Google Gets In On The Hunt for the Loch Ness Monster

Eighty-one years ago today, the Daily Mail published the "Surgeon's Photograph" (below), which depicts a mysterious creature with a Brontosaurus-like head rising out of Scotland's Loch Ness. The image launched a world-wide fascination with uncovering the mystery of the Loch Ness monster; since then, the cryptid’s existence has been repeatedly debunked and yet is still hotly debated. On the occasion of the anniversary, Google decided to get in on the hunt—and allow others to do so as well, from the comfort of their home computer.

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The search engine took its Street View cameras to the loch, and with the help of local experts and divers, spent a week capturing detailed 360-degree images of the different areas of the lake—both above and below the water.

Google

There’s certainly an interest in exploring the area; according to Google, there are around 200,000 searches each month for the Loch Ness Monster, and another 120,000 for information and accommodation close to Loch Ness.

Users tooling around with the different views have already noticed a suspicious looking lump in one shot. And when the UK’s Telegraph pointed it out to Google, a spokesperson said, "We were surprised by this sighting too. Is it a log, a bird or ... the monster?!"

Click here to explore the loch yourself as an armchair Nessie hunter and check out the Telegraph's video to watch Google's team in action and see more of the eerie, stunning Scottish highlands, "the sort of place where if there weren't any dragons, there really ought to be."