Images of what appears to be a crocodile floating in a pond in Scotland sparked a frenzy among terrified witnesses.
The pictures of the reptile were posted on social media by someone claiming to be a dog walker - who said the crocodile followed him around the Keptie Pond in Arbroath, Scotland yesterday.
The post sparked a social media storm, with some questioning if the creature was a fake, while others were convinced it was real.
However to the relief of concerned locals, it turned out the 'crocodile' was part of a hoax staged by prankster Findlay Stephen - who couldn't wait until April 1, Daily Record reports.
After the post went viral, Findlay revealed he placed the fake croc's head in the pond "for a laugh".
Writing on Facebook , he said: "Had a wee walk round the pond this evening with the dogs.
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"Couldn’t believe my eyes and it followed me around the pond. Seemed friendly enough. Never seen any ducks though!!"
The post didn't stop people speculating if the croc was real or not.
Danielle Finn wasn't sure, she wrote: "Thats gotta be fake?"
Darren Stewart was adamant it was a real crocodile floating about in the water.
He said: "I've seen alligators. This is defo one."
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Mark Karl Brodie agreed with Darren, he wrote: "Am with you Darren Stewart. My great grandad worked alongside Steve Irwin and I just showed him this and he said definitely an alligator and also said if there’s one there will be more!"
Speaking to the Evening Telegraph, prankster Findlay said: "This was purely done as a laugh.
"There is so much negativity on Facebook with people complaining about things that are wrong in Arbroath.
"As soon as it was posted it was widely shared. I think it was split 50/50 with people thinking it was real.
"I thought it would be a good laugh to put something up that wasn’t just about people complaining."
