A weird “slime” is baffling boffins at a nature reserve.
The jelly-like substance has been found at the RSPB Ham Wall Nature reserve in Somerset.
As yet the mystery slime has not been identified.
Steve Hughes, the RSPB site manager at Ham Wall, said: “This past week we’ve been finding piles of this translucent jelly dotted around the reserve, always on grass banks away from the water’s edge.
“They are usually about 10cm (4in) in diameter. We’ve asked experts what it might be, but as yet no one is really sure. Whatever it is, it’s very weird.”
Scientific speculation as to the nature of the jelly is varied.
One of the more favoured explanations is that it is a form of cyanobacteria called Nostoc.
Some, however, suggest that it is the remains of the regurgitated innards of amphibians such as frogs and toads and of their spawn.
The public are being warned not to touch the mystery substance, and to inform nature reserve staff.
