Has sonar finally found the Loch Ness Monster? Images reveal an 'unusual' object lurking deep beneath the Scottish lake
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Just a fortnight after the Loch Ness Monster was 'spotted' on Apple Maps, an 'unusual' sonar image appears to have captured the elusive creature too.
The screenshot tracked movement of a large object, deep below the surface, close to Urquhart Castle in Inverness.
Both reports have reignited interest in the quest for the legendary monster, which has been the subject of various hoaxes and myths over the past 80 years.
Just a fortnight after alleged sightings of the Loch Ness monster were spotted on Apple Maps, an 'unusual' sonar image, pictured, has been recorded that appears to show the elusive creature. The screen shot captured movement of the large object, deep below the surface close to Urquhart Castle in Inverness
WHAT COULD THE SIGHTING BE?
The Loch Ness Monster has been the subject of many sightings in the Scottish Highlands.
Some experts believe the beast represents a line of long-surviving plesiosaurs, a type of carnivorous aquatic reptile from millions of years ago.
Nessie is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next.
There have been hundreds of supposed sightings over the years. Most, however, have been dismissed as hoax or fantasy.
One of the most accepted explanations is that the monster is in fact a giant sturgeon, which can grow up to 12 feet long.
Others include eels, bird wakes, seals, trees, logs, submarines, dogs with sticks - and even an elephant.
The image was recorded by sonar equipment on board the flagship vessel of Inverness-based Jacobite Cruises.
Skipper John Askew said: 'This image certainly grabbed our attention.
'The Jacobite Queen spends every day sailing up and down the loch with the sonar on, and this reading is the most unusual we have seen for quite some time.
'It's impossible to tell what we've picked up here, but along with those satellite images, you can't help feeling that reports of the Loch Ness Monster's demise may be premature.
'Nessie captures the imagination of people all over the world and, if anything, the speculation around lack of recent sightings has increased that interest.'
Last October, the man who took a picture billed as 'the best ever taken of the Loch Ness monster' admitted it was a fake.
George Edwards, 61, who also operates a cruise boat on the loch, insisted the picture, published worldwide in August 2012 had been 'just a bit of fun'.
The alleged shots of the monster had, in fact, been a fibre glass hump.
This new sonar image was revealed just weeks after satellite images appeared to show a mystery object in the loch. A shadowy form, pictured, measuring around 100ft long (30 metres) with two giant flippers was photographed by a satellite and spotted on the Apple Maps app
The original so-called Surgeon's Photograph, taken by Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson and published in the Daily Mail on 21 April 1934, supposedly showed the monster's head and neck, but was also later proved to be a hoax
STORY OF FIRST MONSTER SIGHTING
Saint Columba was an Irish abbot and missionary who is credited with spreading Christianity in Scotland.
According to legend, he travelled to Scotland in 563AD and performed miracles while converting Picts.
His most famous miracle is his encounter with the Loch Ness monster.
He is said to have banished the ferocious 'water beast' to the depths of the River Ness.
The monster is meant to have killed a Pict and attacked his disciple.
Saint Columba was an active missionary who founded several churches.
The original so-called Surgeon's Photograph, taken by Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson and published in the Daily Mail on 21 April 1934, supposedly showed the monster's head and neck, but was also later proved to be a hoax.
This new sonar image has been revealed just weeks after satellite images attracted global attention.
The photographs showed an enormous reptilian 'creature' lurking beneath the loch's waters.
A shadowy form measuring around 100ft long (30 metres) with two giant flippers powering it through the waters of Loch Ness was photographed by a satellite and spotted on the Apple Maps app.
The image was studied for six months by experts at the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club, who concluded it was 'likely' to be the elusive beast.
This new 'sighting' will cause fresh excitement among frustrated Nessie hunters, following more than a year without a glimpse of the monster.
The image was recorded by sonar equipment on board the flagship vessel of Inverness-based Jacobite Cruises as it sailed on Loch Ness, pictured
Last October, the man who took a picture billed as 'the best ever taken of the Loch Ness monster' admitted it was a fake. George Edwards, 61, insisted the image, pictured, published worldwide in August 2012 had been 'just a bit of fun'. The alleged shots of the monster had, in fact, been a fibre glass hump
Every year Jacobite Cruises' fleet carries more than 100,000 passengers on Loch Ness, with the possibility of spotting Nessie adding extra excitement to their enjoyment of the world-famous destination's scenery and atmosphere.
The Jacobite Queen's sister vessels, the Jacobite Legend and Jacobite Warrior, are also equipped with sonar equipment, providing live images from the depths of the loch.
Jacobite Cruises recently launched the tongue-in-cheek NessieToVote campaign to secure a vote for Nessie in the Scottish independence referendum.
These new claims also suggest Nessie has returned from his trip to Australia.
Last November, residents of Magnetic Island - located off the Queensland coastal city of Townsville - claimed to have spotted a Nessie-style creature swimming in Picnic Bay.
LOCH NESS MONSTER: 80 YEARS OF SIGHTINGS
The Loch Ness Monster has been a subject of mass intrigue and debate since it came to the world's attention in 1934.
Scientists have widely written off the idea as a modern-day myth, with continued sightings claimed to be set ups and wishful thinking.
But it has remained a contested phenomenon for almost 80 years.
Perhaps the most famous picture (pictured right) of Nessie was taken by Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London gynaecologist. It was published in the Daily Mail on 21 April 1934.
The picture showed what looked like a long neck and head rising from the water.
However, it turned out to be a toy submarine bought from Woolworths with a head and neck made of wood in an elabourate hoax by big-game hunter Marmaduke Wetherell in an act of revenge on the newspaper that had ridiculed him over his hapless search for the beast.
The earliest report of a monster in the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St Columba by Adomnán, written in the 7th century.
St Columba, an Irish monk, had sent a disciple into the loch to prove there was nothing there. But the monster rose and chased the man snapping at his heels.
But it fled in terror 'as if pulled back by ropes' when St Columba made the sign of the cross and commanded: 'Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once.'
Marmaduke Wetherell, seated, is pictured studying a chart of the Loch Ness in a search for the Loch Ness Monster. He was said to have faked the most famous picture in revenge for bad publicity
In November 1933, Hugh Gray was the first to picture something splashing in the water.
Four stumpy-looking objects on the bottom of the creature's body appeared to look like appendages, such as flippers. It was later suggested the creature was a dog, possibly holding a stick.
In 1938, G. E. Taylor, a South African tourist, filmed something in the loch for three minutes on 16mm colour film.
His picture was declared 'positive evidence' by a famous biologist and cryptozoologist.
In 1960, aeronautical engineer Tim Dinsdale filmed a hump crossing the water leaving a powerful wake.
Dinsdale allegedly spotted the animal on his last day hunting for it, and described the object as reddish with a blotch on its side.
In May 2007, Gordon Holmes, a 55-year-old lab technician, captured video of what he said was 'this jet black thing, about 45ft long, moving fairly fast in the water'.
The film, though, has been cast into doubt. Holmes has been criticised for claiming the existence of fairies. Another expert later claimed the film actually shows otters swimming in the loch.
In February 2012, a sonar image of a large mystery object deep below the surface of Loch Ness netted boat skipper Marcus Atkinson the Best Nessie Sighting of The Year Award - the first time in several years it has been presented by bookmaker William Hill.
The sonar picture, that shows a large unidentified living object deep underwater, was recorded by Loch Ness boat skipper Marcus Atkinson.
Atkinson's sonar fish-finder device records the width of objects in the depths directly below his tourist boat every quarter of a second.
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