For all the advances that we have made in the realms of science and exploration, there are some mysteries in our world that still elude definition or understanding. UFOs, spontaneous human combustion, the Bermuda triangle. Essentially, anything that might capture the imagination of an eccentric ten-year-old or be the subject of a spuriously-sourced documentary on Netflix.

And then there are cryptids: creatures which have never been quite proven to actually exist, but which huge numbers of people believe in, and of which, just enough sightings exist to keep them alive in public consciousness. You've got your Bigfoot, your Chupacabra, and of course, the one and only Loch Ness Monster.

The true nature of this Scottish legend has been at the center of plenty of scientific inquiry, like a 2019 study which examined the kinds of wildlife that live in the vast lake and posited that the Loch Ness Monster may in fact be related to eels.

However, more recently, molecular ecologist Professor Matthew Sweet has shared his own theory.

"Back in day, travellers/explorers would draw what they saw," Sweet wrote on social media. "This is where many sea monster stories come from ie. tentacled and alienesque appendages emerging from the water - giving belief to something more sinister lurking beneath....however, many cases it was just whale dicks."

While making this observation in a tweet that then went viral, Sweet also posted a handful of fairly graphic images to corroborate his claim and help readers draw visual parallels between the elongated, swanlike neck that has come to be associated with Nessie in popular culture, and some close-up shots of whale dongs.

Here they are, for your reference. Just don't say we didn't warn you:

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