Social media users have joked that a giant whale skeleton found by a nurse on a remote Scottish island actually belongs to the Loch Ness Monster.
Hannah Burns, 27, moved from London to South Uist, Outer Hebrides, nearly three weeks ago with boyfriend Jon Stead, 30.
The couple were stunned when they discovered a massive skeleton believed to measure about six metres long on an idyllic sandy beach.
Hannah snapped a photo of the skeleton and sent it to her sister, Polly Burns, 29, who works as a marine scientist and lives in Edinburgh, and posted it on Twitter.
It sparked comments on social media comparing it to Nessie – but Hannah said she thought the Outer Hebrides was a long way from Loch Ness.
Hannah Burns via SWNSHannah, who was walking her dog Bonnue when she made the discovery, said: “We moved two and a half weeks ago from London and we absolutely love it.
“It was difficult to tell how long it was as it is curved and not straight, but we think it’s about six metres.
“We have never seen anything like it on a beach before. It has been there for a year, we weren’t the first people to see it.
“It was mad, I was like ‘look at that whole skeleton’, we went to have a look.
“It is kind of sad, it’s a shame it’s on the beach rather than in the sea. It’s an amazing bit of natural history.
“I didn’t know what it was but thought it was more than likely a whale.
“We are quite far away from Loch Ness.”
She added: “Because Polly is a marine scientist I sent a picture to her and she said she had contacts and would see if they could held identify it.
“It has captured people’s imaginations, it’s not something you see every day on the beach.”
Social media users joked the huge skeleton could belong to Nessie.
One wrote: “It’s gotta be Nessie”, while another said: “You’re in Scotland, right? Just connect the dots. It’s from one of those Loch Ness monsters.”
Another commented: “I can say with 100 per cent accuracy that it’s the Loch Ness Monster.”
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