What did we see this afternoon?

[whatwasthiscritter]

I have name changed as my other threads had medical things on them and this is completely identifying. I was driving from radstock towards Burlington Combe today at about 4.15 when we were going through some woods (marked with arrow on the map). Something ran ibfront of the car. I say ran but it almost stumbled/tumbled across the road from left to right. I only saw it in the road but my 17 year old Dd saw it then run up the bank in the trees on the right. We have no idea what we saw and the way it moved at first made me think it was a big sycamore leaf but as my DD saw it climb the bank this has been discounted. We have looked at endless photos of British wildlife etc but can't place it. The description is that is was a sandy/pale yellow colour (hence the leaf thought) it was bigger than a hedgehog or a rat but smaller than a hare. It was fast as it past the road between the car in front and mine and then climbed the bank. What on earth could it be?! It is made all the weirder because I saw a creature further along that road a couple of months ago that I can't work out either. Slightly cat like but much bigger and black, this time it was early morning and my Dd was asleep and doesn't believe me. My Dds only solution is that we keep passing through a magical wood (grasping at straws)

A mink? You can get yellowish ones ('champagne mink')

I'll put my money on somebody's escaped guinea pig - they bumble along quite fast 🤣

Coypu. There’s a population in Norfolk, naturalised ones from ancestors being released into the wild.

Could any of the smaller sightings have been a water vole? Can be 20cm long and looks like a rat, or a rabbit with short ears that doesn't hop.

Was it a water vole? They grow up to 8.5 inches not including their tail, which is quite short so you might not have seen it. They're sandy coloured too.

@BestZebbie snap 😀

Pine Martin would be my first thought but I don’t know if they are in the area, I have seen some near where I am in Shropshire.

size wise what you have said could also fit a beaver 🦫 but the speed wouldn’t fit.

however aren’t there otters in Devon? Could it have been that?

I'd go with muntjac for the smaller one and wild boar for the black one. Have a look at videos of them running.

A pixie?

can you draw it for us?

I would guess small muntjac too. The first time I saw one I thought it was a wild pig, they look so weird.

That's what I thought.

Toad.

A capybara?

There was an escaped one seen on several occasions close to the River Chew south of Keynsham. It was a few months back.
We've also had sightings of otters in back gardens in the town.

Babby bison.

I'm going with capybara with sycamore leaf stuck to it.

Oooh! I once saw a Coypu in Norfolk. No-one believed me for days... until they saw it too. It was at the edge of a small lake. The orange teeth were very weird!
But, that adds nothing much to this thread; except I like to tell people about my most odd UK animal sighting!

Was it a Glis Glis? They are kind of squirrel like with a thinner tail!

Thanks! Thought I was missing something!!

A miniature bison.
Agoutis are a beautiful sleek reddish brown.
A capybara?

I think you seen a Pokémon

Sounds like a coypu or capybara. The former is supposed to have been eradicated from the UK, the latter apparently has a growing population.

They are basically rodents with stumpier bigger bodies. No tails.

It's pretty windy. Op, are you quite sure it wasn't, in fact...A sycamore leaf?

😂

Lion?

Second this. Also a large population of Chinese water deer near Norfolk /Suffolk border.
Love wildlife but have to keep your wits about you when driving, especially at dusk. Traffic stopped for a startled deer panicking in road a few months ago. Often see muntjac, yet to see red deer, though colleague saw stag.
Really excited to hear it was probably a Chinese water deer and colony was nearby.