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 Gerald
McSorley found the fossil while walking along the shoreline, the Daily
Telegraph reported.
"I literally tripped over the fossil in the water. When I put my hands
down to steady myself I saw something unusual and picked it up," the
retired scrap metal merchant said.
"Once I had cleaned off about an inch of green algae, and I could see
the texture of the bone, it became clear I had an important fossil," he
said.
McSorley had stumbled across four perfectly preserved vertebrae of a
plesiosaur - the prehistoric creature most commonly associated with modern
"Nessie" sightings. The long-necked, carnivorous sea reptile
existed 150 million years ago.
The fossil, which is set in grey limestone, complete with spinal chord and
blood vessels, was found in shallow water
Scientists at the National Museum of Scotland confirmed the fossil - the
first of its kind to be found at Loch Ness - proving that a 10m
"monster" once lived in the area.
Lyall Anderson, a curator at the museum, said: "Professional palaeontologists
go out looking for things like this and usually find nothing. Mr McSorley is
to be congratulated on a very good find."
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