The Loch Ness Monster might really be an elephant sticking his trunk out of the water, according to a new theory.

The monster, known as "Nessy" has been spotted down the ages in the Scottish lake known as "Loch Ness." Nobody has been able to prove that Nessy really exists, and that people haven't been mistaken when they say they've seen her. Even so, many people believe that there really is a monster living in Loch Ness.

Now a scientist has come up with a new theory. He thinks that in the past, travelling circuses might have stopped by Loch Ness. Elephants like to wash and play in water, and when they are under the surface, they stick their trunks out so that they can breath. Sometimes they blow water through their trunks.

Neil Clark of Glasgow University has been studying the history of The Loch Ness monster for two years. He thinks that when some people in the past thought they saw Nessy, what they really saw was a circus elephant taking a bath in the Loch.

You can read more about this true storynory on the BBC news site.