What did I see ?

Joe10000

So we are no closer, early start again tomorrow so the eyes will be peeled.

LostCovey

Joe10000 wrote: »

So we are no closer, early start again tomorrow so the eyes will be peeled.

Where around West port was it?

LC

littlebug

Joe10000 wrote: »

So we are no closer, early start again tomorrow so the eyes will be peeled.

and the camera ready
I'm intrigued. I'm (almost) tempted to take an early morning drive to Westport myself.

Joe10000

No show this morning. It was on the Glenhest to Newport road, one mile from Newport. I said near to Westport because most people know it.

Kess73

Well if the otter suggestion is being ruled out, and the size was indeed that of a large cat or bigger, then it would suggest something non native that escaped from a private collection or zoo.

Going to through a wolverine into the mix (no not James Howlett ). They do exist in the wild in some of the Nordic countries in Europe as well as in the US/Canada, and tagged individuals have been known to cover crazy distances so one that escaped from Northern Ireland etc would have no problems getting to Westport.






Am pretty sure that it was not something exotic and that Srameem's suggestion may be the answer, but my exotic choice is the very large cat/small to medium dog sized wolverine.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Oh Kess I'm surprised at you even raising that suggestion.

I have no doubt (from experience of seeing them on roads at night) that it was an Otter. 100% sure.

LostCovey

Jude Orange Poodle wrote: »

Oh Kess I'm surprised at you even raising that suggestion.

I have no doubt (from experience of seeing them on roads at night) that it was an Otter. 100% sure.

I know that road well, and there's a good salmon run up the river that runs parallel to it, could be an otter.

The other animal that can look very odd and big bodied with its ears flattened back in the headlights is a wet hare. But i am sure the OP is familiar with them.

Maybe the wolverine ate the coypu?

LC

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

LostCovey wrote: »

Maybe the wolverine ate the coypu?

Kess73

Jude Orange Poodle wrote: »

Oh Kess I'm surprised at you even raising that suggestion.

I have no doubt (from experience of seeing them on roads at night) that it was an Otter. 100% sure.

Well I do have three or four more suggestions to use yet The Wolverine was the only one that had some kind of European link though.:D


I'm pretty sure that an otter is the most likely explanation, as it ticks almost every box in terms of location, colour, size, population numbers etc.

Kess73

LostCovey wrote: »

I know that road well, and there's a good salmon run up the river that runs parallel to it, could be an otter.

The other animal that can look very odd and big bodied with its ears flattened back in the headlights is a wet hare. But i am sure the OP is familiar with them.

Maybe the wolverine ate the coypu?

LC

No, the Wolverine killed the Eurasian Lynx that had eaten the coypu.




Hehe had not thought of using the Eurasian Lynx until now.

Joe10000

I have looked at 100s of images of otters since that morning and only one of them maybe thinks it was an otter but maybe it was a particularly ugly fat one without much of a tail.

Anyway in the interests of everyone's sanity I will leave it at that, bar another sighting....

stephen_k

Saw this and thought it might be one of these that had escaped??

Joe10000

Wrong body shape, what I saw was definitely much heavier at the back and it's shape tapered down towards its front. It did not have long legs either.

SleepAtNight

Hardly a racoon? One saw in Cork http://www.irelandswildlife.com/2011/05/county-cork-raccoon-sighting-prompts-invasive-species-alert/

Joe10000

No not a raccoon, this thing was brown with no distinguishing colourings.

Mickeroo

I know that area fairly well too, I would have thought an otter would be the obvious candidate too.

Your original description also made me think of coypo or the even more unlikey capybara.

THe only other option I can think of is a rodent of unusual size, but I don't believe they exist

i'm intrigued though, might have to go for a walk round there soon.

Joe10000

Yeah it still wrecks my head, an otter is the most likely explanation but I just dont think it was , this thing was big, I suppose to put it yet another way the body shape was that of a giant rat but with a much bigger head. When it saw my headlights it just sauntered off, didn't run at speed but it wasn't made for speed. It wasn't exotic nor did it look foreign.

Been driving that road for 5 years at all times of day and night and that was the only time I've seen it.

Joe10000

Looked at images of the coypu again and it is still the closest image of what I saw. I just don't think they get as big as what I saw.

cuddlycavies

Mushroom season throws up allsorts of stuff each year:D

LostCovey

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Mushroom season throws up allsorts of stuff each year:D

If you're throwing up you might be picking the wrong mushrooms

cfitz

Mickeroo wrote: »

THe only other option I can think of is a rodent of unusual size, but I don't believe they exist

Inconceivable

tipseymcT

Any chance it was a badger with mange?

macadam

Checkout super Rat in the Hunting forum

Eddie B

There is no doubt in my mind that this is anything more than a hare! No SUPER RAT, COYPU, or WOLVERINE!
Just a hare with it's ears pinned back, with it's belly close to the ground, creeping across the road, with headlights in it's eye's! I've seen this a number of time's and it looks completely different than the usual ears pricked, outstretched legs, running at top speed, across the road in front of you!

Joe10000

When I came round the corner it was in the middle of the road, I slowed to a near stop as it casually walked off the road. It was not a hare and was not an otter.

I'm putting my chips down for CHUPACABRA!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra

Joe10000

We may have found the winner.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0111/iwt.html

recedite

Well, in fairness you did say it was "all body with a small head and snout" at the start. It must have been a small one though.
Would be nice to have a few wild boar living in the woods alright

Joe10000

Yeah that's right I did but I think it could have been a young boar. The face really rang a bell along with the coat/hair.