One of the UK's most enduring mysteries just got a little stranger, as Loch Ness seemingly welcomed another mythical creature.
But rather than being a plesiosaur playmate of monstrous proportions, Nessie's new stooge appears to be none other than the humanoid Top Gear enigma: 'tame racing driver' The Stig.
Wearing his trademark white overalls and racing helmet, the character - who is apparently less camera-shy than the Loch's more venerable resident - was spotted standing by the side of the A82 road with traffic zipping past.
Middlesborough man Michael Booth seems to have been the first to catch sight of The Stig in his usual pose, arms folded, using Google's Street View service, which provides a 360-degree picture of life at street level in certain areas of the country.
But despite bagging the elusive Stig, Booth was ruing a lost opportunity.
"He didn't have his helmet off, or one Loch Ness mystery might have been solved," he added.
It has been suggested that the stunt could be part of series to produce a book of Stig sightings - similar to the Where's Wally? series.
While triggering privacy concerns for those worried about having their property revealed online, the service has been throwing up some riddles of its own.
Within days of Street View starting up in the UK, users were reporting odd images from across the nation.
And interesting images from Street View have been captured further afield.
Last week it came to light that off-beat musician Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips had been spotted apparently sitting in a bath tub outside his house in Oklahoma City.
