NESSIE

The word dinosaur means “terrible lizard”. It comes from the Greek language originally. But dinosaurs weren’t lizards. They were actually similar to birds. Most paleontologists believe that dinosaurs had feathers! Some people in Scotland believe there is still a dinosaur alive today! There is a huge lake called Loch Ness, and thousands of people have seen a dinosaur swimming there. They call the dinosaur “Nessie”. Paleontologists say that if Nessie is real, it is probably a plesiosaur. A plesiosaur has a long neck, long tail and four flippers. About one million people visit Loch Ness every year, and they all want to see Nessie. There are about 20 sightings each year. A man named Robert Rines spent 37 years trying to find Nessie. Dr. Rines was an inventor who helped find the Titanic shipwreck in 1985. His dream was to photograph Nessie and show it to the world. Dr. Rines took some amazing photos in the 1970s, but many people believe they are fake. In 2008, Dr. Rines said Nessie probably died because of climate change. But maybe Nessie is still alive. You should visit Loch Ness with your family. Who knows, maybe you might see Nessie!