An expert claimed that various Nessie-like monsters populate British waters. Pic credit: John Thomas Didymus
A cryptozoologist has pointed out that the Loch Ness Monster is not the only aquatic cryptid native to the British Isles.
Andy McGrath, an expert in cryptids, said many other monsters live in British rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.
According to the author of Beasts of the World: Hairy Humanoids, many of the lesser-known monsters resemble Nessie. They are elusive creatures similar to giant prehistoric marine monsters.
He expressed confidence that many undiscovered monsters were lurking in British waters.
“Nessie & Friends” resemble the ancient plesiosaurs
McGrath told the Daily Star that he has been researching the various types of Nessie-like water-dwelling creatures native to Britain. He suggested more monsters live in the British waters than skeptics and believers suspected.
McGrath referred to the creatures collectively as Nessie & Friends. He concluded they were plesiosaur-like creatures after an extensive study.
Plesiosaurs are an extinct group of marine reptiles that first appeared in the late Triassic Period, about 200 million years ago. They became widely distributed in marine environments during the Jurassic Period (200 million-145 million years) and disappeared at the close of the Cretaceous (66 million years ago).
They disappeared during the mass extinction event that wiped out many other prehistoric species. Experts believe an asteroid impact triggered the extinction event.
Lake Windermere Monster
McGrath acknowledged that researching lesser-known lake monsters, such as the Lake Windermere Monster, inspired his insight on Nessie & Friends.
Windermere, a lake in Cumbria, England, is one of the largest in Britain.
Lake monster hunters believe Windermere is home to a Nessie-like creature nicknamed Bownessie. The legend of the Windermere Monster gained attention in 2011 after witnesses shared photographs supposedly showing a “giant dark brown snake with humps measuring three car lengths.”
Earlier in 2006, Steve Burnip, a journalism teacher, reported sighting a “30ft creature with humps.”
In 2014, petrophysicist Matt Benefield noticed something odd in a photograph he took at the lake.
Other British lake monsters
Other known British lake monsters include Morag, allegedly native to Loch Morar in the Scottish Highlands.
Loch Morar is a large freshwater lake near the village of Mallaig in the Lochaber region. Morag legends date back to the 1800s.
Morgawr is a sea monster in Cornish folklore. The creature is native to the waters of Falmouth Bay off the south coast of Cornwall. Thus, some people call Morgawr the Falmouth Bay Monster.
Most sightings of the monster occurred along a stretch of the coast known as the Morgawr’s Mile. Witnesses described Morgawr as being about 17-20 feet long, with humps on its back and a tapering tail.
Lesser-known ones include the Lomond Monster native to Loch Lomond, Lizzie of Loch Lochy, Seileag of Loch Shiel, Beathach mór of Loch Awe, and the Thames River Monster.