Strange Loch Ness-Like Monster Filmed in Alaska

Film to air on Discovery Channel tonight

A strange creature filmed in an Alaskan bay is drawing comparisons to Scotland's famed Loch Ness Monster.

Cryptozoologists believe the video, which will air on a new Discovery Channel special called "Hillstranded" tonight, is genuine. Shot by a fisherman in 2009, it shows a moving creature with a long neck, a horse-like head, large eyes, and back bumps that stick out of the water.

"I am quite impressed with the video," Paul LeBlond, former head of the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of British Columbia, told Discovery News. "Although it was shot under rainy circumstances in a bouncy ship, it's very genuine."

Experts have dubbed the Alaskan Nessie "Cadborosaurus," or "reptile from Cadboro Bay."

LeBlond, co-author of the book "Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep," said the animal is "the least unlike a plesiosaur." That marine reptile is believed to have gone extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

Similar beasts have been sighted in the area for years, according to Discovery. Some skeptics believe it could be an eel or shark, but LeBlond said the creature shown on the film does not move like a fish.

"It must be a mammal or a reptile, since it oscillates up and down in a vertical plain, which eliminates sideways-oscillating fish," he explained.

Tuesday's show is hosted by "Deadliest Catch" star Andy Hillstrand, who believes he and his brother have seen the creature.

"We saw a big, long white thing moving in the water. We chased it for about 20 minutes," he said. "Spray came out of its head," he continued. "It was definitely not a shark. A giant eel may be possible, but eels don't have humps that all move in unison. I've never seen anything like it before."

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