish wave caused by mystery underwater creature?

Amateur photographer David Elder, 50, is convinced that the strange phenomenon was caused by something beneath the water
read rest see pic here:http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/loch-ness-monster-sighting-freakish-2224269#ixzz2d6l5zDbS

More on Loch Ness: http://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/loch-ness-monster-is-real-says.html

http://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/how-old-is-nessie.html

A busy day at Loch Ness in 1975

It was a busy day on Loch Ness in July 1975 , one person saw the Loch Ness Creature 4 times and filmed it at least once.

On the 18th of July 1975, Alan Wilkins was on holiday with his family at   a caravan site at Rubha Ban, near Invermoriston.

Wilkins, a teacher, and his son were scanning the loch at 7:20 am when they saw  a black shape appear and disappear several times .They were one and half miles south of Invermoriston . They  estimated the shape was 20 feet( 6.6metres) long and showed about 2 feet (0 .6 metre)out of water. It then disappeared and  left  a swirl of water behind

At 10:12am , the same teacher and his wife, photographed three large triangular humps in same area.. The humps disappeared on the  approach of a  motorboat. He at first thought it a black rubber boat with an outboard racing across the Loch, but then his wife pointed out the one hump had become 3.Others watching agreed there were 3 triangular humps in the water . Wilkins filmed the  object using his 16mm camera which  was fitted with a 300mm lens.

At 9:25 p.m,From the same position  Wilkins and several people saw a black spot emerging from the water and forming two humps.The  water seemed to be boiling around it.Some watchers  said it looked like a whale rolling in the water . Then it disappeared

At 10.25pm one of the group of watchers including Wilkins ,saw 3 closely spaced humps about 4 feet(1.3metres) high moving out of Invermoriston Bay about a mile away. The humps now being watched by  several others . They reported the humps altered from 2 to 3 humps several times and then they disappeared.

So what can we  make of this? Putting the sceptics’ argument first. The third  sighting of the water boiling could have been some volcanic eruption from the Loch’s Basin, it is known to happen occasionally and it does throw up debris. There has been minor volcanic activity recorded around the Loch for about 150 years . The second and fourth sightings could have been boat wakes.. As there had been that first sighting that morning people were expecting to see something so that could also be a factor.

The first sighting however is not so easily dismissed. There were no boats around and the way it appeared and disappeared suggest an animate object. What do you think, is it possible to see a cryptid 4 times in one day or after the first sighting does the mind play tricks?

not a sea monster!

'Sea serpent' on Spanish beach most likely oarfish

ALMERIA, Spain, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A large fish found dead and rotting on a beach in Spain was probably an oarfish, the animal that gave rise to sea serpent legends, scientists say.The strange creature, between 12 and 15 feet long, was discovered by swimmers in Villaricos, a village on the Mediterranean in the southern province of Almeria, Euro Weekly News reported Thursday. Police officers cordoned off an area around the fish and called in experts from two environmental agencies.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/08/22/Sea-serpent-on-Spanish-beach-most-likely-oarfish/UPI-67421377200431/#ixzz2cm8Ae54B

prospect of mammoth resurrection

De-extinction: Mammoth prospect, or just woolly?

By Andy Roast BBC Radio Science Unit

Some scientists are now seriously considering the possibility of bringing back extinct animals. But can it be done, and if so, what would be the use?

The film Jurassic Park - based on a novel by Michael Crichton - is a rather cautionary take on the merits, or otherwise, of using technology to revive extinct species.
The movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, was released 20 years ago and tells the story of an eccentric billionaire

Needless to say, it all goes horribly wrong, leaving the protagonists to fight for their lives against voracious velociraptors and a fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex.

The basic science that originally inspired the story has matured to the point where some scientists are now seriously considering the possibility of resurrecting some extinct animals, and the habitats they occupied.
read rest see pics here:

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23602142

There are lots of people saying can we? I have yet to see anyone asking Should we?  which is really the more important question.
 

a trove of sea serpents

This site is worth a look. has some interesting historical sightings:

http://malcolmscryptids.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/a-trove-of-sea-serpents.html

The Beast of Trowbridge spotted again?

The 'Beast of Trowbridge'? Pensioners spy creature eating its kill in empty field

'Our first impression was sheer astonishment, we really could not believe our eyes at what we were seeing'

read rest see pic here :

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/-beast-of-trowbridge--strikes-again--couple-spots-enormous-creature-eating-its-kill-in-empty-field-101150500.html#JVsDpoX

Rare Fish washes up

Better than Bigfoot: Rare ragfish washes up on Lena Beach

Lacking scales and bones, these fish can reach a whopping 7 feet long

By KATIE MORITZ             JUNEAU EMPIRE

Although this gnarly fish isn’t uncommon in Alaska waters, it’s rare that one of them makes an appearance on shore, especially in Juneau. A dead ragfish, scientific name Icosteus aenigmaticus, washed up on Lena Beach early this month, Juneau resident Michael Hays told us.

Read rest see pic here :http://juneauempire.com/outdoors/2013-08-16/better-bigfoot-rare-ragfish-washes-lena-beach#.Ug8_rxBh-Z5

major new discovery

Olinguito: 'Overlooked' mammal carnivore is major discovery

By Jane O'Brien BBC News, Washington DC

Scientists in the US have discovered a new animal living in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It has been named olinguito and is the first new species of carnivore to be identified in the Western hemisphere in 35 years.It has taken more than a decade to identify the mammal, a discovery that scientists say is incredibly rare in the 21st Century.

Read rest see pic here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23701151

Which all means there are still big discoveries to make ...what next? bigfoot perhaps?