Loch Ness Monster Sighted
April 1, 2001 -- Its existence has been disputed for more than 60 years, after a surgeon from London claimed to have photographed the creature on a fishing trip.
One of his conspirators in 1993, on his deathbed, confessed their photo to be a hoax.
Still, occasional sightings of the so-called 'Loch Ness Monster' have continued to be reported, and photographic evidence continues to be produced, testifying to the possible existence of a large, aquatic, dinosaur-like creature inhabiting the body of water known as Loch Ness in Scotland.
And now, ABCNEWS.com is publishing the latest picture of what could possibly be a supposedly long-extinct plesiosaur, living in the frigid, snow-fed waters of that ancient and hallowed lake.
The photo was taken on Feb. 22, approximately one hour before sundown, during an expedition from our base in Edinburgh. The scene also was witnessed by my cousin Mike, who was not at all drinking, and can testify to the veracity of this report.
"There was definitely something there," says Mike.
'Fly' Like a Penguin?
The creature seemed hardly a monster, as it showed no sign of aggression. Rather, it appeared to emerge from the depths to stare eerily at this reporter, like a living fossil of a once great species, seemingly frozen in time.
"It looked like a branch," says Mike, of more likely the elasmosaur rather than pliosaur variety of plesiosaur.
Plesiosaurs were an important group of marine reptiles during the age of the Dinosaurs. They made their first appearance during the Triassic period and were believed to become extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.
Recent studies of plesiosaur paddles have suggested that, instead of being pulled back and forth like oars on a rowboat, they were "flapped" up and down much like the wings of a bird or the paddles of a turtle, allowing them to "fly" through the water like modern penguins.
Unfortunately, our sighting was unable to support or refute the theory.
"It appeared to be extremely slow moving," notes Mike.
Intoxicated with surprise to record such an impossible scene, I rushed to grab my Nikon automatic and snap the dreadful thing before it disappeared once again into the mists of time, or worse, emerged from its watery home to give chase.
But soon enough, a cold rain began to fall on the otherwise still water and the wind kicked up as the sun dropped behind the distant southwestern mountains, shadowing "Nessie" once again in darkness.
So we continued our journey, on to a local gastronome to enjoy two savory bowls of West Highland Skink.
EDITOR'S NOTE: David Ruppe has reported extensively for ABCNEWS.com on a wide variety of stories, often to great effect. This, his first report for us from Scotland, is not his usual fare. … It's a fake. April fools.