Monster theories - Nessie's scientific name

In modern-day biology all living things have a scientific name (sometimes incorrectly called a Latin name).  This name usually consists of two parts and it is unique to a particular species. The naming is carried out under a set of internationally agreed guidelines and the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie as it has also come to be known, is no exception to these rules.  

In 1975 two scientists gave Nessie the scientific name Nessiteras rhombopteryx (scientific names of species are always written in italics or underlined). 

This name and a description of Nessie were published in an article called ‘Naming the Loch Ness Monster’ by Sir Peter Scott and Robert Rines, in the prestigious scientific journal 'Nature'. 

Sir Peter Scott was a distinguished ornithologist and then Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund. 

They weren’t necessarily saying that Nessie existed (although both men believed in the Loch Ness Monster) but British legislation allows for protection of an endangered species if it has a proper scientific name. Nessiteras rhombopteryx literally means ‘Ness wonder with a diamond-shaped fin’. 

They felt it was better to be safe than sorry. By giving Nessie a scientific name they had gone part of the way towards protecting the monster. It was subsequently pointed out that the scientific name Nessiteras rhombopteryx is actually an anagram of ‘monster hoax by Sir Peter S’. 

The authors of the report always claimed that this was simply a coincidence.

Text by Gordon Rutter, cryptozoologist and secondary science teacher.