Tuesday 23 April 2013

Where was Nessie during the Ice Age?

Over ten thousand years ago, Loch Ness was covered in ice as the whole of Scotland succumbed to the last glacial advance. Note I did not say "last Ice Age" as apparently because there are polar ice caps today, we are technically still in an ongoing ice age (albeit a quieter phase).

However, since we assume the Loch Ness Monster had some ancestors, where would they have lived? The answer may come from a recent study on salmon genetics explained in this BBC article. The headline tell us:

An area of coastal waters around North-West France has been identified as a site for a previously unknown ice-free refuge for salmon during the Ice Age. 

Now since it is believed that the monster feeds on salmon running in and out of Loch Ness, could it be a case of "follow the money" or "follow the salmon" when it comes to Nessie's previous abode? 

In that light, perhaps the Loch Ness Monster was the "Hurd Deep Sea Serpent" after the name of the location for these ancient salmon? Furthermore, as the ice receded and the salmon progressed northwards, it seems more reasonable to conclude that these monsters would have entered the Great Glen from the south rather than the northern Moray Firth. That is based on the assumption that the north would still be more ice bound than the warmer south.

When the great glacial lake at Glen Roy broke and inundated the area with water, it is conceivable that the relocation of the monsters to Loch Ness was completed when the rushing waters headed north through Loch Ness and into the sea (link) taking many a creature with it but some managed to stay in Loch Ness.

Unfortunately, the abundance of salmon now passing through rivers has declined markedly since the 1980s and one wonders how that has impacted the diet of the Loch Ness Monster.Hopefully, not enough to drive Nessie back to the sea!




6 comments:

  1. Wow, i love your blog!!! It has just been added to favorites. -Caroline

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  2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmSb4N8SiY0&feature=player_embedded

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  3. Yes, it's a very good video in terms of visual impact. Clearly not our old friend the standing wave.

    I note on google maps that it is nicely open to the north Atlantic so if it is a creature is more likely a visitor and so opens it up to a variety of interpretations.

    If I were a sceptic, I would play the percentages game and assume hoax without any further analysis. That's the easy path to take.

    Unlike the George Edwards photo, this is a film sequence and obviously there is no surface boat towing it. Could someone tow it underwater? Either way, it would be helpful if the sceptics would say how it was staged rather than just giving a knee-jerk "Fake!" reaction.


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    1. Having said that, I do remember the staged hump sequence from the Herzog film "Incident at Loch Ness" so clearly a similar sequence is fakeable.

      This shows the problem with getting a good Nessie film that sceptics can't naysay.

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    2. I was reading Dick Raynor's interpretation of the hump in the video in the forum of his site cryptozoology...and he said it was a hoax,something made of plastic maybe,but a good hoax,he gave it 8/10.You know I had a discussion with him about Dindale's film of Nessie,he said it was probably a boat,and I said it was a living thing.But in this case,I see the hump so stiff,that I think it's as a hoax.I don't know,an animal would be moving in a different way.If it's not a hoax,which I wish,,then it's the best example of a hump of a lake monster.
      Regards,Claudio Diaz,Argentina.
      P/D.Congratulations for your wonderful page.

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  4. Official page of the Iceland Worm.
    http://ormur.com/

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