Has the Loch Ness Monster finally been caught on film? Sightings of the mythical creature that is thought to live in the Scottish Highlands have been reported as far back at the 6th century, though most scientists write off the creature as popular mythology. However, one photography enthusiast recently captured footage of what might be the cryptid creature!

According to the Daily Mail, 50-year old photographer David Elder was in northern Scotland taking photos at the southwest end of Fort Augustus, a 23-mile long body of water, when a strange black ripple of wave caught his eye that Elder described to the Daily Mail as a "solid object" that moved beneath the surface.

"We were at the pier head at Fort Augustus and I was taking a picture of a swan at the time," he said. "Out of the corner of my right eye I caught site of a black area of water about 15ft long which developed into a kind of bow wave.

"I'm convinced this was caused by a solid black object under the water. The water was very still at the time and there were no ripples coming off the wave and no other activity on the water. Water was definitely going over something solid and making the wave. It looks like the sort of wave perhaps created by a windsurfing board but there was nobody on the loch at the time, no boats, nothing. The disturbance in the water began moving up the Loch sideways. It is something I just can't explain."

Nicknamed "Nessie," the legendary Loch Ness monster's existence is based on mostly anecdotal evidence such as Elder's, though believers speculate it could be a surviving relative of the ancient plesiosaur, a long-necked marine reptile that first appeared in the early Jurassic period. In 1934, the iconic "surgeon's photograph" of the purported sea monster became a hit among the media, sparking a debate over the true origin of the image.

However, the strange photograph, which many believed to be the trunk of an elephant, was debunked and uncovered as a hoax. However, this does not necessarily discount all other eye-witness reports, photos and footage, as believers of the monster will assert.

While animals such as eels, elephants, snakes and even otters have all been mistaken for the mythical monster, organizations such as the short-lived Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau and "Big Expedition" of 1970 have, for years, been attempting to prove the animal's existence and capture evidence for themselves.

Click here to see the photo of the strange black wave ripple that may fuel theories on the existence of the Loch Ness monster.