There might be a reason behind these disappointing realities. New evidence states that the Loch Ness Monster, as we always imagined it, never actually existed.

Ever since that first famous photo, Nessie has captivated the world’s imagination. Historically, we have over a thousand reported sightings, and the beast has been the subject of a whole host of documentaries.

In 2003, the BBC used six hundred sonar beams and satellite tracking to explore the loch, but actually, the irrefutable proof was never delivered.

In a new study, geneticist Neil Gemmell of Otago University in New Zealand explains why: an environmental DNA survey of the loch gives no signs that it was ever home to giant reptiles.

We did not find any giant reptiles; we didn’t find any reptiles at all

Gemmell said.

The survey revealed DNA traces for more than three thousand species that make the loch their home: fish, birds, deer and other mammals, bacteria, humans – but no reptiles.