Of all the mythical beasts in the world, the most famous, most hunted for, and most talked about must be 'Nessie' the Loch Ness Monster.

She, for the scottish monster is always seen as a not-so-wee lassie, is often the first phenomenon thought about when the subject of unexplained mysteries is raised. She is an internationally-known celebrity, who has probably done more for her native tourist industry than any other famous Scot. There have been Nessie documentaries, programmes, films and even cartoons.

But although she appears each year to a select few, she has been to shy to debut in a major scientific investigation. So is Nessie really a strang creature, lost in time, and lurking at the bottom of Loch Ness?

Loch Ness is a 24-mile-long freshwater lake found in the Great Glenn, a massive cervice that cuts the Scottish Highlands in two. The lock is up to a tousand feet deep and, at some points, a mile-and-a-half wide.

The first tale of a monster living in the water originates in AD 565 and features Saint Columbia, who rescued a swimmer from the beast's advances.

Experts now generall feel that Saint Columba actually encountered a known, normal, marine animal that had ended up outside its natural environment.

Although the loch continued to be the focus of strang cightings, it was not until the 20th century that the phenomenon really flourished.

In 1933 the Loch Ness Lakeshore road was built. This initiated a flood of sightings and created the Nessie legend. In April that year, a local couple spotted an enormous animal rolling and playing in the water. They reported what they had seen to the man in charge of salmon stocks in the loch who then saw the monster himself, describing it as having a six-feet-long neck, a serpentine create was a total of 30 feet in length.

In the July a family from London were driving along when they almost crashed into a massive dark, long-necked animal that disappeared int he water. Similarly, early the next year a young veterinary student was riding his motorcycle along the road when he almost struck a creature. He said what he saw was a large bulky body, with flippers, a long neck and a small head.

Over the years, many people have tried to capture the creature on film. One Nessie witness managed to take a rather inconclusive photograph of something appearing from the water in 1933. In 1934 a London doctor released a most mysterious photograph of the monster to the public.

It showed a strange head and neck appearing from the water; 60 years later it as revealed to be a fake.

Despite over 3,000 similar sighting by private individuals, Nessie has always been coy about exposing herself to dedicated, scientific research teams.

What are your thoughts on the Loch Ness Monster? Is it real? Is it Fake? Have you ever seen it? Found other evidence one way or another on the internet? Talk about it all, and post all evidence here.