The Loch Ness Monster: Nessie’s history, searches and evidence
From a medieval story to environmental DNA and reports in 2026: what is known about Nessie and why the question still attracts investigators.
Insufficient evidenceLoch Ness, Scotland
Atlas of mysteries
Items: 143Cryptids and legends
Yeti, Nessie and other accounts of unknown animals.
Makalu: the footprints described as “Yeti tracks”
An Indian expedition reported tracks in snow in April 2019. The animal itself was not verified.
UnverifiedMakalu base-camp region
“Yeti” DNA samples: bears and a dog
Genetic analysis tested nine specimens attributed to a Yeti.
An explanation existsScientific publication
Giant squid: a camera in the deep
The animal was known from bodies long before its first photographs in its natural habitat.
An explanation existsPacific Ocean, Ogasawara Islands
Ivory-billed woodpecker: the disputed Arkansas return
Brief footage and encounters in flooded forest led to a rediscovery claim, but the bird's identification remained disputed.
Under reviewBig Woods, Cache River basin, Arkansas
Chupacabra: Puerto Rico, 1995
Livestock deaths and Madelyne Tolentino’s account gave a recognizable shape to a new blood-feeding monster.
UnverifiedCanovanas, Puerto Rico
Saola: a discovery beginning with hunters' horns
Researchers began with unfamiliar hunting trophies rather than an encounter with a living animal.
An explanation existsAnnamite Mountains, Vu Quang
The Zuiyo Maru carcass
A decomposed carcass suggested a possible plesiosaur; preserved fibers instead supported a basking shark or close relative.
An explanation existsSea east of South Island
Megamouth: the shark in a sea anchor
A large shark unfamiliar to science appeared when marine equipment was recovered.
An explanation existsHawaii, waters off Oahu
The Minnesota Iceman
A hairy figure in ice attracted investigators and the Smithsonian; evidence of a model explains the sensational exhibit.
Manipulation detectedWinona County, Minnesota