Some people say a big, hairy creature lives in forests. It is called Bigfoot. These forests are in the northwest of North America. 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. Is the story true? Let's look at the evidence.

Footprints said to be Bigfoot's are very large. They are up to about 20 to 24 inches long. In 1958 a worker in California found huge footprints. They were near a road being built. The prints were nearly 16 inches long. That year 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 spoke up. They said he had made the 1958 footprints. They said he used carved wooden feet. Here is another fact to think about. No body or bones of Bigfoot have ever been found.

Now let's go to Scotland. Loch Ness is a very big lake. It holds more water than any other lake in Britain. It is about 23 miles long. It is about 800 feet deep. Some people believe a big animal lives in Loch Ness. They call it Nessie.

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 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. Most photos said to show Nessie turned out to be fakes. Or they showed other animals or objects. What else could fool a person?

A plesiosaur was a sea reptile. It died out about 65 million years ago. Some people thought Nessie might be one. Scientists tested the water in Loch Ness. They found lots of fish and eels.

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

• hoax: a trick
• plesiosaur: sea reptile
• evidence: clues, proof
• footprints: marks of feet
• trap: motion camera