Can you believe we haven’t done a Loch Ness Monster episode before now? Neither can we! In this episode, we take a look at the foundational stories that established Nessie as the legendary cryptid we know and love today and discuss the geologic and biologic feasibility of a large, carnivorous reptile existing in a cold, not-so-ancient, Highland lake. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more.
Uncropped Surgeon’s Photograph: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lochness/legend3.html
2025 Nessie sighting: https://nypost.com/2025/03/04/lifestyle/loch-ness-monster-sighting-reported-first-in-2025-fantastic/
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Here are our sources:
History & Folklore:
Augustyn, Adam. “Loch Ness | Location, Depth, Map, & Facts.” Britannica, March 28, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/place/Loch-Ness-lake-Scotland-United-Kingdom.
Bressan, David. “Richard Owen, the ‘Sea-Serpent Killer.’” Scientific American (blog), September 15, 2012. https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/history-of-geology/richard-owen-the-sea-serpent-killer/.
Edwards, Phil. “How Scientists Debunked the Loch Ness Monster.” Vox, October 20, 2015. https://www.vox.com/2015/4/21/8459353/loch-ness-monster.
Loxton, Daniel, and Donald R. Prothero. Abominable Science! Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids. New York: Columbia University Press, 2015.
McCreadie, Derek. “The Story of the Loch Ness Monster.” Scotland’s Wild Tours. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.scotlandswild.com/experience-scotlands-wild-blog-posts/the-story-of-the-loch-ness-monster.
Naish, Darren. “How Do We Know That the Loch Ness Monster Doesn’t Exist?” BBC Science Focus, November 25, 2020. https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/how-do-we-know-that-the-loch-ness-monster-doesnt-exist.
———. Hunting Monsters. London: Arcturus, 2017.
Nickell, Joe. The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life Creatures. Monster House LLC, 2024.
Nova Online. “The Beast of Loch Ness: Birth of a Legend,” November 2000. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lochness/legend3.html.
Radford, Benjamin. “Mokele-Mbembe: The Search for a Living Dinosaur.” livescience.com, August 13, 2013. https://www.livescience.com/38871-mokele-mbembe.html.
Regal, Brian. “Richard Owen and the Sea-Serpent.” Endeavour 36, no. 2 (June 1, 2012): 65–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.endeavour.2011.12.001.
The Geological Society of London. “The Great Glen Fault, Scotland.” Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Policy-and-Media/Outreach/Plate-Tectonic-Stories/Great-Glen-Fault.
The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. “Sightings Count at Loch Ness.” Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.lochnesssightings.com/.
Visit Inverness | Loch Ness. “The Loch Ness Monster.” Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.visitinvernesslochness.com/the-lochness-monster.
Wikipedia. “Great Glen,” January 4, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Glen&oldid=1131522558.
Science:
BBC. “Loch Ness Monster May Be a Giant Eel, Say Scientists,” September 5, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49495145.
Edwards, Phil. “How Scientists Debunked the Loch Ness Monster.” Vox, October 20, 2015. https://www.vox.com/2015/4/21/8459353/loch-ness-monster.
Foxon, Floe. “The Loch Ness Monster: If It’s Real, Could It Be an Eel?” JMIRx Bio 1, no. 1 (July 21, 2023): e49063. https://doi.org/10.2196/49063.
Jones, Dustin. “Monster Hunters Are Conducting the Largest Search of Loch Ness in More than 50 Years.” NPR, August 21, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/08/21/1195016459/monster-hunters-largest-search-for-the-loch-ness-monster-in-50-years.
Lallanilla, Marc. “The Loch Ness Monster Legend: It’s Geology’s Fault.” NBC News, July 3, 2013. https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/loch-ness-monster-legend-its-geologys-fault-6c10519234.
Latham, Katherine. “The Deep Ocean Photographer That Captured a ‘Living Fossil.’” BBC, May 8, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240507-the-deep-ocean-photographer-that-captured-a-living-fossil.
Loxton, Daniel, and Donald R. Prothero. Abominable Science! Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids. New York: Columbia University Press, 2015.
McNamara, Alexander. “Loch Ness Monster DNA Study Reveals ‘Plausible’ Explanation for Sightings.” BBC Science Focus, September 5, 2019. https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/loch-ness-monster-dna-study-reveals-plausible-explanation-for-sightings.
Naish, Darren. “How Do We Know That the Loch Ness Monster Doesn’t Exist?” BBC Science Focus, November 25, 2020. https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/how-do-we-know-that-the-loch-ness-monster-doesnt-exist.
———. Hunting Monsters. London: Arcturus, 2017.
Rafferty, John P. “K–T Extinction: Overview & Facts.” Britannica, July 5, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/science/K-T-extinction.
Rosen, Meghan. “Seen Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster? Data Suggest the Odds Are Low.” ScienceNews, September 26, 2023. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bigfoot-loch-ness-monster-data-pseudoscience.
Smithsonian Ocean. “Coelacanth,” November 5, 2018. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/coelacanth.
Trammell, Kendall. “There’s Probably No Monster in Loch Ness. But We Did Find One of Its Best-Kept Secrets.” CNN, November 11, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/travel/loch-ness-monster-90-year-anniversary/index.html.