Loch Ness Monster

Loch Ness Monster
Biographical information
Also known as	Nessie
Physical information
Species	Kelpie
Height	100 feet or less

"The world’s largest kelpie is found in Loch Ness, Scotland. Its favourite form is that of a sea serpent. International Confederation of Wizard observers realised that they were not dealing with a true serpent when they saw it turn into an otter on the approach of a team of Muggle investigators and then transform back into a serpent when the coast was clear."

— Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie as it was popularly known, was the world's largest kelpie. It inhabited the deep waters of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It was sometimes spotted by Muggles though, due to its nature and the efforts of the Office of Misinformation, no conclusive proof of its existence has been leaked.

Biography

Its favourite shape was that of a sea serpent. Wizard observers from the International Confederation of Wizards discovered it was a kelpie when they observed it changing into an otter on the approach of a team of Muggle investigators, then back into a Sea Serpent. The number of sightings by Muggles over the years has made it impossible to use Memory Charms to erase all record; therefore the Office of Misinformation worked diligently to discredit any photographic evidence of "Nessie".

These Muggle sightings of the creature were a large part of why Scotland was considered one of the most frequent national violators of Clause 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (the clause that ensured the secrecy of magical creatures).

Rubeus Hagrid once offered the use of the Great Lake at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to house the creature.

Behind the scenes

• The Loch Ness Monster is a creature believed by some to live in Loch Ness, Scotland. Though it is most commonly identified as a plesiosaur-like creature, sea serpent depictions are not uncommon either. The reference to the Office of Misinformation discounting photographic evidence may be in reference to the "Surgeon's photograph", an alleged photo of the creature taken by Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson in 1934. The photo was once considered plausible evidence of the Monster's existence but was long suspected to be a hoax. This theory was later confirmed by the confession of Christian Spurling, the sculptor who created the fake, before his death in 1993.
• It is possible that the kelpie seen in Wonderbook: Book of Spells is intended to be the Loch Ness Monster, as it is rather large, lives in a Scottish loch, and takes the form of what appears to be a sea serpent, rather than the horse form the species generally takes.

Appearances

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (First mentioned)
• Daily Prophet Newsletters (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore (First appearance)
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Mentioned only)
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells (Possible appearance)
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World (First identified as Loch Ness Monster) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned in History of Magic classes)
• Hogwarts Legacy (Mentioned only)
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac