A Loch Ness monster hunter believes he has finally cracked the mystery that surrounds the beast which has been baffling experts for decades.
Nessie hunter Steve Feltham, 60, has been studying the creature since childhood and now believes the monster is in fact a large catfish.
He believes the sightings could be of the giant wels species, which were imported by aristocrats in the 19th century for sport fishing and are the largest freshwater fish in Europe.
He says they definitely fit the bill as they can grow up to 10ft long, weigh more than 31st and they live for up to 100 years.
Mr Feltham told Saga magazine: “They fit the description.
“If introduced in Victorian times, they would have been coming to maturity in the 1930s.
“The population would now be dwindling, which explains fewer sightings.”
Steve became mesmerised by the legend of Nessie as a child while holidaying in the Scottish Highlands.
He added: “A large part of what I do here is disproving pictures.
“But then there’s that five per cent. When that happens — and I can’t explain an image — we push it into the public domain.”
The first photograph of Nessie was taken 90 years ago, though there have been alleged sightings of the beast since the 7th century.
