Loch Ness Monster surfaces on Google Earth?

Is this Nessie? Probably just a boat, unfortunately.

(Credit: Google Earth/Daily Mail)

Stop the presses: According to the U.K.'s Daily Mail, a security guard was hunting around on Google Earth and spotted a mysterious object that he believes is the storied Loch Ness Monster.

The most shocking part of the report: The fact that it took this long for anyone to claim that Google Earth has found something funny swimming around in Loch Ness. I mean, hello, people. Google Earth has been feeding us tasty satellite maps for over four years now. If Google Street View can surface multiple puking drunks and streakers, you'd think that a massive sea monster (enthusiasts claim it may be a long-thought-extinct reptile called a plesiosaur, to be more specific) would have a tough time staying hidden from Larry and Sergey's snooping.

As you may recall, earlier this year someone with way too much free time on his hands claimed he had found the lost city of Atlantis off the coast of North Africa, as evidenced by a grid-like pattern on Google Earth. Google's response was that it was basically feedback from sonar data collection (so boring), not a legendary sunken city.

Unfortunately for conspiracy nuts and "X-Files" loyalists, the "Nessie" of Google Earth is probably just a boat, as the Daily Mail article points out. The 65-foot-long object really does look pretty similar to other Google Earth aquatic oddities that are more obviously man-made watercraft, after all. So the search remains fruitless, I'm afraid.

But a side note: Shouldn't whoever was in that boat on Loch Ness be concerned that the monster might think they'd make a nice snack? Safety first, people.

[mrcjacobs]

This piece of fluff isn't deserving of a story. Slow news days suck....

[Renegade Knight]

Having a slow comment day yourself?

[tracyp71]

national geografic is quoted in identifing a raptor in india in 1972. the hunters led the team to their kill, the hunters said the animal killed a couple of children and they set out to kill it and they trapped and kill the creature the team said the hunters had no reason to lie and the hunters only wanted anyone to identify what they found. if sharks live for along time and so do alligators. i guess the professors dont know everything seeings how carbon dating will identify live tissue as 10,000 - 65,000 years old. even darwin couldn't find a link maybe the worlds not as old as everyone thinks. we are finding extinct sharks in china's bays and giant squids maybe we can over look other creatures too.

[grengar]

You thought the story was so unworthy you bothered to write a comment?

[fitzydog]

Yes, because it's a slow news day!! What else is there to do if you can't read cnet?

[indiemixer]

If the Loch Ness Monster was real it would be dead by now.

[lixingchen]

Some creatures don't have a life-span to speak of only a life-expectancy. So, this creature could be several thousands of years old. But no one has reported any wrinkles so, we are back at square one. <br /> <br />Apparently this creature has a trail of paparazzi swimming near it. See the white fluff stuff to the left. <br /> <br />Is this conclusive proof? Keep in mind Nessie is famous.

[Kesteral]

Looks more like a boat to me...

[keri-lee]

i honestly reckon it look's like a big octopus, it could be anything ( random ) next there will be aliens in flying sources taking over the planet what crap. what a sad boring life to live.

[t8]

It is just a giant squid. No need to get excited.

[ofmyony]

made me laugh. good job

[gofalcons]

ha! i knew that cloverfield monster wanst dead!

[cprealm]

It's obviously a boat.

[frozeneternity]

looks like just a boat to me... the pic in the article makes it look bigger then it really is<br /><br />http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&#38;ll=57.214416,-4.570522&#38;spn=0.001316,0.003449&#38;t=h&#38;z=18

[krondax]

hrm, thing on the right is a boat.. thing on the left, i have no clue<br /><br /><br />oh, as for the lost city of atlantis.. about 5 years ago i saw on discovery that scientists think they may have found it. they supposedly found a map to a continent that didnt match any continent on earth.. until they did a satellite imaging of antartica. the actual landmass *not the ice that is above and around )of antartica matched the map identically.

[knowles2]

heard about the map. Did not hear anything else, probably ignore by archaeologist for one reason or a other.

[ricardocardenas]

&gt;&gt; hrm, thing on the right is a boat.. thing on the left, i have no clue<br /><br />Nessie caught puking too?

[badinoff]

"It's obviously a boat."<br /><br />OR a plesiosaur cleverly disguised as a boat!<br /><br />Man, I can't believe you fell for the old plesiosaur in a boat costume gambit. It's the oldest trick in the book. What a rube!

[Dalkorian]

Isn't it funny all these rubes don't think Nessie would have learned to hide in plain sight after all these centuries?

[azczaz]

There's always something cool to find on Google Earth! I love the fact that you can look at things all over the world that you'd never get see any other way! Maybe we'll find Big Foot next?!!!!

[Dr_Zinj]

Bigger concern. If the boat looks that much like a member of the Lock Ness monster's species, what if the real monster thinks it looks like a suitable mate?

[rocjoe]

Oh, please grow up!<br /><br />The Loch Ness monster has tiny little arms like a T-rex, how could he possibly drive a boat?

[stubbyns]

Why is this one of the most popular articles

[res2216firestar]

Looks like a motorboat. See the trails coming from the back?

[nyaramis]

iT'S FAKE IT'S OBVIOUS PEOPLE I MEAN COME ON IF IT WERE TRUE PEOPLE WOULD OF SEEN IT ON GOOGLE EARTH BEFORE.