Witnesses have been taken aback by claims that the mythical Loch Ness monster has been spotted in foreign waters far from its natural habitat in the Scottish Highlands.

A creature that some claim looks like the Loch Ness Monster has surfaced in the US (Image: Facebook)

A giant, snake-like creature that some claim looks like the Loch Ness Monster has surfaced, but not in the Scottish Highlands where you might expect.

The huge beast was captured with its head out the water off Atlantic Beach in North Carolina, before its body surfaced and it dipped back underwater.

Perplexed witnesses were left pondering what the animal was, with some questioning if it was the mythical Scottish monster.

Chasin Tails Outdoors Bait & Tackle store, which posted a video of the monster said it’s “something you don’t see everyday”.

They added: “Whales or the Loch Ness Monster in the port this morning. Never seen one inside the inlet like this.”

Spectators were bewildered as to what the huge creature could be (Image: Facebook)

Thousands took to the comments to post their theories online, with one person saying: “Now that is strange. Odd looking head for sure.”

Some suggested that it was actually a “gator”, while other speculated that the beast was actually a “baby whale”.

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One person said: “No way it is any of the animals mentioned, including a baby whale or alligator.

“Its motion is too graceful, it has protrusions on head and a long feather-like flipper in the rear. I honestly don’t know of any sea creature that fits that description”.

Meanwhile others pointed to the mythical Loch Ness Monster, known as ‘Nessie’, which many believe lives in Scotland.

“Definitely a Loch Ness monster. I saw two the same day I saw Bigfoot walking a black panther on a leash,” they wrote.

The Loch Ness monster, named after the loch it is believed to inhabit in the Highlands, is a large marine creature – with many disputing whether it really exists.

The legend of the Loch Ness monster has been widely disputed (Image: Getty Images)

However, a majority of alleged evidence supporting the creature’s existence has been discredited, and it is widely thought the monster is a myth.

Its sighting was first documented in a biography of St. Columba going back to 565 AD.

The legend of the Loch Ness monster began to gain traction around 1933 when a road near Loch Ness was completed and gave visitors an unobstructed view of the lake.

In April the same year, a Scottish newspaper reported of a couple claiming to have sighted an enormous animal – which they compared to a “dragon or prehistoric monster” – after it crossed their car’s path and disappeared into the water.