The Loch Ness Monster likely isn’t real - but there is a chance that aliens might be, a scientist has said.

Despite years of thrill seekers searching for Nessie in the Scottish Highlands, it is “99.99% sure” that she is not real.

University of Oxford professor of zoology Tim Coulson has recently written a book titled ‘The Universal History of Us’ - a 13.8 billion year tale from the ‘Big Bang’ until now.

As part of that writing, Prof Coulson wrote a chapter on how life got started and what life is out there – which got him writing about aliens, the abominable snowman, the Loch Ness monster and more.

On Moncrieff, Prof Coulson said that science can never say with 100% that the Loch Ness monster does not exist – but there is a very low likelihood.

“Ditto with things like Bigfoot and the Yeti,” he said.

“The reason for that is quite straightforward - people have been out there with their fishing nets and people have argued that this is a type of a marine reptile, possibly like a plesiosaur.

“Up until the dinosaurs went extinct, we used to find used to find lots of fossils of plesiosaurs but we haven't found anything since 66 million years ago.

“You know, if one or two individuals wouldn't be able to survive anywhere near that long, a population wouldn't be able to survive, right?”

The UFO museum in Roswell, New Mexico. Photo by Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa USA

Prof Coulson said that DNA collections have shown no evidence of any reptiles or different species in Loch Ness.

He said he knows he is a “spoil sport” but he hopes people will keep the fun going and keep searching.

Prof Coulson did say, however, that there is still a chance of humans finding aliens.

“The point about aliens is we've only explored a very, very tiny corner of our universe, and there's so much more,” he said.

“I mean, it's probably going to be impossible for us to explore it because it's so vast but, you know, the fact that they haven't found [aliens] isn't particularly surprising.

“We've only been sending out radio wave signals, which would be the sign of intelligent life that the aliens could detect, for about 120 years, when Marconi sent his first one.

“So, you know, I'm not going to rule out aliens.”

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Split image of the Loch Ness monster and professor Tim Coulson