A Reddit user recently shared a photo purporting to show a monster swimming in the River Thames.
The photo, posted to Reddit on July 19, went viral on multiple social media and content-sharing platforms. It sparked lively discussion as Redditors debated the identity of the alleged creature dubbed “Loch Thames Monster.”
Rumors about a monster lurking in the depths of the river have been circulating for years. Footage emerged in 2016 allegedly showing a humped monster swimming in the water.
River Thames may have a resident Monster
The Reddit user uploaded the photo with a short note: “Saw a mad thing in the Thames just now.”
The photo (see featured image) shows an object that resembles a dark-skinned creature with red eyes swimming in the water.
Only the head of the creature with a red eye on the side is visible above the water.
The suggestion that the murky waters of the Thames may have unveiled its version of the Loch Ness Monster sent ripples of excitement across multiple social media platforms.
The identity remains a mystery, but Redditors engaged in debate, offering various suggestions ranging from fanciful to insightful.
Suggestions included Godzilla, giant anaconda, eels high on psychoactive substances, monkfish, and Boris Johnson.
Some proposed that the object could be floating debris, such as a rock or a wooden post.
Was Loch Thames Monster a giant anaconda or a boa constrictor?
Some Redditors said Loch Thames Monster was a giant anaconda.
“It’s the famous Thames Anaconda!” one user declared.
The suggestion that the object could be a giant tropical snake (such as an anaconda, python, or boa constrictor) resident in the temperate waters of the Thames met with favorable reception among some Redditors.
A user defended the suggestion by referencing media reports about an enormous snake skin found in 2022 near the bank of the Thames.
The Mirror reported that London resident Jason Sandy found the five-foot skin, believed to have belonged to a boa constrictor, on the north bank, in the vicinity of Hammersmith Bridge on August 8, 2022.
A giant eel?
A user, who suggested it could be a giant Eeel, referred to a 2019 media report that eels residing in the Thames were hyperactive due to high levels of illicit psychoactive substances seeping into the river from the sewers.
The report said that King’s College researchers who analyzed the water found high concentrations of Class A substances.
Loch Thames Monster is the stuff of nightmares
Some users found thoughts of a creepy monster in the River Thames scary and expressed their fears. For some, Loch Thames Monster was the stuff of nightmares.
One user appeared deeply disturbed by the alleged revelation.
“Nah I won’t be able to sleep now. I had a chill down my spine when I saw this creep,” the user mused. “Why has it reared it’s ugly head out of the surface of the water? What’s his game? What’s he up to? Nah I don’t like him one bit, sorry. The unidentified Beast can eff off back under the dirty water.”
“Ah, one more thing to add to my irrational fear collection,” another wrote.
Hoax or prank? Loch Thames Monster could be a rock or wooden post
But some believed it could be a hoax, a prank, or simply a case of mistaken identity.
“Looks like a bottle cap on a rock,” one Redditor wrote.
“I think it’s the top of a wooden post with something red inserted into it at low tide,” another reacted.
Others shared joking and sarcastic comments comparing the alleged creature to politicians and Royals.
“Let the Royals swim where they want,” a Redditor joked. “It’s their Thames too you know.”
“Yeah it’s Boris Johnson,” another joked.
“Boris Johnson’s soul,” one commenter hinted darkly.