The theory that the legendary Loch Ness Monster might be a large eel was boosted after a video posted on social media showed what appears to be an eel in the River Ness.
The Ness Fishery Board, a U.K. statutory body, tweeted the video. The Ness Fishery Board is “a statutory body responsible for the protection and enhancement of salmon and sea trout fisheries in the Ness District” in Scotland, according to its website.
“Lets be honest - when you see a large, eel-shaped object passing your camera in the River Ness, the first thing you think of is #lochnessmonster,” the government organization wrote.
The Times of London reported on the video on Wednesday, Sept. 18. The video was posted on Sept. 1.
The River Ness is a river that flows from the northern end of the Loch Ness into Inverness.
The Fishery Board posted the clip just days before New Zealand researcher Neil Gemmell announced in a press conference that there is a possibility that the monster, named “Nessie,” is a giant eel.
He said that it’s not likely that Nessie is a dinosaur, as it has been theorized in the past.
Loch Ness, Scotland Google Maps
“We can’t find any evidence of a creature that’s remotely related to that in our environmental-DNA sequence data,” Gemmell said, reported the BBC. “So, sorry, I don’t think the plesiosaur idea holds up based on the data that we have obtained.”
