THE professor leading a major scientific study of Loch Ness has suggested that Nessie “might” just be real.

Professor Neil Gemmell of the University of Otago, New Zealand, and his team have been taking water samples from the loch from three different depths on their research vessel Deepscan.

The scientists collected DNA left by all creatures from their skin, scales, feathers, fur and faeces.

The DNA samples were then sent to labs in New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, and France to be analysed.

Gemmell – an expert in genomics, ecology, population, conservation and evolutionary biology – said the data was tested against most of the main theories about the Loch Ness monster.

While full details of the study are yet to be released, Gemmell said one of the theories “might” be correct.

“Is there anything deeply mysterious? It depends what you believe,” he said.

“Is there anything startling? There are a few things that are a bit surprising.

“What we’ll have achieved is what we set out to do, which is document the biodiversity of Loch Ness in June 2018 in some level of detail.

“We’ve tested each one of the main monster hypotheses and three of them we can probablysay aren’t right and one of them might be.”

Perhaps the most prominent theory about the Loch Ness monster conceptualises it as a long-necked plesiosaur that somehow survived the period when dinosaurs became extinct. Other believe it is a sturgeon or giant catfish.

Gemmell said he hoped to announce the findings of the study in full next month – but would not confirm which hypothesis might be right.

It was hoped that the study’s findings would be published earlier this year, but a series of failed attempts to film a television documentary delayed the process after talks with several production companies came to nothing.