A mystery in mongoose territory had Folly Farm flummoxed at the weekend.

Zoo keepers were left scratching their heads after an unaccounted-for amphibious creature was spotted by a visitor to the attraction.

The team was dispatched with trepidation to investigate the pond interloper sighted in the banded mongoose enclosure.

Theories of a miniature Loch Ness Monster or a mysterious water lizard were floating about..... until the conundrum was cracked.

Ther curious creature was found out to be nothing more than a toy crocodile that someone had dropped in the pond.

"We breathed a little sigh of relief I can tell you,” Folly Farm shared with its friends on Facebook today, Monday, January 10. “But it did give us all a laugh this grey Monday morning.”