Despite all the advances we have made in science and exploration, there are mysteries in our world that still elude definition or understanding. UFOs, Spontaneous Human Combustion, Bermuda Triangle. Essentially anything that could capture the imagination of an eccentric ten-year-old or be the subject of a spurious source documentary on Netflix.

And then there are the cryptids: creatures whose real existence has never been fully proven, but which a large number of people believe, and of which there are just enough sightings to keep them alive in the dark. public consciousness. You have your Bigfoot, your Chupacabra and, of course, the one and only Loch Ness Monster.

The true nature of this Scottish legend has been the focus of much scientific research, such as a 2019 study that looked at the types of wild animals that live in the vast lake and postulated that the Loch Ness Monster may actually be related with eels.

However, more recently, the molecular ecologist Professor Matthew Sweet shared his own theory.

“Travellers/explorers back then drew what they saw,” Sweet wrote on social media. “This is where many stories of sea monsters come from, that is, sprawling, extraterrestrial appendages emerging from the water – giving belief in something more sinister lurking below… however, in many cases it was just whale bites.”

While making this observation in a tweet that later went viral, Sweet also posted a handful of rather graphic images to back up his claim and help readers draw visual parallels between the elongated swan neck that has become associated to Nessie in popular culture, and some close-up shots of whale dongs.

Here they are, for your reference. Don’t say we didn’t warn you:

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