The image of Nessie as a long, thin, three-humped monster has featured in Scottish culture for years.

Loch Ness Monster memorabilia in Highland gift shops and children's books depict a snakelike aquatic monster above the surface of the water with distinct hoops.

But new research has found the sea monster's undulating physique rarely features in reports by those who claim to have spotted her.

Researchers revealed only 1.5% of people who have claimed to see Nessie over the past 100 years have reported hoops or humps in their description.

The research by Dr Charles Paxton from the University of St Andrews and Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Centre looked at the history of hooped sea monster imagery and its cultural prevalence.

They examined how often the imagery of Nessie's arched body appeared in postcards and said that between 25% and 32% showed her with visible humps trailing behind her head and neck.

They also showed the creature with a clear distance between her body and the surface of the water, which researchers said was "biologically impossible".