Bo'ness woman surprised to find octopus on the shores of River Forth on evening walk

After a day of beautiful hot weather yesterday it is not surprising that dog walkers were out last night as the sun dipped down and the weather cooled, but a Bo’ness woman out on a dog walk was surprised to find an intriguing creature paddling on the beach.
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Yesterday night around 9pm, Jackie Mitchell was out on a dog walk at Crookies Beach in Bo’ness near her home when she spotted a creature twisting and curling in the sand.

While at first she thought it might be a squid, upon closer inspection she saw it was actually an octopus.

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“We were out walking the dogs last night at around 9pm, and it was still about 22 degrees outside,” Jackie said, “When I spotted the thing I thought it was a squid but I got closer and saw it was an octopus - when I looked it up it seems to be what is called a curled or horned octopus.”

The octopus was spotted around 9pm last nightThe octopus was spotted around 9pm last night
The octopus was spotted around 9pm last night

Curled octopus are normally found in the North Sea where their population has increased over the years and it is believed that as the North Sea leads into the Firth of Forth, this may have been where the creature came from.

“It was having a paddle in the water and it was changing colours,” Jackie added, “It was mostly cream but changed into red when it sensed other animals nearby. There was a golden retriever bounding around which approached it but my dog kept well back.

“When the retriever went up to sniff the octopus it flashed bright scarlet as if to warn the dog off - it was really cool to watch.”

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Jackie walked her dog and when returning back along the beach saw that the octopus was still there, but not following the tide and appeared to not be moving.

“I splashed a couple of handfuls of water on it and it began moving again and paddling in the water left in the sand so I left it there,” she said.

“I’ve lived here for nearly 30 years and have never seen an octopus, occasionally I have seen a seal but it’s a rarity, but I’ve never seen an octopus!”

On social media, images of curled octopus spotted in Dundee and Queensferry have also been spread and marvelled at.