Nessie's Neighbor

Deep Toad

Every so often, news of a mysterious creature at Loch Ness comes trickling out of Scotland. Usually these “Nessie” sightings come in the form of an odd blurry shape in the background of a tourist’s family photo, disappointing monster hunters everywhere when yet another floating hunk of twigs and lake kelp, or perhaps a runaway inflatable raft, is pulled from the deep. It’s not often, however, that irrefutable evidence of life in Loch Ness comes from a source as highly esteemed as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A team from MIT was conducting a sonar scan to map the lake floor recently when it ran across an unexpected beast: a common toad. Rather than the toad itself being mysterious, though, scientists were more in awe of its diving abilities. It was spotted crawling around in the mud 324 feet below the surface, which apparently is pretty deep for an amphibian and well below the depth at which the researchers were expecting to find anything other than your standard bottom-dwelling fish, mollusks and supersized swimming dinosaur-lizard hybrids. Maybe the MIT team should ask the toad if it’s seen anything suspicious lately . . . —Bjorn Carey

Comments

[Rodrigo Rollan - Argentina]

Nice article ! There is also a Giant Frog living at the bottom of our planet´s highest lake: Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, where I spent my vacations. They were also mistaken by "monsters" in many local legends.
This frogs have really incredible adaptations to high pressure both because they live below 120 feet and also at 12,500 feet above sea level.
Compete article on them: http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=64&articleID=837

[Santiago Currier]

I don't think that people could confuse an unusual toad with the Loch Ness Monster. First, the monster is supposed to be big - not the size of a toad. If it was no one would be talking about it. This find however, could be a sign of things to come. If this amazing toad was found why couldn't a giant monster be found later? There is no way that this finding will settle any of the controversy. It has been going on for too long to be ended by the finding of a toad. The 'believers' will not buy this explanation for what they have seen or heard.

[Amazed by you]

Uhhhhh the poster above me.....did you even read the article?

The toad is NOT unusual. In fact the article states that it's a COMMON toad. What IS unsual is the fact that they found it living in water 324 FEET DEEP or the equalvalent of a 32 Storey building under water. That little bitty piece of info is NOT common to a common toad.

THAT is what this article is about, in case you missed the point....which I think you did :)

[jessica]

Als Antwort auf: Wissenschaftsautor Ernst Probst: Viele Kritiker haben keine eigene Meinung

2008-05-13T20:06:10Z

News Italy

IN CAMPANIA NON C'E' SOLO MUNNEZZA ma......

TV E STAMPA NAZIONALI RESTANO IN SILENZIO.-

News Italy - Unpublished Painting M.C .Escher.-

Notizia Sensazionale.

Trovato Inedito Quadro di M.C .ESCHER 1898-1972 NL
Opera datata 18.1.1949 raffigurante Nessie il Mostro di Loch Ness
che emerge dalle acque richiamato dalle note di un flauto suonato
dall’Uomo Nero senza Volto.

ROMA : E’ AUTENTICO

La Grande Stampa –TV ( nazionale e internazionale ) TACE -

http://www.fimservice.it/pdf/pol_gen07.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nessie+escher&search_type=

http://www.irpinianews.it/DaiComuni/news/?news=19596

http://www.napoli.com/stamparticolo.php?articolo=13464

opistoglyph wrote:
IN CAMPANIA NOT There E' SINGLE MUNNEZZA but...... TV And PRINTS NATIONAL REMAINS IN HUSH.- News Italy - Unpublished Painting M.C Escher.- Sensational News. Found Unknown Picture of M.C ESCHER 1898-1972 NL dated Work 18.1.1949 representing Nessie the Monster of Loch Ness that emerges from waters recalled from notes of a flauto played from the Black Man without Face. ROME: AUTHENTIC E' The Great Press - TV (national and international) TACE -