An international research team led by University of Otago’s Professor Neil Gemmell is using the latest DNA technologies to compile a census of life in Loch Ness, a large freshwater lake best known for sightings of the long-necked ‘monster.’ Loch Ness. “There have been more than 1,000 registered sightings of the Loch Ness ‘monster,’ including two in the last month. They have sparked various theories.