kiersten

Intro
So, you clicked on Kiersten's page. I bet you think you're pretty smart. Well, think again! This is __my__ wiki-wiki-tiki, and so I can write anything on it. But you can still step on in and read about my topic.... =__**The Loch Ness Monster**__ =

To See A Cryptid
 You're either scared or fascicnated. What if I told you there were monsters here... in the world, in the U.S., in Ohio. The question is, are they real?

So you're walking and you hear a splash in the water. Big deal. Odds are, it's your crazy cousin Steve. What if you see something, even if it's a tiny tip? Would you be scared? If you would be, now you know how many "cryptids" begin. But if there are footprints, pictures, or multiple sightings, then it might begin to be taken seriously by scientists. That's a //big// if, but I'm going to tell you all about a certain freshwater monster taken very seriously.

The World's Most Famous Monster - past/fame
The most famous monster of this type is the Loch Ness Monster. "Nessie" is the legend taken more seriously than any other rumored critter. "She" is also Scotland's largest tourist attraction. Millions of people come to see the supposedly shy monster, which only appears about one time a year on the lakefront. Nessie is a very old monster, with the oldest known sighting being at 565 - fourteen centuries ago! All kinds of descriptions and photos have shown up over the years. The most common is black with a long neck and humps. Most of the time, the photographs are ripples or splashes. They could be anything... or could they? 

To See or Not To Sea - theories
Of __course__ there are theories. Scientists like to prove things wrong. Some are silly, some are possible. The Loch Ness Elephant Theory: circus owners would let their elephants swim in the lake for exercise and are mistaken for the monster - the trunk looks like a head, and pachyderms have lumpy backs. But were there elephants 300 years ago? //No//! There wasn't even a road! The theory leaning towards truth and taken seriously the most is that Loch Ness used to be an ocean, and as it turned into lake probably via glacier, the aquatic dino Plesiosaur was somehow stuck inside it. There are more, and some think there never was and isn't a Nessie. One theory proved false? Hatching from a magic egg.  

What A Fake! - hoaxes
Naturally, with things so popular, it's easy to see why someone would simply fake seeing Nessie and get all the glory! The most famous Nessie photo was a fake. This black-and-white photograph, taken in 1934, was admitted to be a hoax years later when the photographer died. Still, even before then, many magazines and people were starting to dismiss the "Surgeon's photo". It still remains one of the most famous and recognized. In the 1930's, a big game hunter traveled to Scotland and returned claiming he had found footprints. An analysis proved them to be very much fake, stamped into the ground by a prankster with a hippopotamus foot-shaped umbrella. More recently, in 2004, a documentary team constructed an animated model of Nessie. They called it Lucy, and during the day there were over 600 sightings! This is one of the best hoaxes I've heard of so far. In the end, however, Lucy sunk to the bottom of the loch. In 2005, two students boasted their extroidanary find: a giant tooth in the body of a deer by the shore! Analysis prevailed again - the "tooth" was the antler of a muntjac, the world's oldest and one of the smallest deer species. 

Q N' A - how Nessie could and could not
Searches have been led, but nothing has turned up. Why? Loch Ness is one of the biggest lakes in Europe, with depths of over 900 feet. The water is very cold and murky. Or maybe Nessie just doesn't exist. Let's go into the reasons a creature could or could not survive in Loch Ness. 
 * Could Nessie eat well?** Certainly. The loch is home to lots of resident wildlife, with non-believers coming here to fish o [[image:800px-LochNessUrquhart.jpg width="248" height="169" align="right"]] ver the summer.
 * If Nessie isn't here, where is she?** Again, the loch is huge. The monster could be surfacing in more rural places where no one is around. Also, because of the the lake's depth, the monster must be able to hold its breath for long amounts of time.
 * If there is no monster, explain the evidence.** Well, there is a lot of aquatic life in Loch Ness. Otters, seals, three-foot bass, and all kinds of fish also call the lake home. Bass and/or carp grow to great sizes, probably getting close to the surface now and then. These creatures all surface and could easily be mistaken for the monster. Another reason are the hoaxes, or fake photos. In fact, one of the earliest and most famous picture of Nessie was admitted to be a model in a bathtub. Other hoaxes have been things like attatching the "head" to a submerged submarine and creating footprints. Usually, these photos are clear because everything has been set up and there is no rush. Real -or not?- pictures are almost always blurry because the photographer is always rushing to take a picture of whatever strange occourance is going on. The thought line would go like: Ohmigoshwhatisthatquickfindthecamerawhereisitohwatitsalmostgoneclickgotit!

The Final Verdict - real or not
Only time - and proper results - will tell if this Scottish creature exists. Real beast or tourist attraction? Hoax or living monster? No one knows. What do __you__ think? I'm going to leave you to ponder that. Who knows, maybe you'll find out! tHe EnD!

**Bibliography**
Wikipedia.com http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4779248.stm