Two creatures are famous in stories. Some people say a big, hairy creature lives in forests. It is called Bigfoot. These forests are in the northwest of North America. Some people believe a big animal lives in Loch Ness. Loch Ness is a very big lake in Scotland. They call the animal Nessie. People report both of them. Scientists check the reports with tools and tests.

Bigfoot is said to walk on two feet. It is said to be taller than a grown-up. It is said to be covered in long, dark hair. Footprints said to be Bigfoot's are very large. They are up to about 20 to 24 inches long. That is about 50 to 60 centimeters. No body or bones of Bigfoot have ever been found.

In 1958 a worker in California found huge footprints. They were near a road being built. The prints were nearly 16 inches long. A California newspaper started calling the maker of the footprints "Bigfoot." The paper was the Humboldt Times. In 2002, after Ray Wallace died, his family said he had made the 1958 footprints. They said he used carved wooden feet.

Some scientists think people who report Bigfoot may be seeing bears. Bears can stand up on two legs. Many sightings at Loch Ness could be other things. They could be waves, boat wakes, logs, birds, seals, otters or swimming deer. A sighting is a report of seeing something. Most photos said to show Nessie turned out to be fakes. Or they showed other animals or objects.

The modern Nessie story began in 1933. A new road ran along Loch Ness. It gave people a clear view of the water. People who report Nessie often describe a long neck. Or they describe humps. The humps stick up out of the water. In 1933 footprints found at Loch Ness were sent to the Natural History Museum in London. Experts there said they were made with a hippo-foot umbrella stand or ashtray.

In 1934 a photo seemed to show a long neck. The neck was rising out of Loch Ness. The photo was called the Surgeon's Photograph. In 1994 it was shown to be a hoax. That was about sixty years after it was taken. A hoax is a trick that fools people. A famous photo of Nessie was a trick. The "monster" was a model head on a toy submarine.

Loch Ness holds more water than any other lake in Britain. It is about 23 miles long and about 800 feet deep. Animals and plants leave bits of DNA in the water around them. The DNA comes from shed cells and waste. Scientists can collect it and read it. In 2018 scientists from New Zealand took more than 250 water samples from Loch Ness. They wanted to find out what lives there. They found lots of fish and eels.

Scientists and TV teams swept Loch Ness with sonar. Sonar uses sound to find things under water. Searches in 1987 and 2003 found no monster. A plesiosaur was a sea reptile that died out about 65 million years ago. Some people thought Nessie might be one.

The giant squid was once known only from sea-monster stories. It is a living animal of the deep ocean. Scientists use camera traps to see shy animals. A camera trap is a camera with a motion sensor. It takes pictures by itself. What would you want to see before you decided?

Words to know

• sonar: sound finder
• DNA: body code
• hoax: a trick
• sighting: seeing report
• plesiosaur: sea reptile

The short version

Bigfoot is said to live in forests in the northwest of North America, and Nessie in Loch Ness, a very big lake in Scotland. No body or bones of Bigfoot have ever been found. A famous Nessie photo was a trick, and sonar searches in 1987 and 2003 found no monster.

Quick facts

• Loch Ness is about 23 miles long and about 800 feet deep.
• The Surgeon's Photograph, taken in 1934, was shown to be a hoax in 1994.
• In 2018 scientists from New Zealand took more than 250 water samples from Loch Ness.
• Searches with sonar in 1987 and 2003 found no monster.
• No body or bones of Bigfoot have ever been found.