The Loch Ness Monster is a creature from Scottish folklore said to inhabit a freshwater lake. The earliest reports of a “water beast” in the same vicinity were written in the 6th century AD. It wasn’t until 1933 that Loch Ness was brought to public attention, after a local newspaper published a report by a British couple who claimed to have seen “the nearest approach to a dragon or prehistoric animal that I have ever seen in my life.” Shortly after, anonymous letters began appearing in the newspaper claiming to have seen the creature. Later that year, the accounts reached the broader media when the first purported photograph of Loch Ness was published. Explanations to account for the sightings have ranged from the idea that the creature could be a long-necked newt, a plesiosaur, or even a large, strangely shaped piece of driftwood. Wear the beloved Nessie in this ID plate necklace.