A HUGE eel-like creature has been filmed in the murky waters of Loch Ness — and experts reckon it really is the monster.

It comes after scientists claimed that sightings of Nessie were actually a giant eel.

9 This is the enhanced image of a giant eel-like creature that boffins reckon could be the real Loch Ness Monster

9 Experts believe the footage to be real, unlike the iconic image of Nessie taken by a surgeon in 1934 which turned out to be a hoax Credit: Channel 5

The video, shared online by the Ness Fishery Board, captured the outline of a long, slender creature in the Scottish Highlands loch.

Amazing footage from an underwater camera shows the “serpent” slithering through the water from the left and dwarfing fish in its path.

In contrast to the iconic 1934 image of Nessie — which proved to be fake — boffins believe this is the real deal.

The video was taken two weeks ago on the River Ness near where it flows into Loch Ness by a camera set up to monitor trout and other fish.

THE EEL NESSIE

It was shared online by the Ness Fishery Board, which tweeted: “Let’s be honest, when you see a large, eel-shaped object passing your camera in the River Ness, the first thing you think of is the Loch Ness Monster.”

We have enhanced the image, which emerged after a team of scientists claimed sightings of Nessie were actually a giant eel.

Richard Freeman, of the Centre for Fortean Zoology which has tried to solve the 1,000-year-old monster mystery, believes the creature in the video is an eel.

He said: “I don’t believe the eel theory has killed off the Loch Ness Monster, quite the reverse.

“A giant eel which can grow up to 30ft is a monster in every sense of the word.”

Gary Campbell, the keeper of the Official Loch Ness Sightings Register, added: “We know Nessie is not a prehistoric monster — Loch Ness was a block of ice 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age.

"Nothing would have survived. A fish or an eel was always the most plausible theory.”

A giant eel which can grow up to 30ft is a monster in every sense of the word. Richard Freeman

Mikko Takala, 51, who has been hunting Nessie for 27 years, said the latest footage counts as an “excellent sighting”.

Many theories have already been discounted including that the monster could be a shark, catfish, sturgeon or a plesiosaur.

Last week experts from New Zealand suggested the monster was a giant eel after studying DNA extracted from the 23-mile long fresh­water loch in the Scottish Highlands.

They took 250 samples and identified 15 species of fish and 3,000 types of bacteria.

The international team of scientists that trawled the waterway was led by Professor Neil Gemmell, of the University of Otago in New Zealand. He said there was a significant amount of eel DNA.

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He added: “Our data doesn’t reveal their size, but the quantity of the material says we can’t discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness.

“Therefore we can’t discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel.”

Hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to the loch each year hoping to spot the monster.

9 Hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to the beautiful loch in the Scottish Highlands hoping to glimpse the legendary monster Credit: David Bebber - The Times

9 Amazing footage shows the 'serpent' creature swimming in from the left and dwarfing the surrounding fish

9 Professor Neil Gemmell and his team set out to probe theories of the 'monster's' true identity, including that Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur that survived the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs and many other groups of animals Credit: AFP or licensors

9 They took samples of skin, scales, feathers, fur and poo found in the water Credit: AFP or licensors

9 They identified 15 species of fish and 3,000 types of bacteria in Loch Ness Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

9 Ultimately, they ruled out theories that Nessie is a plesiosaur, a sturgeon or giant catfish Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

9 Evidence points to the Loch Ness Monster being a giant eel, possibly a Conger Eel like the one seen here Credit: Alamy

Loch Ness monster could be REAL and 'might be a giant eel', shock study reveals

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