This picture appeared in the Press Republican on December 21, 2000.

The witness reported her attention was first drawn to it by "the commotion all the seagulls were making out there. I thought, 'What's going on here?' and I looked out."

Since her summer residence is on an elevated piece of land directly on the water, she said, "That's how I could see it so well. He [Champ] lay there sort of still in the water for at least 15 minutes."

The ducks nearby would not approach the shape, she said. "The thing moved northward in a straight line. It humped up in the middle. Its skin looked just like crocodile skin; it was rough. As it moved, it left a little wake behind it.

"I've never seen anything like it."

Her sighting was one of 16 so far that year.

Skeptics point out that if Champ is real, there must be at least 50 adult creatures to meet the requirements of a breeding population, and as many as 500 for long term (as in centuries) genetic diversity.

Lake Champlain is the Adirondack Great Lake, the sixth largest fresh water lake in the United States. It stretches approximately 120 miles from the Canadian border to Whitehall, NY, with a width that varies from a quarter mile to 12 miles. The maximum depth is about 400 feet. This includes 435 square miles (1127 square kilometers) of surface water.

Not enough is known about Champ and his kin to speculate about how much room they would need.

Another explanation centers on how Lake Champlain is long, deep, narrow and cold. These conditions favor the formation of an underwater wave called a seiche that can throw debris from the bottom of the lake up to the surface. Many think this may explain many of the monster sightings.

The North Carolina-based institute, Fauna Communications Research, puts updates of its findings at their website under Lake Champlain Research.

Elizabeth Von Muggenthaler cautions that the results of the analysis may not solve the mystery.

''What we can say is that there is a creature in the lake that produces bio-sonar,'' she said. ''We have no idea what it is.''

Here are links with more about Champ:

The Skeptical Inquirer sends an investigator

The Measure of a Monster: Investigating the Champ Photo

The Legendary Champ

Meet the Masters: Earl Sprague and Champ, the Lake Champlain Monster