Bones found on Western Isles Beach, Lead to Nessie-Related Speculation

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Reported in the Ross-shire Journal (byline: Val Sweeney on April 22, 2021) were a set of “massive” bones on a Western Isles beach in South Uist, which then led to people to speculate (and joke) about whether or not one of Nessie’s relatives had been found.

In all reality, the bones were discovered to be that of a sperm whale, most likely one that had beached and died in situ. When you see the photo on the news site, though, you can understand how such a sight would set the imagination aflame! It really is incredible to see, especially if you never have seen a massive whale’s skeleton before.

Okay, all in all I find it kind of funny that someone found whale bones and the media immediately leap to a “Nessie” type of joke or headline, but if you want to read more about Nessie, then...

...this reminds me to mention a great book on the topic: Ken Gerhard’s The Essential Guide to the Loch Ness Monster and Other Aquatic Cryptids.  You’ve probably already heard of it, but if not, here it is!

In the interests of disclosure, I was the editor of this book, so I want to address any possible misconceptions about bias. I was a fan of Ken’s research before I ever worked with him as an editor, so of course I enjoyed reading the book from that point of view, and I’d be promoting it here even without my own small part in its release.

In his latest of the “Essential Guide” series, Ken goes deeply into the history and theories about the Loch Ness Monster, then explores aquatic crytids around the world. Additionally, he presents some of his theories about a prehistoric cetacean link (whales) to these sightings. 

The book is available on Amazon, where you can get the Kindle edition or paperback. At the time of this writing, you can also get it for free if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber.

What do you think Nessie is? And have you ever seen an aquatic cryptid? Let us know in the comments, or better yet, if you’ve seen something yourself, report it here.