Pictures of a large otter spotted in Rosyth in Fife have circulated on social media, but animal welfare officers have been unable to find the creature.
The animal was spotted on Wednesday in the Sherbrooke Road area of the Fife town, but seems to have quickly moved off.
Whilst most suspect it to be an otter, one local said he thought it could be a European polecat.
Otters are not uncommon in the waterways and lochs in and around Fife, including the Forth.
A post sharing the image of the otter attracted hundreds of comments from locals.
One woman said she had seen it near her home in Rosyth.
“Came past mine, crossed road headed down back alleyway between Sherbrooke and MgGriggor,” she said.
“Hope your cats [don’t] try and chase that,” one person responded.
Another local suggested it had come out into the town to look for food, and urged people to watch out for fish in garden ponds.
An SSPCA spokesperson told The Courier that an animal rescue officer had attended and searched the local area but had been unable to locate the critter.
Earlier this year orphaned otter cubs were found wandering the streets of Inverkeithing.
The cubs, found in February, were later taken to the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre near Alloa.