Discovery of Strange 'Scratch Marks' on Forest Path Sparks Wild Theories

The discovery of a series of unusual "scratch marks" on a forest pathway has sparked any number of weird and wild theories online.

Caelyn, from Leeds in the U.K., turned to Reddit for answers after coming across a series of unusual markings while walking in Hetchell Wood Nature Reserve near the West Yorkshire village of Bardsey.

"At first I thought they were animal marks in dirt," Caelyn told Newsweek. "But when I realized it was stone I didn't think it would be. I know bears and big cats do it on trees, maybe even stone, but if there's a wild bear in England we've got bigger problems."

Though Caelyn may joke and there's little hard evidence to suggest it, there have been several alleged sightings of exotic animals across the Yorkshire region over the past few years. In 2019, the Wakefield Express ran a story about an amateur photographer who claimed to have captured a picture of what many suspect was a large wild cat at St. Aidan's Nature Reserve near Leeds.

In 2021, the York Press reported on an incident where a man claimed to have spotted a large black figure "lumbering" along in a field near York. More recently, in 2022, The Yorkshire Post reported that two friends walking near Doncaster spotted what they thought was a "still, black animal" in a nearby field.

Eager to get a second opinion, Caelyn posted a picture of the markings to Reddit under the handle u/DagothNereviar to see if anyone knew the source of the "scratch marks" she found.

Some were quick to float the idea of it being an animal. One wrote: "Maybe one of England's many anomalous big cats, but they're only cryptids so who am I kidding...unless?"

Caelyn replied: "I won't lie, I did think of that." A second Redditor suggested it "could just be moving a heavy object that gouged the stone." Caelyn was unsure, writing: "In the middle of the woods? I think that's even creepier."

A third commented: "If it was an animal then most likely it was a badger. They often leave marks like this on trees when sharpening their claws, but will sometimes scratch soft stone too." Another said: "Looks like farm equipment," with Caelyn again skeptical, replying: "It was in the middle of the forest, stream on one side and trees on the other. Small equipment maybe, but the claw marks are very uniformed."

Elsewhere, one user suggested: "Sometimes there are scratches like this from people sharpening tools or weapons long ago." Caelyn responded: "It was very near some Roman earthworks, so it could have been some Roman dicking around."

Another, meanwhile, had an entirely logical scientific explanation: "It's called glacial striation. When Britain was covered by glaciers they moved around slightly and had rocks within them that created scratches on the surface. I've seen loads of examples of striation in Northern England myself."

Newsweek consulted with an expert but they were unable to verify what created the markings.

Caelyn has listened to all the theories now and admitted that while the idea of it being a large cat did cross her mind, "though only briefly," she has her own theory.

"I'd say either jokingly a jacked-up badger or seriously tool marks, as it's just too uniform for anything else," she said.