Sunday, June 10, 2007

Nessie or not?

The footage taken by Mr. Gordon Holmes, apparently showing a swimming animal in Loch Ness, got a lot of media play in the past week. At this site on the cryptozoology news site Cryptomundo, enlarged and clarified bits of the video have been posted. They appear to show it is an animal and not just the effect of two wakes crossing. However, there is really no sense of scale, something the videographer really couldn't help since he was zooming in on something he saw on open water. The object could be an otter or one of the seals occasionally known to wander into the loch.
Long-range, unclear photos and videos of cryptozoological creatures have turned up online so often lately that cryptozoologist Loren Coleman coined the terms "blobsquatch" (an image in which an indistinct blob is supposed to be a sasquatch) and "tubesquatch" (suspicious or inconclusive video posted on YouTube or elsewhere on the Net). Meanwhile, the BBC distributed 50,000 cameras to people attending a music festival called "Rock Ness" and encouraged them to try capturing the "Loch Ness Monster."
I doubt (though I do not dismiss the possibility) that either sasquatch or Nessie will turn up in the flesh, but, if they do, they should have something to say about all the people who have exploited them. They might even be due some royalties.

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