John Lewis from Peterhead has also found the jelly over the past 8 to 10 years, 'usually close to, or around the margins of ponds or other bits of wetlands or just damp areas in fields. If this comes from an animal - at Quinish it could be sheep, cattle or deer but at the Mishish Lochs only from a sheep or red deer.' I talked to a local keeper he had seen this once before on the hill. ![]() The second was at Quinish on a shoot in the autumn and more like your photo - two or three lumps. The mass was very clear with a slight purple hue - colour like a block of acrylic - texture like jelly. The first sighting was at the Mishnish Lochs - a single lump of very firm jelly about 150cm in diameter and as we live in Tobermory, I was reminded of a jelly fish - at 500ft in the wrong direction for a wind lift. Ronnie Leask directed us to a geological magazine which suggested this might be 'Pwdre Ser or Star Jelly', perhaps remnants from a meteorite shower.īrian Swinbanks says 'I have seen this substance twice on the Isle of Mull, so you can rule out badgers and foxes, we have none. Other people are talking about anal glands and secretions, but the substances I have observed are too large to be produced by a small carnivore.' This would certainly explain clear jellies found in March or April. If a predator eats a female frog or toad that is ready to lay, the jelly which would have formed the outside of the spawn is discarded (does it taste nasty?) as not nutritious. Steve Chambers believes that 'the problem is that there are several jelly-like substances that can be found at different times of year. Mike Snook thinks it could be 'a slime mould, a kind of fungus, I have seen several in woods on the base of tree trunks.' Jean Muir thinks 'It could be some kind of jelly fungus'. Let us know what you think by using the comments form or email your photos to the team. We have listed some of your comments below. "Cleaning out my pond today, I pulled out a dead frog that has obviously broken open exposing a white "blob", several of your programmes a few months ago were going on about strange "matter" lying about the countryside, here is an actual specimen of the white matter of your discussion."Įuan McIlwraith picked up the sample and took it to the Macaulay Institute for examination. Has the mystery been solved? Out of Doors listener Colin Torrance of West Linton, Peeblesshire, wrote on 10 March 2009: It backs the theory that birds of some species are eating frogs or toads and regurgitating the ovaries, perhaps due to toxins. Historical references: Hans Sluiman's academic colleagues unearthed a 1926 reference in the journal Nature to 'the rot of the stars'. He says there are fungus filaments in the slime but agrees with Hans that they're growing in the gloop rather than creating it.ĭNA tests: Andy's team at the Macaulay Institute ran DNA tests on a sample, but the results were inconclusive - the sample was contaminated. Theories so far: Hans Sluiman, an algae expert at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, told Out of Doors listeners he is convinced the gel itself is not a plant or animal.ĭr Andy Taylor studies fungi at the Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen. ![]() To try to solve the mystery, Out of Doors has asked some scientists to examine a 'jelly' sample. ![]() ![]() Download the Adobe Flash player to view this content
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