The most famous photo of the Loch Ness monster has long been discredited as a hoax, but scientists have come up with a new explanation for other sightings of the elusive beast -- it could be just a giant eel.
长期以来，尼斯湖水怪最著名的照片一直被认为是一个骗局，但科学家们对尼斯湖水怪的其他目击事件提出了新的解释--它可能只是一条巨型鳗鱼。
A team of researchers used DNA samples from taken from the lake in Scotland where "Nessie" is believed to dwell and concluded that a more familiar creature was behind the legend.
一组研究人员使用了来自苏格兰湖泊的DNA样本，得出结论认为尼斯湖水怪的传说背后可能是一种更熟悉的生物。
"There are large amounts of eel DNA in Loch Ness," Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from New Zealand's University of Otago said last Thursday.
新西兰奥塔哥大学遗传学家尼尔·格默尔上周四表示：“尼斯湖中含有大量鳗鱼DNA。”
Scientists began the study of the lake's biodiversity in June 2018, taking 250 samples of water from various locations and depths to identify its inhabitants.
2018年6月，科学家们开始研究该湖的生物多样性，从不同地点和深度采集了250个样本，来确定其栖息物种。
They found about 3,000 distinct species, Gemmell told a press conference at the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit, Scotland. "Most of those are so small, you'll never see them."
格默尔在苏格兰德拉姆纳德罗基特的尼斯湖中心举行的新闻发布会上表示，他们发现了大约3000种不同的物种。“它们大多尺寸很小，你永远都看不到它们。”
Gemmell said that while the study's primary focus was the lake's biodiversity, a Loch Ness monster sighting would've been a bonus.
格默尔称，虽然这项研究的主要关注点是尼斯湖水怪的生物多样性，但如果能发现尼斯湖水怪的痕迹，那将是一个额外的收获。
Although the discredited 1934 photo was later said to be a toy submarine, with a model head and neck attached, various theories over the years have suggested the monster could actually be a dragon, a marine dinosaur or just a really big catfish.
尽管1934年那张不可信的照片上面有着头部和颈部的形象后来被说成是一艘玩具潜艇，但多年来的各种理论都表明，这只怪物实际上可能是一条龙、一只海洋恐龙，或者只是一条真正的大鲶鱼。
The new data suggested some of the more outlandish theories about Nessie could be ruled out.
新的数据表明，关于尼斯湖水怪的一些更古怪的理论已经可以排除。
"Is there a plesiosaur in Loch Ness? No. There is absolutely no evidence of any reptilian sequences in our samples," Gemmell said. "So I think we can be fairly sure that there is probably not a giant scaly reptile swimming around in Loch Ness."
格默尔表示：“尼斯湖有蛇颈龙吗？不。在我们的样本中绝对没有任何爬行动物序列的证据。所以我认为我们可以相当肯定的是，尼斯湖可能没有巨大的有鳞爬行动物在游动。”
