What's this in our pond?

[Duke of York]

I was looking in our pond this evening to see if I could see any taddies or frogs and spotted this just under the surface



At first I though it might be a baby water snail or something similar, but it was hard to tell if it was actually a life form and if it was, whether it was alive or not

We eventually lifted it out and investigated further





Now from looking at this last photo it looks like something was in there and has now left (some type of water snail perhaps given the shape??).

I'm afraid my knowledge of pond life is a bit limited so could anybody enlighten me as to what this actually is??

[Pigeon feather]

It looks a bit like a cherry stone with a bit of fruit attached?! poss spat out by a bird? can't see what type of animal it could be!

[Paul mabbott]

I think you have two things associated by coincidence!
Surely a cherry stone and the larva of a predatory beetle. Doesn't look to me like a water beetle so possibly a staphylinid/carabid (rove or ground beetle) larva that had fallen into the water and was using the pit as a lifebouy?
Although on further examination, I don't see enough legs for a beetle - perhaps it's dead or something else?
On even later consideration, I can see that this might not even be animal at all ..

[galanthus]

def looks like cherry pip of sorts, brown thing even looks like seaweed if you put your mind to it

[Duke of York]

Thanks for the replies guys. Looks like I was seeing more into it than was actually there.

[Wild-Woman]

I think it's pip with a bit of rotting fruit skin attached too.
Shame-be nice to discover a new species!

[Duke of York]

I have to admit while it was in the water it did look like it could be a life form, but the more I look at the photos of it out of the water it certainly does look like a fruit skin and rotten fruit although the fact that it looks like an empty larva skin did make we wonder