Pessie lived in lakes in present-day Scotland hundreds of millions of years ago, during the Paleozoic Era

Apr 4, 2015 10:26 GMT  ·  By

Hundreds of millions of years ago, lakes in present-day Scotland were populated by an odd-looking and surprisingly tiny fish dubbed Pterichthyoides milleri. 

Under any other circumstances, this ancient species would be of absolutely no interest to anyone but paleontologists. Let's face it, it's big guys like the fierce T. rex that we have a soft spot for.

Still, Pterichthyoides milleri is now grabbing headlines. Funnily enough, this isn't because it has any merits of its own. It's simply because of its uncanny resemblance to the Loch Ness Monster.

The fish does look like Nessie, sort of

True, the existence of the Loch Ness monster is yet to be proven without a shadow of a doubt. However, (fictitious) testimonies and (hoax) photos reveal the creature as having an abnormally long neck and oddly large flippers.

If the Loch Ness monster does, in fact, exist and this is what it looks like, then Pterichthyoides milleri might just be its long-lost and oddly tiny ancestor, what with its elongated body and its bizarre appendages dangling from its torso.

“If you think of the picture that most people have in their heads of the Loch Ness Monster, our fossils pretty much meet what they would expect,” said Cait McCullagh, curator at Scotland's Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, as cited by DM.

By the looks of it, some like the idea of Pterichthyoides milleri's being an ancestor of sorts of the Loch Ness monster that they're now calling this ancient fish Pessie. You know, because the legendary monster's nickname is Nessie.

Pessie was a rather odd creature

As mentioned, fossilized remains recovered by paleontologist over the years indicate that Pterichthyoides milleri lived in freshwater lakes in present-day Scotland during the Paleozoic Era, i.e. between 542 million and 251 million years ago.

The fish most likely lived at the bottom of such bodies of water and used the appendages attached to its body to navigate its surroundings. To keep safe from predators, the creature relied on an armor covering its head and its back.

Fossilized remains belonging to this species are currently on display at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, should any of you happen to be in the mood to visit Scotland and have a look at the Loch Ness monster's forefather, Pessie.

Image shows what Pessie looked like
Image shows what Pessie looked like

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Fossilized Pessie remains
Image shows what Pessie looked like
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