All language subtitles for In Search Of s02e02 The Loch Ness Monster 2

It's one of the most idyllic lakes in
the world.

But for centuries its dark waters have
been thought to hide a deadly secret.

A massive unidentified species famously
known as the Loch Ness Monster.

Despite alleged photos, video, and
thousands of eyewitness sightings, I

over my right shoulder and there she
was.

Many people believe that Nessie is
simply a fairy tale.

But what if there actually is an unknown
animal living in Loch Ness?

Can we combine enough information to
profile the creature?

In our attempt to find out if Nessie
does exist in some form, we've taken a

dive on alleged sightings throughout
history.

We've closely examined its habitat, and
we've studied potentially related

species for clues as to what the monster
might be.

Now, we'll reveal a brand new look that
just might bring us closer than ever to

identifying this possible unknown
creature.

And finally, we'll enter the depths to
see for ourselves, and have a

potential history -making encounter of
our own.

As we continue in search of the Loch
Ness Monster.

Our profile of the Loch Ness Monster
continues to evolve.

It started like this, the classic image
from the 1930s. Before long, we added

new features based on more recent
encounters.

But just as important as the monster's
physical appearance,

We've also built a key theory about its
behavior.

What if the creature is migratory?

We haven't yet been able to confirm
whether the monster can come and go from

loch, but there's a chance that the
evidence may have already been found.

The remains of a massive, unidentified
creature, nearly an exact match for

Nessie, washed up from the waters of
Scotland, not far from Loch Ness.

This is the island of Stronsay.

Located due north of Inverness, it's a
quiet and peaceful place for a seaside

getaway.

But as zoologist Jeff Swinney will tell
us, on a summer day in 1808, visitors

were met with a terrifying sight.

A fishing boat noticed something.

Their attention was drawn to it by the
screaming gulls that had gathered around

this carcass, which had been washed onto
some rocks.

It was big.

It was smelly. This was nothing like
anything they'd seen before.

The fishermen who had discovered the
carcass, a man by the name of John

approached it with a group of locals.

The island dwellers were familiar with
the occasional beach whale or shark

carcass that could wash up on the
Stransay shores.

But this was something very different
and very, very big.

What they found on the beach was an
animal with a relatively small head,

about a foot long, and then a body which
extended 55 feet.

And they measured this.

So we know that the measurement was
accurate.

About a quarter of the length of this
appeared to be neck, made up of

And then the rest of the vertebral
column going off tail, there appeared to

three pairs of legs.

And the whole body was covered in what
appeared to be matted fur, with a mane

fur running down the back of the body.

This must have been an extraordinary
sight.

Imagine, this is what they would have
seen.

Must have been absolutely terrifying,
disturbing.

This huge, 55 -foot -long, mysterious,
six -legged, hairy animal just lying

there on the beach.

These were not just a new species. This
was a new species of megafauna.

This was a big animal. This was a sea
monster.

It was dubbed the Stronsay Beast, and
news of the discovery began to spread.

News spread fairly rapidly worldwide
that this sea monster had arrived

on the shore.

They convened a sort of tribunal with
two local justices of the peace taking

sworn affidavits.

from the local people who had seen this
animal.

But while the accounts of the beast were
now officially on the record, nobody

could do much more to preserve the
carcass.

And the late summer heat nearly rotted
away the remains of the mysterious

animal.

The animal lying on the beach had been
trundled around in the sand quite a lot.

Much of the skin had come off.

and what you were left with were the
fraying muscle fibers.

Various bits of the carcass were
collected by some of the local people,

were sent down to Edinburgh. The skull,
the head, was actually sent to London,

but unfortunately that has since been
lost during the Blitz.

The vertebrae of the animal.

They were studied in Edinburgh by a very
eminent anatomist called John Barclay.

He concluded that this was like no other
animal. This was a new creature.

An equally eminent anatomist in London
was absolutely convinced that the

remains were those of a large shark.

The puzzling thing is that the local
community on Stronsley would be very

familiar with these big sharks.

Therefore, how could anybody possibly
mistake this animal, 55

feet long, with six legs, for a shark?

The observations were accurate. I mean,
we have no reason to

disbelieve the eye witnesses.

The remains of the animal that are still
in the museum consist of

three vertebrae.

I've had the opportunity of looking at
the three vertebrae.

After analyzing the remains, Jeff
concluded that the Stronsay beast shared

similarities with our potential profile
of the Loch Ness Monster, including a

long, narrow shape, flippers on its
abdomen, and of course, its massive

This is the first physical evidence of a
possible Loch Ness Monster -type

creature in Scotland.

Not a blurry photo or a fleeting
sighting, but actual remains of a

must have roamed the area's waters at
some point.

There are myth, stories, legends
associated with many large bodies

of water all over the world.

Stories of unknown animals.

Loch Ness in particular.

It would, of course, be really exciting
if we had some material evidence of a

new animal, a bit of megafauna, a large
animal, a sea monster.

And until we have something to actually
examine, I keep an open mind.

actually be the same species as the
creature long identified as the Loch

Monster.

The resemblance is uncanny, as is the
timing.

In 1808, the year the Stransay beast was
discovered, there were alleged

sightings of similar creatures in Loch
Ness and in Sweden's Storsjön Lake.

Is this just a coincidence?

Or were several of these unknown animals
migrating through northern Europe?

Coming up, we go behind the scenes of
one of the world's largest biological

archives to finally complete our profile
of the Loch Ness Monster.

And then, we'll enter the loch for the
chance to possibly see the beast

ourselves.

We've passed that point where I can't
see them anymore. They're pretty deep

The mystery of the Loch Ness Monster has
inspired generations of searchers

trying to find this elusive species.

But there's a chance it's already been
found.

in the form of an as yet unidentified
carcass on the shore of the Scottish

island of Stronsay.

If the Stronsay beast is in fact a
match, it adds even more key details to

profile of the monster.

The Stronsay remains had three pairs of
what the fishermen described as paws or

flippers.

This could explain the animal's ability
to cruise along the water's surface at 6

miles per hour, as seen in a 2007 video
by Nessie hunter Gordon Holmes.

It's also consistent with this
photograph taken in the 1970s by a

encountered a creature in the loch.

The specimen at Stronsay was covered in
short, wiry bristles.

most commonly found on marine animals,
who use them to sense the presence of

food in deep, dark waters.

If Nessie exists, it would need similar
features in order to feed and survive in

the near blackout conditions of Loch
Ness.

We've now added quite a bit to our
profile, but one can't help but think

still looks rather familiar.

Perhaps it's time to revisit one of the
very first theories on the Loch Ness

Monster's identity.

So what particular species do you think
it is?

The evidence, as I interpreted it, all
fits. And I know this is a fantastic

statement, but this all fits plethysaur.

Since the 1930s, dozens of witnesses
have speculated that Nessie is a species

we've already identified.

Could they have been right this whole
time?

If so, the plesiosaur is an intriguing
option.

It's a type of marine reptile that dates
back to the time of the dinosaurs in

the late Triassic period.

Plesiosaurs thrive for nearly 140
million years before supposedly dying

the same time as their land -based
contemporaries.

But is it possible the plesiosaur could
have survived?

And could it still be lurking in the
depths today?

Other animals survived.

including crocodiles, the duck -billed
platypus, and even bees.

There have even been animals that were
long thought to be extinct, only to

suddenly and mysteriously turn up again,
alive and well.

One famous example is the coelacanth, a
large, ancient fish species thought to

have died out with the dinosaurs.

But then in 1938, miraculously, living
coelacanths were found off the coast of

South Africa.

Could the same thing be happening in
Loch Ness?

Paleontologist Dr. Pernille Trollsen has
studied thousands of fossils from

museum collections around the world.

And she thinks she may have the answer.

So the whole group of plesiosauria is
divided into these two morphotypes.

One of them is the one we see here, so
this is the plesiosaur, and the other

ones are the plesiosaurs.

Right away, the parallels to our profile
of the Loch Ness Monster seem obvious.

So what is really unique about
plesiosaurs is that they have no modern

which means that we have no animal that
looks like this today.

They have this really unique body plan,
which you can see here, the four

flippers, and then we have a trunk area,
and the neck, the head, and the tail.

Is it possible?

that the Loch Ness Monster's skeleton
has been here on display for nearly two

centuries.

Dr. Trollson is a plesiosaur expert,
having dedicated her PhD studies to this

one specific species.

And according to her, the answer is no.

Because as we're about to find out...

Her recently published research proves
that despite thousands of eyewitness

accounts over hundreds of years, we
might have the potential monster's most

iconic feature all wrong.

It's a groundbreaking new find that
could allow us to finally complete our

profile of the world's most sought
-after unknown species.

For decades, thousands of dedicated
Nessie hunters have focused on a very

specific description.

A beast with a long serpentine neck,
reminiscent of ancient plesiosaurs.

But plesiosaur specialist, Dr. Pernille
Trollsen, has a major problem with that

theory.

She thinks that Nessie hunters should be
looking for something significantly

different.

The plesiosaurs have a great variety of
neck lengths.

It goes all the way from 16 vertebrae to
76 vertebrae. So that's a great chill

amount of neck vertebrae compared to us
as mammals. We only have 7 vertebrae in

the neck.

A plesiosaur's neck ranges from 3 feet
to 23 feet.

And while that length adds flexibility,
it also creates a major weakness.

Dr. Trollson did extensive research on
the amount of pressure and movement a

plesiosaur neck could take and compared
it to what alleged witnesses have said

about the Loch Ness Monster.

The Loch Ness Monster depicted with this
thin, long neck, like the long -necked

plesiosaurs, would not have been able to
cross the water surface.

because the pressure on the neck when it
was moving out of the water would have

been too high, and definitely that swan
-like pose it's been depicted as would

have been impossible.

In other words, a flexible plesiosaur
neck wouldn't have the strength to stand

above the waterline.

In fact, it would barely be able to
break the surface.

The Loch Ness Monster would probably
have been another animal than the long

-necked plesiosaur.

Similar to this ichthyosaur we see here,
which has a really, really short neck

that would have been able to cope with
the water pressure as the animal would

cross the water surface.

And that's not the only thing Dr.
Trulson found in her research.

Another reason why I don't think the
Loch Ness Monster would be a plesosaur

the fact that we assume that plesosaurs
were air breezes.

Whatever this species is, If it needed
to come up for air every few minutes, it

would easily be spotted by onlookers.

Therefore, the creature most likely has
gills.

If Dr. Trolson is correct, we've been
dead wrong this whole time about a long

-necked Loch Ness monster.

Even though it was a hoax, modern
sightings have clearly been influenced

iconic 1934 surgeon's photo in the Daily
Mail.

If not for that photo, the mistaken
concept of a long -necked Nessie might

have existed.

Without it, is it possible the monster
could have been found decades ago?

We may never know how much lost time it
cost the search, but we now have all the

information we need to complete our new
profile of the Loch Ness Monster.

So far, we've developed this image.

And at last, we have the final piece of
the puzzle.

If the creature's eel -like serpentine
form isn't its neck, then it must be its

body.

With that last detail, we can finally
reveal our brand new, never -before

image of what the Loch Ness Monster
might look like.

A far cry from the traditional dinosaur
-like appearance pitched to tourists

over the years.

This is what the monster would have to
actually resemble in order to survive

thrive while remaining hidden in the
waters of Loch Ness.

It's still rather terrifying, perhaps
even more so.

One thing's for sure.

If any creature got close enough to
witness this detailed point of view, it

wouldn't survive long enough to tell the
tale.

Now that we know what a potential Loch
Ness monster might look like, perhaps we

can determine the location where the
species could be found.

We theorize that this is a migratory
animal.

In other words, it probably hasn't lived
in the Loch for its entire existence.

In order to locate it today, we must
answer two key questions.

First, How exactly could this creature
come and go from Loch Ness?

Second, is it still able to do so?

Local guide Grant Sutherland has fished
the waters around Loch Ness his entire

life, and he thinks he knows the route
the beast originally took from the North

Sea to the loch, a path it may still be
traveling today.

Having worked in the area for over 20
years, Grant is very familiar with the

waterways that surround Loch Ness.

According to Grant, there is only one
natural link between the North Sea and

loch.

And that's the River Ness.

Well, here we are at the mouth of the
River Ness. This is where it enters the

North Sea.

This area is one of the most food -rich
environments in all of Scotland,

absolutely teeming with fish species.

This is a riptide you can see coming out
here.

This is a popular area, lots of food
turned up, so there's a lot of fish that

are going to be attracted to this area.

Humans have been hauling in large
catches from the mouth of the River Ness

centuries, but we're not the only ones.

A wide array of marine predators feast
here too, including birds, seals, and

dolphins.

So it's possible that a large North Sea
marine hunter like the potential Loch

Ness monster could have come here as
well.

Once it reached the river mouth, two
tasty species in particular could have

coaxed it even farther.

A couple of species of Atlantic salmon
and the sea trout that will carry on up

the river.

Looking for spawning grounds.

Brown trout and Atlantic salmon are the
two largest and most nutrient -rich fish

in the area.

If the monster exists, it's easy to
imagine it following these fish upstream

during a feeding frenzy.

But unfortunately, if this alleged
animal wanted to make it all the way to

Ness from here, it would meet a major
obstacle.

are, just a mile and a half from the
mouth of the river.

This is one of the first obstacles that
any animal that's wanting to navigate

its way through into Loch Ness is going
to hit very bouldery shallow, fast

-flowing water like this, and there's
another five to six miles of this, and

it'll make it difficult for any animal
to navigate its way into the deep waters

of Loch Ness.

In other words, if the monster wanted to
reach the loch by way of the river

Ness, this would be the end of the road.

Fortunately,

There just might be another way in.

Building off our new profile, we now
have a compelling theory of the Loch

Monster's potential behavior.

What if the beast is so elusive because
it migrates?

Can it come and go from the loch at
will?

We know the River Ness is too powerful
and rocky to be navigable by a large

marine animal.

But could there be another way?

This is the Caledonian Canal, and this
is a backdoor into Loch Ness.

Completed in 1822, the Caledonian Canal
was built as a shortcut across Scotland

for commercial boats.

It runs from coast to coast, including
directly into Loch Ness.

35 feet deep and lacking the powerful
current and rapids of the River Ness,

canal would make a much more inviting
route for the monster if it exists.

The River Ness is a very tough journey
for any species to take up there. The

Caledonian Canal would be a much easier
piece of water for any animal that chose

to move from the sea into Loch Ness.
It's a much slower, deeper piece of

The time frame of the canal's
construction certainly checks out.

The earliest sightings of the monster
were in the river Ness, not the loch.

It may have had no way to reach the loch
at first.

But the canal opened in 1822, just 14
years after the strontae beast was

discovered, 131 miles away.

That massive North Sea species, that
previously could only travel partway up

river, could now make it all the way to
Loch Ness.

Today, boat traffic regularly commutes
through the canal.

The question is, could the Loch Ness
Monster use the canal the very same way,

coming to its favorite feeding ground
during its salmon and trout spawning

each spring and summer?

If the Loch Ness Monster is migrating to
chase food, it helps explain some other

mysteries.

For instance, the inconsistency in its
annual appearances.

In 1996, there were 17 alleged
sightings.

But in 2009, and again in 2013, Nephi
was supposedly spotted just once the

year.

This seems like good evidence that the
species doesn't live here full -time.

Still, it gives us an advantage.

We now know precisely when this species
is most likely to be present in these

waters.

When the salmon begin to migrate into
the loch, the creature known as Nessie

could be close behind.

And if we're right, then that time is
now.

This year's salmon migration began two
weeks ago, so armed with our new

The hunt for this unidentified creature
is officially on.

It will be a two -pronged search effort,
led by Captain Mike Lynch and scuba

diver Chris McKendry.

Captain Mike will be manning the Rebel,
a 40 -foot catamaran outfitted with

state -of -the -art sonar that will give
him a never -before -seen picture of

the murky lock bottom.

It's going to be messy.

Working in tandem with the Rebel aboard
a high -speed Zodiac is Chris and a two

-man dive team.

Advanced cold -water divers Tom Theon
and Ken Miller will be ready to enter

water at the captain's signal.

As soon as we're ready and we see
something on the screen that we feel the

to investigate, then the dive team in
the RIB there can launch at very short

notice.

Okay.

Just go into lock end as close as we
can. Obviously, you can go further to

school than I can.

Yeah.

This is the mouth of the lock.

Lock end to the right there.

We've just entered lock nest now.
Weather conditions are pretty good.

We've got a slight mist there, but
there's very little wind. And these are

ideal conditions now.

Captain Mike is using our newfound
understanding of the potential monster's

migratory habits to focus his search on
the north end of the loch, where the

salmon -rich river Ness intersects with
the Caledonian Canal.

Loch Ness is a vast area.

The monster Nessie could be swimming
anywhere under there, but I think

more fish up this end of the loch
because of the salmon and that swimming

through.

As Mike pilots the Rebel, his fellow
skipper Andrew monitors the sonar

information on a large screen below
deck.

I'll come around port side.

Yeah, go around port side. That's good
shape, Mike.

The Rebel sonar boasts unparalleled
range and resolution.

Sonars have developed such a long way
now. We've got a lot more detail on the

sonar. You can see that we can...

At least they're leaving the food on the
sonars now.

So technology's moved on and it's given
us more sophisticated equipment.

In addition to the latest technology, we
also have a much clearer picture of

exactly what we're looking for and where
it might be found.

We're not necessarily looking for a big,
long neck, lots of humps.

What we're probably looking for is an
apex predator, and because we know we're

looking for that...

We can narrow down the searches to what
apex predators feed on.

Captain Mike sweeps back and forth in
tight parallel lines, like a lawnmower

cutting a yard.

Yeah, you're picking that up now, aren't
you?

Yeah, perfect. Just go round it, just
about six, seven knots would be perfect.

The Rebel is now passing over a steep
underwater ledge.

which could be an area of particular
interest in our search.

We're now heading south down Loch Ness.
We've just left behind us Loch End, the

small village there.

Now at Loch End, the Loch Ness is very
shallow, but then it suddenly slopes

and we're now recording a depth of 258
feet.

And you can see on the sonar there that
there's two sets, or two shoals of fish

there. Now, where there's lots of fish,
obviously that means that that's a food

source. So obviously Nessie needs to
feed, and that would be ideal, feed for

Nessie there.

As the boat moves over the shoals of
fish, the captain notices something new

the sonar.

Looking at the sonar there on the LED.

I can see some dark spots appearing with
the multi -beam there. We're not too

sure what those dark spots are, so we
need to just go back and take a closer

look at that, hover over that. We need
to investigate a little bit further.

Go, go, guys, let's go.

Coming up, the dive team goes in for a
potential history -making

encounter with what could be the
creature long identified.

as the Loch Ness Monster.

Armed with our new profile of the Loch
Ness Monster, and a detailed analysis of

its possible migratory habits, we've
zeroed in on the precise time and place

we're most likely to find this
unidentified species.

We've got the very precise sonar
technology now that will give us a 3D

the lock itself.

That's given us more detailed advantage
than we've ever had before on board this

vessel.

The sonar has pinpointed several shoals
of fish.

So they're currently swimming at the
depth of about 193 feet.

And nearby, it's spotted something else
as well.

A reading unlike anything the crew has
ever seen.

Skipper Mike, we just take a run to the
port side a bit. We'll get a better

view. Roger that, Black Sandy.

It's dark blue in here. We don't
currently have any information on. We

get a skipper to go over this area a few
times to help enhance the 3D image.

Captain Mike steers back over the dark
area on the lock bottom, using a more

precise multi -beam sonar to try to
generate a clearer picture.

He asks Andrew.

to put the dive team on standby.

Okay, okay.

The divers are going to get ready. We're
going to go on standby.

The divers have got their dry suits on,
the undersuits, the dry suits. That's

going to help protect them against the
elements.

This loch is really, really cold.

If you're in there without a dry suit,
you could be dead within minutes. So the

divers have got to be very careful about
making sure their suits are all ready,

they're all zipped up, good to go. The
speed is of the essence. We need to get

geared up quick, we need to get in the
water quick, get right down on that

contact as soon as we can.

Now, it's up to the crew on the Rebel to
try and identify this mysterious mass

as quickly as possible.

We'll park the boat just over this dark
area to get more detailed information,

which is what we'll do now.

Skipper crew?

Yeah, go ahead, mate.

Yeah, mate, maybe we'll go a bit more
starboard and a little bit floored.

cheers.

Unfortunately, the technique doesn't
work, because whatever this dark form

it's on the move.

This needs further investigation. We may
have to get the dive team into this

just to check it out.

Now we're almost directly over this area
that's brought our attention.

The multibeam has shown something.

We're not sure what it is, but I think
it's time we get the divers in for a

closer look.

Just waiting for confirmation just now.

Once we get that confirmation, get the
location, we're going to send the divers

in to have a look around.

I think we need to investigate.

Go, go, guys, let's go. Straight the way
down here. Get the divers in now, guys,

let's go, and I'll move the boat now out
of the way, directly under the boat

where we are.

Okay, guys, it's all clear now.

All ready on the count of three.

One, two, three, go.

On the northern end of Loch Ness,
Captain Mike Lynch has spotted an

his sonar.

A dark form near several shoals of fish
that very well might be a sign of the

elusive monster.

Whatever it is, the anomaly is on the
move.

So the captain has quickly made the call
to deploy the dive team before it can

escape.

All ready on the catering?

One.

Two, three, go.

All right. Well done, guys.

That's it. Good night again.

The water is thick with

mud and debris.

It also filters out more and more
sunlight with each foot the divers

They're a bit deeper.

We've passed that point where I can't
see them anymore. They're pretty deep

It's pretty dark and murky down there.

The divers have reached the upper level
of the rock shelf.

that the rebels' equipment spotted from
above.

The shoals of fish that initially drew
attention to the area have scattered.

Perhaps scared away.

But by what?

Tom is now searching for anything that
could have created the massive unknown

object on the sonar.

We're close to getting what we feel
could be a sighting, and that really is

experience in itself.

Remember, this goes back hundreds of
years, and we're on the edge of maybe

finding something.

Despite conditions that get darker,
colder, and more dangerous with every

of depth, the team decides to keep
going.

With no sonar picture of what lies
beneath them, they are diving blind.

This is a very dangerous time for
divers. They need to monitor their air,

sure they've got enough air to stay at
that depth to try and find that contact,

but also to make it safely back up to
the surface. That's key. That's the

important thing.

At this depth, the visibility is so bad,
Tom's flashlight provides less than

five feet of illumination.

And the water temperature has plunged
below 40 degrees.

What we're looking for, The signal to
the surface is an SNB, a surface marker

boy. That's going to let us know if
they've made contact.

the divers have encountered something
massive.

As you can see, a large animal with a
vertical tail fin passed directly in

of the camera, knocking it aside and
kicking up a large cloud of sand and

debris.

As the cloud subsides, the creature has
disappeared into the darkness.

Tom and Ken would prefer to continue
their investigation.

But over 150 feet down, and with their
oxygen tanks running low, they must

return to the surface.

Tom prepares to send out the surface
marker buoy to let Chris know the

of their contact.

The divers slowly and carefully make
their ascent.

The divers have definitely seen
something. They've definitely made some

contact. It's just hard to tell what it
is right now.

That's them coming up. They're almost at
the surface.

So what did you guys see?

There was something massive in there.

Kicked up a lot of salt.

Time to get back to it.

This could be the first time ever that a
diver has not only spotted the creature

long identified as the Loch Ness
Monster, but actually made physical

with it.

As the day comes to an end, the dive
team and the crew of the Rebel know that

they've been a part of history.

Okay, I've received that. Thanks,
Robbie.

Yeah, it looks very promising. It's
filled with other... found something

there that's worth further
investigation. So, talking to the divers

Yeah, we were so close this time and at
least we've got a good idea now of where

to look for the next time.

We'll keep trying.

We're closer than ever before.

Well done, Hans. Well done, mate. This
is about the closest I think anybody's

ever come to... Exactly, mate. Well
done.

Fantastic, yeah.

I'm really excited for this one.
Hopefully.

Yeah, yeah. Really good.

That's all.

Fingers crossed. Here we come.

Our experience

tonight shows just how difficult the
search for the Loch Ness Monster can be.

Despite years of research and months of
planning, all we could get was a

fleeting encounter.

And yet...

That may be closer than anyone else has
ever come.

At the very least, we've identified a
new approach in finding the beast based

scientific logic.

As many as 18 ,000 new species are
discovered every year.

That means four new ones might have been
found in the time you've been watching

this program.

There's a chance we've identified
something new tonight.

We may have even seen it.

No matter what, we've certainly added to
the rich history of this legendary

creature. From St. Columba in the year
565, to Alex Campbell in 1933, to Gordon

Holmes in 2007, to us here today, one
thing is clear.

Something is out there.

There's only one way to find out what
the Loch Ness Monster truly is, and

to keep looking.

The search continues.