DNA findings suggest the Loch Ness monster might be a giant eel
![An undated file photo from Scotland shows a shadowy shape that some people say is a Loch Ness monster.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/840838b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/840x560+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F56%2F81bc367147199f8c12db96c47edf%2Fmonster.jpg)
(Associated Press)
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NEW YORK — A scientist who collected DNA from Scotland’s Loch Ness suggests the lake’s fabled monster might be a giant eel.
Neil Gemmell from the University of Otago in New Zealand says the project found a surprisingly high amount of eel DNA in the water. He cautioned that it’s not clear whether that indicates a gigantic eel or just a lot of little ones.
But he said at a news conference in Scotland on Thursday that the idea of a giant eel is at least plausible.
The DNA project found no evidence to support the notion that the monster is a long-necked ancient reptile called a plesiosaur.
Loch Ness is the largest and second deepest body of fresh water in the British Isles.