A security guard browsing the internet has identified an image he believes could be that of the Loch Ness Monster.

 

Jason Cooke, a 25-year-old from Nottingham, told the Sun that he spotted 'Nessie' while using the satellite mapping website Google Earth.

 

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "It's just like the descriptions of Nessie."

 

When magnified, the aerial view of Loch Ness appears to show what could be a large sea creature swimming beneath the surface of the water. Alternatively, the blurred image could be a trick of the light or the movement of the waves.

 

On hearing of Cooke's 'discovery', researcher Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Project said: "This is really intriguing. It needs further study."

 

The Loch Ness Monster was first named as such by the Inverness Courier in 1933. The newspaper reported George Spicer and his wife watching "the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life" cross the path of their car with a smaller animal in its mouth.

 

The image can be seen by entering coordinates Latitude 57°12'52.13"N, Longitude 4°34'14.16"W in Google Earth.