In 1808 a mysterious sea creature was washed up on a beach in Orkney. The monster carcass, which many say resembled a Nessie type creature, has been partly preserved and now bone fragments are going to be tested to establish exactly what the legendary beast really is.
Some marine experts have speculated that the beast may have been a Basking Shark, but with a carcass measuring 55ft it would have to be an exceptionally large Basking Shark. Looking at drawings made of the beast, it was said to have a long neck like many other sea monsters around the world and there have been obvious comparisons with that other Scottish cryptid the Loch Ness Monster.
Now geneticist Yvonne Simpson, who has been studying the creature for seven years, believes she can extract DNA from recently found bone fragments given to her by a private collector. She will be sending the samples, if successful, to a Florida based laboratory that holds a shark DNA database.
“At 55ft long this would be an unusually big basking shark, and it’s far more likely to belong to another member of the shark family.” She told reporters.
Parts of the Stronsay Beast are still kept on display at Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
