fbpx

KidsKonnect

Loch Ness Monster Facts & Worksheets

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Loch Ness Monster Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

The Loch Ness Monster is a mythical lake creature that is reported to live in the Highlands of Scotland, UK. There have been hundreds of ‘sightings’ of the monster since the 1930s, but hard evidence that proves the Monster’s existence is yet to be found.

See the fact file below for more information on the Loch Ness Monster or download the comprehensive worksheet pack which can be utilized within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

History and Folklore

  • The legend of the Loch Ness monster (Uilebheist Loch Nis), also known as Nessie, started back in the First Century A.D. when the Picts, which means “painted people,” inhabited the Scottish Highlands, where Loch Ness is located. These people were a band of tattooed warriors who drew very accurate animal images on stones.
  • The depictions of the animals were extremely detailed, allowing people today to understand the origins of the Loch Ness Monster legend, which arose from one of the Picts’ drawings.
  • On the other hand, the depiction of these massive water creatures were not unusual in Scottish folklore, as large animals were frequently found in bodies of water.
  • In the first century B.C.E, Romans invaded the Scottish Highlands, and it was around this time that the first illustration of the aquatic animal with a long neck and flippers was carved into stone. Scientists have also described the image as resembling a swimming elephant.

Location

  • The Loch Ness Monster was said to live in the Scottish Highlands’ Loch Ness. 
  • It is often depicted as a large creature, with a long neck and one or more humps poking out of the water.
  • Even though reports of an aquatic beast living in the lake date back 1,500 years, no credible evidence of the animal has been found.

Sightings and Searches

  • The Loch Ness Monster was first mentioned in Saint Columba’s biography, which dates back to August 22, 565, when the Saint was introducing Christianity to what is now Scotland. 
  • St. Columba was on his way to meet the king of the northern Picts near Inverness when he witnessed a man being attacked and killed by a large creature in the water. 
  • It is said that the saint used God’s power to command the creature, and since then, the monster has only been seen lurking in the waters, never harming anyone.
  • In August 1933, the Courier published an account of George Spicer’s alleged sighting. The public’s interest soared, with countless letters detailing various sightings of a “monster fish,” “sea serpent,” or “dragon,” with the final name eventually settling on “Loch Ness monster.” Since the 1940s, the creature has been known as Nessie (Scottish Gaelic: Niseag).
  • A new road was built along the shore of Loch Ness in 1933, giving drivers a clear view of the loch. 
  • In the same year, the Inverness Courier reported that a local had claimed to have seen an enormous animal rolling and plunging along the surface of the waters.
  • Nonetheless, the Loch Ness Monster was “photographed” in 1934, though the photograph is in such poor condition that you can’t tell if it’s a swan or just a bigger duck.
  • Some speculated that the photograph appeared to show a dinosaur-like creature with a long neck emerging from the waters of the loch, leading some to believe that “Nessie” was a lone survivor of the long-extinct plesiosaurs.
  • In 1951, a forestry worker who lived near the loch named Lachlan Stuart was able to capture a photo of the said Loch Ness monster.
  • He ran back to his house to get his camera after seeing three humps in the water appear in line. His camera shutter jammed after taking one photograph, but his photograph went viral as further proof of Nessie’s existence.
  • The Loch Ness Monster story became a media sensation, with London newspapers dispatching journalists to Scotland and a circus offering a 20,000 pound reward for the beast’s capture.

Explanations for the Loch Ness Monster

  • Over the years, people have claimed that there is a strange creature lurking in the waters of Scotland’s Loch Ness. 
  • Despite that the first written account of the monster was recorded in 565, the mystery remained unknown until 1960, wherein an aeronautical engineer captured footage of a strange hump moving through the water and leaving a wake behind it. 
  • The sightings continued, and there were a dozen reports of people seeing “Nessie” this year alone, including one where a boat’s sonar picked up an object 33 feet long that was 550 feet down in the lake.
  • Some people believe the Loch Ness monster is a descendant of the long-extinct aquatic plesiosaurs. These species, however, were thought to have died out 65 million years ago.
  • Plesiosaurs, on the other hand, are believed to be cold-blooded creatures that could not survive in the cold waters of Loch Ness, and because the loch was covered in ice during recent ice ages, this creature would then have to make its way up the River Ness from the sea in the last 10,000 years.
  • In addition, a scientist claims to have discovered what has been swimming in Loch Ness for all these years. Henry Bauer, emeritus professor of science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, has been researching “Nessie” and has concluded that she is a type of unknown sea turtle that became trapped in the loch at the end of the last Ice Age.
  • Scientist Henry Bauer also stated that Loch Ness Monsters are among the creatures that are still alive and are thought to be part of the extinct turtle species. 
  • The Loch Ness Monster is said to breathe air but spends most of its time in deep waters. It also travels on land but moves faster in water. It is also believed that the Loch Ness Monster is active in cold waters.
  • The Loch Ness monster has been mentioned in local folklore for centuries, but it gained wider attention after a sighting in July 1933. 
  • Since then, it has been featured in literature, documentaries, and local and even international newspapers.
  • It has appeared in fiction since at least William J. Makin’s January 1934 short story, “The Monster of the Loch,” and in a film entitled “The Secret of the Loch” since at least May 1934.
  • It has appeared prominently in two genres: children’s literature and cryptofiction. Some examples of the latter are Steven Kellogg’s 1977 novel The Mysterious Tadpole, in which a child cares for a creature that keeps growing larger.
  • Ted Hughes’ 1992 novel Nessie the Mannerless Monster, was all about the monster travelling to London.
  • Some novels also include Alice Weaver Flaherty’s 2007 novel entitled “Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: Tale of a Picky Eater”, in which the monster grows large by being inadvertently fed by a child discarding. 
  • The latter genre includes works such as Jeffrey Konvitz’s 1982 novel Monster: A Tale of Loch Ness and Steve Alten’s 2005 novel The Loch.
  • It has also appeared in science fiction, such as Lionel Fanthorpe’s 1960 short story “The Loch Ness Terror,” comedy, such as the 1961 film What a Whopper.
  • Fantasy novels such as Greg Bear’s 1986 novel The Serpent Mage, time-travel stories, like Sandy Schofield’s 1997 Quantum Leap novel Loch Ness Leap, and horror, such as the 2001 film Beneath Loch Ness also depicted Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

Loch Ness Monster Worksheets

This bundle contains 10 ready-to-use Loch Ness Monster Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about the Loch Ness Monster, which is a mythical lake creature that is reported to live in the Highlands of Scotland, UK. There have been hundreds of ‘sightings’ of the monster since the 1930s, but hard evidence that proves the Monster’s existence is yet to be found.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • Loch Ness Monster Facts
  • Loch Ness Timeline
  • Where is Loch Ness?
  • Loch Ness Compared
  • Shaping Nessie
  • Loch Ness Summarized
  • A Poem for Nessie
  • Destination: Loch Ness
  • A Good Tourist
  • Does Nessie Exist?
  • Nessie Word Hunt

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is the legend of the Loch Ness monster?

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Picts believed in the Loch Ness monster. The Picts existed in Scotland between 300 and 900 CE.

Is the Loch Ness Monster real?

While it’s possible that a long time ago an ancient species of animal lived in the loch, however, with no modern evidence to prove otherwise, its existence is only in folklore.

Is the Loch Ness Monster a dinosaur?

Because of the features visible in a famous photograph of the supposed Loch Ness monster showing a long neck, some people speculate that the creature could be linked to the long-extinct dinosaur plesiosaurs.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Loch Ness Monster Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 3, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources