In recent weeks there has been speculation that some fearsome animals have been spotted in strange places – from crocodiles near Scarborough to a big cat in the Peak District.
While many will point out that the crocodiles look suspiciously like logs, and that the ‘big cat’ could well be just a well-fed moggie, some similar sightings have been verified over the years.
This has been the case in Scotland, where there have been many odd reports of unusual creatures stalking the moors, lochs and mountains.
Many have been proven to be a hoax, while some of the most famous remain unproven to date.
Here are 10 weird animal sightings made in Scotland – from the genuine to the ridiculous.
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5. A wallaby in Stirling
There aren't many animals that could be further away from home in Scotland than the wallaby - a marsupial more familiar to the Outback of Australia. But in March 2020 Carly Meaney was out walking her dog close to the North Third Reservoir, near Stirling, when she spotted the animal eating grass before hopping towards her. It was later revealed it had escaped from a local farm. It's a lesser-known fact that wallabies do actually live in the wild in Scotland - there's a colony on the Loch Lomond island of Inchconnachan, introduced almost a century ago by former owner Fiona, Countess of Arran. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
6. The Loch Ness Monster
One of the world's most famous monsters, sightings of Nessie reportedly date back to the year 564 when Saint Columba apparently saw something odd in the dark waters. Every year sees more tales of strange shapes along with grainy photographs pertaining to be of the beast. There's no drop-off in reports in modern times, with 2017 being a record year for unverifiable monster encounters. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
7. Morag
Nessie may get most of the press but it's claimed that a 'cousin' of the world-famous monster lives in Loch Morar. Morag was apparently first spotted 1887, while in 1948 nine people in a boat claimed to have seen a 20ft-long creature in the loch and in 1969 two men said they had accidentally hit her with an oar. Like Nessie, some say that Morag is a survivor from the age of dinosaurs, with a plesiosaur (pictured) the oft-quoted creature in question. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
8. A grizzly islander
The remote Outer Hebrides island of Benbecula seems an unlikely place to spot a North American apex predator, but in the summer of 1980 a grizzly bear was roaming the countryside there. Hercules was the 8ft 4in bear in question, and had been filming a commercial for Kleenex on the island when he made a break for freedom. He was eventually captured, but not before becoming global news, while islanders still talk about 'the summer of the bear'. Photo: Canva/Getty Images