Headless predatory beast found washed up on UK beach sparking mystery
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The mysterious remains of a huge exotic predator have washed up on a Scottish beach – and experts are baffled. Louise Joyce was walking her dog Willow on Ardeer Beach, in Ayrshire, when she found the body of a large snake-like creature. The 56-year-old said: "I was walking my dog on the beach with a friend and his dog, when we noticed a man walking with a couple of sticks.
"He approached the snake first and gave it a prod with one of his sticks, then walked on. We approached and thought it was an eel but on closer inspection realised it was a snake. "The markings and colouring certainly looked to me as if it was a snake. The head was no longer on it, and it looked as if an animal had had a go at it, as its stomach was also missing.".
She continued: "Our reaction was 'God, you think you have seen it all.' We reckon someone has dumped the snake – maybe it got too big or too expensive to keep – and it hasn't survived in the cold temperatures. But that's obviously just a guess.". Looking for answers, Mrs Joyce shared her photos on Facebook, where locals were split between it being an eel or a snake. Nick Davison and Rob Deaville of the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme ruled out it being a marine species.
But experts say it's too big to be a native snake. Angela Julian, co-ordinator of Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK, said: "I am not sure what it is. It has scales – dorsal and ventral – that are very snake-like, and I'd say it's a female. But it's not a native snake as it’s very big – python sized in fact.".
