Can you tell me what is this ?animal

[CatherineTheNotSoGreat]

I was out for a (yes local) wood walk with my DD about 5pm. On the path was this creature. I think it was alive as it seemed to move purposefully. It rolled, on and off, intermittently. V dark grey/black, slightly shiny. MyDD was totally freaked and in fairness it was a bit creepy, so we turned back. But now I’m wondering was it a) in trouble and unwell or b) an exotic pet or something that some authority should know about.

Anyone know, and what should I do, if anything.

OP have you returned to the slug-badgers lair?

Remind dh his pokey stick needs to be 2 m for social distancing measures....

Have you been yet OP?

Just back. Sent H up earlier and he said he couldn’t find it. And I wondered was it wise sending him because he can’t find the butter in the fridge. The 2 DDs and I went and we couldn’t find it. And we searched. We thought about it again. We’re not convinced it was a black bag. I now think the likeliest is an alien species. Then a giant beetle. Like, giant. Then maybe a dying fuck off big crow.

Anyway I’m alive and no creature sought me out last night.

Haha I get the better in the fridge thing here too!

Butter

I think it's a badger slug too. They can get pretty big.

Noooooooooooo.. we will never know now..

It shall remain one of the greatest mysteries of our time!

catherinethenotsogreat are you near marshlands or the coast at all? I'm wondering if it's a wader something similar to a curlew? Or a snipe, but the beak doesn't look quite right for a snipe.

I've just been zooming in (waaay too invested in this) and think it might be a rat in a bag? What do you think?

Could it have been an Opossum (or is it just possum?) in a bag?

Part of me is disappointed we didn’t find (alive and well) kittens. Or some strange alien creature. Or a gigantic beetle. No, not really marshland but it’s a sharp river Valley. That part of the walk is quite high from the river. I’m not sure about the rat in the bag really. But maybe. Who knows now. It will, forever, be a mystery.

Badger Slugs are very rarely seen out in daylight, especially at this time of year. I think there's a website where you can report sightings and they map them.

I zoomed in on it and it looks like it's got horns! A muntjac deer? They're very small,aren't they?

Mole