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|  » Stats |
Members: 50,177
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Top Poster: glsammy (15,069)
| | Welcome to our newest member, Ruralman | |  | | 
07-09-2011, 08:45 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 5
| | | Re: Mysterious tracks at bottom of swimming pool - baffled!
Hiya...the best guesses seem to be toad/snake but here appear to be good arguments as to why it isn't either.
Just to add a few final answers and confirm a few questions.
The tracks are def 4-6" wide (The bottom drain being a useful reference point.
There is little or no possibility of this being kids/hoax as it happened overnight and nothing human could have got in the pool without substantial disturbance. The marks are some 7-8 feet beneath the surface.
The creature appears to have fallen in the deep end and made several forays towards the drain and back to the side. It then made it's way around the bottom perimeter of the pool before exiting up the stone steps. NB The marks around the bottom edge of the pool and up the steps are far less clear but there nevertheless.
Does anyone know for sure whether snakes/toads are denser than water. The one thing that is clear is that this creature couldn't swim! |
07-09-2011, 09:02 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: South East
Posts: 1,169
| | | Re: Mysterious tracks at bottom of swimming pool - baffled!
Strange that it couldnt swim yet didnt drown... OK, I give up.  |
07-09-2011, 09:41 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Watford, Hertfordshire.
Posts: 4,869
| | | Re: Mysterious tracks at bottom of swimming pool - baffled!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Billabong Karen  Strange that it couldnt swim yet didnt drown... OK, I give up. | With a name like yours I would have though you'd suggest a 'Bunyip'!
;^)
Jim |
07-09-2011, 11:40 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: South East
Posts: 1,169
| | | Re: Mysterious tracks at bottom of swimming pool - baffled!
Haha! Am not Australian, though I do have a sister who lives 'Down Under', and one of her nicknames for me is Bunyip...  |
07-09-2011, 03:37 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: stoborough dorset
Posts: 200
| | | Re: Mysterious tracks at bottom of swimming pool - baffled!
in a fully grown adult common toad the hind track may be 2.8 by 2.2cm
in a slow walk the stride is about 4.5cm in a fast walk the stride increases to about 10cm
I have seen toads that often sink straight to the bottom and commence walking
the tracks do have a bird like appearance with the v shape of the heel and they look very similar to those in my book the "country life guide to Animals of Britain and Europe their tracks,trails and signs" which is where i got the measurements from
i pretty sure they are toad prints after viewing the closer shots in comparison with those in the book |
14-09-2011, 05:19 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Sittingbourne, Kent
Posts: 634
| | | Re: Mysterious tracks at bottom of swimming pool - baffled!
 100 percent doubt a grass snake. toads are likely, or a heron?
__________________
http://gardenlife-sittingbourne.blogspot.com/ |
15-09-2011, 09:47 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: South East
Posts: 1,169
| | | Re: Mysterious tracks at bottom of swimming pool - baffled!
Tall heron - the pond is 8 foot deep! My money's on a toad... | | | |
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