Soldiers spot 'Chinese Nessie'

The soldiers may have seen their 'monster' somewhere before

A group of Chinese soldiers say they have caught a glimpse of a local version of the Loch Ness Monster.

In a country known for its dragons, the 12 servicemen said they saw a black-headed creature with 10cm (four inch) horns and a scaled back rising out of Tianchi Lake in the north-eastern Jilin province.

The creature swam around for about two minutes before disappearing, according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Reports of the sighting come only days after a BBC investigation "proved" that Nessie - as the Loch Ness Monster is affectionately known - did not exist.

It is not the first time a monster has been seen from the banks of Tianchi Lake.

Xinhua says a similar-looking animal was seen five times during a period of about 50 minutes earlier this month.

Deadly salmon

July seems to be a prime season for spotting China's "Nessie", as hundreds of sightseers were reported to have seen it at the same time last year.

As in Scotland, rumours that the Chinese volcanic lake, which is 373 metres deep (1,243 feet), is home to some sort of monster have been circulating for more than a century.

The BBC investigation concluded there was no such thing as Nessie

But scientists say the lake is too cold for large creatures and volcanic eruptions happening as recently as 300 years ago would make life extremely hazardous for any animal making the lake its home.

Science used similar arguments to pour cold water on the Loch Ness Monster myth.

The BBC team originally believed there was a chance a marine reptile called a plesiosaur, which died out with the dinosaurs, could have survived the icy Scottish waters.

But an investigation using 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology surveyed the whole loch, finding no trace of a monster.

China, at least, has a choice of popular monster sighting locations. The Hanas Lake in the northwestern Xinjiang region is said to harbour species of salmon measuring 10 metres (33 feet) in length that attacks both people and cattle.

A BBC spokeswoman, however, said the corporation had no current plans to investigate the existence of Chinese lake monsters.