Tracks emerging from the Moray Firth spark a sealife mystery
Markings on sandy Moray beach spark a mystery over what could have caused them - and what happened to the culprits.
Mystery surrounds three sets of tracks spotted on a Moray beach in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The tracks, first thought to have been created by turtles, were noted on Lossiemouth's east beach by Kate and Lee Sansum while out for an early morning walk along the sands.
Kate said: "There are three distinct sets of tracks coming up from the water almost to the dunes, each around several yards apart. They all appear to be going in one direction with no signs of return tracks and our guess was that they were caused by turtles.
"We have called the Scottish Dolphin Centre to ask if they were aware and while they had no recent reports they did say that turtles had been seen along the Moray Firth."
While it is rare for turtles to venture so far north, sightings of leatherback turtles have been reported along the Moray Firth with one said to be around 2.5metres long seen north of Hopeman in 2000.
If the tracks on the Lossie beach were in fact turtles, however, the mystery is where the reptiles went after making their way up the beach, with Kate having her own suspicions: "There were no human footprints on the beach when we first spotted the tracks except one set at the top where the tracks ended.
"It looked to us as if someone had perhaps lifted the turtles, or whatever caused the tracks, and removed them from the beach. We searched around the dunes but could find no signs at all, it is very strange but I suppose it will remain a mystery."
A more recent turtle sighting on the Moray Firth happened two years ago by crew members working on a survey ship. James Spencer from Nafferton in Yorkshire reported seeing a leatherback close to the Beatrice oil field.
He said: "It was floating around 200metres from the boat but even more remarkable is there were possibly two more further from the boat but we could not confirm that as we were busy working."
Mrs Sansum had informed Grampian Police of her concerns and they arranged for a wildlife expert to look at the tracks. As a result she received a call saying that it was felt they may have been caused by grey seals. She said: "I would be quite content to just accept that it was seals but that does not really explain why there are no tracks going in the other direction.
"I've seen tracks left by common grey seals, and they tend to leave a distinct groove in the sand and that was not present this time. I guess it will remain a mystery but I would like to know more and would ask people in the area to keep their eyes peeled for more of these tracks."
The tracks, first thought to have been created by turtles, were noted on Lossiemouth's east beach by Kate and Lee Sansum while out for an early morning walk along the sands.
Kate said: "There are three distinct sets of tracks coming up from the water almost to the dunes, each around several yards apart. They all appear to be going in one direction with no signs of return tracks and our guess was that they were caused by turtles.
"We have called the Scottish Dolphin Centre to ask if they were aware and while they had no recent reports they did say that turtles had been seen along the Moray Firth."
While it is rare for turtles to venture so far north, sightings of leatherback turtles have been reported along the Moray Firth with one said to be around 2.5metres long seen north of Hopeman in 2000.
If the tracks on the Lossie beach were in fact turtles, however, the mystery is where the reptiles went after making their way up the beach, with Kate having her own suspicions: "There were no human footprints on the beach when we first spotted the tracks except one set at the top where the tracks ended.
"It looked to us as if someone had perhaps lifted the turtles, or whatever caused the tracks, and removed them from the beach. We searched around the dunes but could find no signs at all, it is very strange but I suppose it will remain a mystery."
A more recent turtle sighting on the Moray Firth happened two years ago by crew members working on a survey ship. James Spencer from Nafferton in Yorkshire reported seeing a leatherback close to the Beatrice oil field.
He said: "It was floating around 200metres from the boat but even more remarkable is there were possibly two more further from the boat but we could not confirm that as we were busy working."
Mrs Sansum had informed Grampian Police of her concerns and they arranged for a wildlife expert to look at the tracks. As a result she received a call saying that it was felt they may have been caused by grey seals. She said: "I would be quite content to just accept that it was seals but that does not really explain why there are no tracks going in the other direction.
"I've seen tracks left by common grey seals, and they tend to leave a distinct groove in the sand and that was not present this time. I guess it will remain a mystery but I would like to know more and would ask people in the area to keep their eyes peeled for more of these tracks."
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