Anomalous creatures of various types and nicknames said to inhabit lakes around the world. Among the best known lake monsters are Nessie, the loch ness monster of Scotland; the ogopogo, of Lake Okanagan in Canada; and CHAMP, of Lake Champlain. Other, less well-known monsters haunt smaller bodies of water. Tessie inhabits Lake Tahoe, while Sandy lives in Big Sandy Lake in Minnesota. An unnamed water monster lives in Lake Vorota in eastern Siberia, and a bunyip inhabits Lake Mod-ewarre in Australia. Among the hundreds of reports from around the world are those from people who claim to have seen lake monsters even in artificial lakes.
Scientists suggest that many reports are based on misperceptions and preconceptions. An odd-shaped log, a patch of seaweed, shadows of waves and sunlight, or a glimpse of an everyday item may all easily be seen as something else. This may happen accidentally because of poor visibility and bad conditions. Additionally, people often see what they want to see or expect to see instead of what is actually there. Countless tests of human observation skills show that misperception and preconception are very common.