Loch Ness Monster

What is the Loch Ness monster for kids? Use this wiki page to teach your kids about the Loch Ness Monster's first sighting and much more. The monster, also known as Nessie, is one of Scotland’s most popular myths and legends.

What is the Loch Ness Monster for kids?

TheLoch Ness Monster for kids, or Nessie if you want to be more friendly, is a mythical creature that legends say lives in the Scottish loch of Loch Ness. Most people, and scientists, believe that the Loch Ness Monster is a fictional creature that has never existed. However, if we are to believe the legends, the Loch Ness Monster is believed to be aplesiosaur dinosaur, an extinct meat-eating aquatic reptile that lived in the Mesozoic era.

You can see the image below to see one of the most famous believed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. The picture appears to show what was claimed to be a small head and back.

The Loch Ness Monster (also referred to as Nessie) is said to live in the Scottish loch of Loch Ness. This is the 2nd biggest loch in the country.
The Loch Ness Monster is also known by its nickname, ‘Nessie’.
Loch Ness is a freshwater lake located in the Highlands of Scotland, near to Inverness.
The first-ever photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was taken on December 6th, 1933, by Hugh Gray.
Some people believe that the Loch Ness Monster is not a solitary creature. In fact, it has been suggested that, if the creature exists,there must be many of them in the lake.

When was the first Loch Ness Monster sighting?

Since at least the time of St. Columba, there have been rumoured sightings about the Loch Ness Monster. However, it has only been recently that sightings of Nessie have really expanded.
The Loch Ness Monster's first sighting was in the 20th century was in 1933, when George Spicer and his wife saw a strange creature cross the road. It was in front of their car, when they were driving. The Spicers were from London, and they were driving to Inverness on holiday. The road that they were on was recently constructed, and was on the part of the loch that was largely uninhabited at the time. This led people to suspect that there could be something unknown in the area. The monster was seen to have a large body and a long neck that was slightly thicker than an elephant’s trunk.
The year after, in 1934, a motorcyclist called Arthur Grant claimed to nearly hit a monster. This was when he was riding at the northeastern part of the loch. The monster he described had a small head and a long neck. When he saw the monster, it was around 1am at night. This has led people to suspect that he may have seen a seal or an otter, and he later imagined it to look bigger than it actually was.
One of the most famous Loch Ness Monster sightings comes from the “Surgeon’s Photograph”, which shows an image of the Loch Ness Monster sticking its head out of the water. However, this was later revealed to be a hoax.

Since at least the time of St. Columba, there have been rumoured sightings about the Loch Ness Monster. However, it has only been recently that sightings of Nessie have really expanded.
The Loch Ness Monster's first sighting was in the 20th century was in 1933, when George Spicer and his wife saw a strange creature cross the road. It was in front of their car, when they were driving. The Spicers were from London, and they were driving to Inverness on holiday. The road that they were on was recently constructed, and was on the part of the loch that was largely uninhabited at the time. This led people to suspect that there could be something unknown in the area. The monster was seen to have a large body and a long neck that was slightly thicker than an elephant’s trunk.
The year after, in 1934, a motorcyclist called Arthur Grant claimed to nearly hit a monster. This was when he was riding at the northeastern part of the loch. The monster he described had a small head and a long neck. When he saw the monster, it was around 1am at night. This has led people to suspect that he may have seen a seal or an otter, and he later imagined it to look bigger than it actually was.
One of the most famous Loch Ness Monster sightings comes from the “Surgeon’s Photograph”, which shows an image of the Loch Ness Monster sticking its head out of the water. However, this was later revealed to be a hoax.

The 1930s was a time when there were loads of sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. This could be because more people were visiting the loch than ever before. And as a result, there was a greater chance of seeing the monster. This was also a time when many buried dinosaurs were discovered, and “dinosaur mania” was taking place, so people’s imaginations could have caused them to believe they saw a long-necked monster.
Since then, there have been boats that have used sonar to track down the dinosaur, and aerial images. There are reportedly, on average, seven Loch Ness Monster sightings each year.

Where does the Loch Ness Monster live?

Loch Ness is situated in the Highlands of Scotland. It is next to the city of Inverness, which has a population of nearly 50,000 people. The loch is 56km2 wide, which makes it the second-largest loch in Scotland, behind Loch Lomond. However, Loch Ness is a lot deeper, its deepest point is 230 metres. That is nearly a quarter of a kilometre deep!

Due to its depth, it is the loch with the greatest amount of water in the whole of the UK. It has about 263 billion cubic feet of water. This means the loch has more water than the combined lakes in England and Wales. The water is actually so deep, that it is pitch black when you are at the bottom. This would surely make an ideal place for a sea monster to hide.
There has been water in the Loch Ness area for millions of years, and it could be since the age of dinosaurs that the loch has existed.
Due to this, it could certainly have been possible that prehistoric creatures that look like the Loch Ness Monster have existed there.

It is safe to say that the Celts believed in a lot of mythology. The Celtic era is seen to have existed from around 600BC to about 43AD. This means that it was before Christianity came to Scotland and changed its people’s beliefs.
At this point in time, people had different religious practices and had much more superstitious beliefs. People believed in giants, ghosts and notably, sea monsters. These stories were spread and traded from Nordic countries to Scotland and Ireland, from their shared connection to the North Sea.
An example of this is the Kraken, which is a notable sea monster. It is seen to be a giant squid that is big enough to swallow whole ships. Stories about the Kraken were generally passed around from scared seamen that lived in Celtic countries.

Another example of Celtic mythology are Kelpies. These are shape shifting water creatures that live in Scottish lochs. They can sometimes take the form of humans, but they are mainly seen to look like horses that live in the water. Most lochs in Scotland have traditional Kelpie stories, but it is mostly attributed to Loch Ness.

Whilst you and your kids are discussing the Loch Ness Monster, it would be great to tell them about some Celtic folklore. This is so they can understand more about the origins of the monster.

What is the Loch Ness Monster?

Written By -Abhilasha