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Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately
23 mi southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 52 ft above sea level. Loch Ness is best
known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie".
Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 21.8 sq mi after Loch Lomond,
but due to its great depth, it is the largest by volume. It contains more fresh water than
all the lakes in England and Wales combined.
About a mile wide at most places it is the purported home of the Loch Ness monster, a
possibly mythical creature, which dwells in the Loch and is occasionally spotted by locals
and passers-by. The sightings claimed lend credence to the remote possibility of a group
of survivors of the long-extinct plesiosaurs (which lived up to around 65 million years ago).
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal. It is similar to other
supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account
to the next. Popular interest and belief in the animal's existence has varied since it
was first brought to the world's attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal,
with minimal and much-disputed photographic material and sonar readings.
The most common speculation among believers is that the creature represents a line of
long-surviving plesiosaurs. The scientific community regards the Loch Ness Monster as
a modern-day myth, and explains sightings as including misidentifications of more mundane
objects, outright hoaxes, and wishful thinking.