A recent scientific discovery has revived debates over the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, suggesting that Nessie, the mythical Scottish creature, is ‘plausible’. This revelation comes from an unexpected place: the Sahara.
Researchers from the University of Bath, the University of Portsmouth in Britain and the Université Hassan II in Morocco have unearthed fossils of a plesiosaur in the Sahara Desert. irishstar.com.
One hundred million years ago, the Sahara was part of a vast freshwater river system. Plesiosaurs, which are widely believed to be the inspiration behind the Loch Ness Monster, are generally considered marine animals.
However, the newly discovered fossils challenge this assumption. Loch Ness in Scotland is a freshwater lake and it was previously thought that marine animals such as plesiosaurs could not survive in such an environment.
The new findings suggest that plesiosaurs may have been able to live in freshwater. Scientists now believe it is possible that these ancient creatures inhabited freshwater lakes such as Loch Ness.
There is evidence that plesiosaurs thrived in fresh water and fed on armored fish that lived in the river, as evidenced by their teeth marks.
This revelation adds a new dimension to the long-standing legend of Nessie. Despite the fantastic nature of the Loch Ness Monster, this discovery opens the door to the possibility that such creatures could have existed in freshwater environments.
Interestingly enough, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster has also influenced special insurance policies. In 2005, a group of swimmers took out a £1 million policy against monster bites. In 2013, a cruise line took out a policy for up to $1.5 million in damage possibly caused by the beast.
These policies were highlighted by Quotezone, which also uncovered other unusual insurance coverages such as protection against injury from fallen coconuts, wedding day nerves and even alien abduction.
