Is a Newly Discovered Fossilized Plesiosaur the Legendary Loch Ness Monster?

  • Thread starter Ivan Seeking
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In summary: Gerald McSorley's story isa little more complicated thansimply falling into Loch Ness andfinding an 150 million-year-oldfossilized plesiosaur. McSorley,a retired scrap dealer from Edinburgh,claims that he found the fossil whilestumbling and falling into thelake. He brought the object to theEdinburgh Museum for analysisand was told that it was a plesiosaurvertebrae. Since the discovery,several hoaxes have been perpetratedin which people claim to haveseen Nessie while on excursions toLoch Ness. The most recent hoaxinvolved two tourists who wereduped by
  • #1
Ivan Seeking
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Loch Ness has bones

I posted this thinking that finding a fossilized plesiosaur was significant. It would seem that this is not significant.


"Meanwhile, on the shores of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, retired scrap dealer Gerald McSorley, who recently had a hip replaced, stumbled and fell into the water -- where his hand felt a strange object. When he brought it to a museum in Edinburgh to have it examined by experts, they told him it was the 150 million-year-old fossilized vertebrae of what was likely a plesiosaur."


http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=D6312F80-8167-421C-A206-9C3C7F6CD03A [Broken]
 
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  • #2
I think he bought it over the
internet, threw it in, went out
the next day with his wife, "ac-
cidently" fell in...

Is Loch Ness really known for
it's fossil's? Has anyone ever
found any kind of fossil there?

Hoax.
 
  • #3
Just watched a documentary on this and some guy did a very complete sonar sweep and found guess what ... they also fooled a few tourists into beliving they saw a nessie while they were at it.
 
  • #4
There has been hundreds of hoax's over the years, but why would a retired scrap dealer buy a fossil over the net and then drop it into the lake? Why? absolutely no reason for him to do it. and just because a 150 million year old fossil has been found in loch ness doesn't mean that there is still one in there.(plesiosaur that is).
 
  • #5
Andy

I've read your post over a few
times and still can't figure
out if you're joking or not.

At the risk of looking stupid
I have to say that a retired
scrap dealer has the same motive
to perpetrate a hoax as anyone
else might. He may want the
attention. He may enjoy stirring
up controversy. It may make him
feel more clever than everyone
else.

-zoob
 
  • #6
I wasnt joking but what i mean is that a scrap dealer has nothing to gain, and him being scottish means that he doesn't want attention all he needs is a nice bottle of whiskey and he is happy. But the people that would gain from this are the locals that make lots of money from tourism, so maybe the locals put the fossil there and have been waiting for an outsider to find it.
 
  • #7
Andy,

I went back to the story to see
if it said where McSorley came
from (Edinburgh or near the Loch)
and found something I hadn't
noticed the first time which is
that he planned to donate it
to a museum...unless someone
offered to buy it from him.

From scrap metal to scrap dino-
saurs.
 

1. Is there really a Loch Ness monster?

The existence of the Loch Ness monster, also known as Nessie, is still a subject of debate and controversy among scientists and the general public. While there have been many reported sightings and alleged evidence, there is no conclusive scientific proof that Nessie exists.

2. How was Nessie found?

There have been various claims and theories about how Nessie was found, including sonar images, underwater photographs, and eyewitness accounts. However, none of these have been scientifically verified, and no concrete evidence has been presented to prove the existence of Nessie.

3. What is the scientific explanation for the sightings of Nessie?

Many scientists believe that the sightings of Nessie can be attributed to misidentification of known animals, such as large fish or otters, or natural phenomena, such as floating logs or waves. Others suggest that the sightings may be hoaxes or illusions. Overall, there is no scientific explanation that can fully explain the alleged sightings of Nessie.

4. Has there been any scientific research done on Nessie?

There have been numerous attempts to scientifically study the waters of Loch Ness in search of evidence of Nessie. However, most of these studies have been inconclusive and have not provided any solid evidence for the existence of the creature. Some scientists argue that further research is needed to fully investigate the possibility of Nessie's existence.

5. What would be the impact if Nessie was actually found?

If Nessie was ever found and scientifically confirmed to exist, it would be a groundbreaking discovery. It would not only provide new insights into the evolution and biology of aquatic creatures, but also have significant implications for our understanding of the natural world. It could also potentially attract a lot of tourism and media attention to the area of Loch Ness.

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