Jogger Peter Oldale was out on his daily run through High Storrs, Sheffield, when he came face to face with a rat-like creature as big as a dog.

The stunned semi-retired building estimator from Edale Road was stopped in his tracks by the unusual 2ft beast which paused for a few moments before turning tail and scurrying off.

The incident, as Peter jogged towards Bents Green through the trees along the boggy part of High Storrs Roughs near Trap Lane, left him consumed with curiosity.

Back home the 66-year-old from Edale Road, Greystones, hit the internet to try and find an explanation for what he had seen – and found the image of the creature staring back at him.

What do you think. Have you seen the strange creature? Add your comment below.

He said: "It was a capybara – the animal on the screen looked exactly the same as the one I saw.

"It was about two feet long and stood about 16 inches high. It looked a bit like an overgrown guinea pig.

"I've been running along those roughs for more than 30 years and I have seen all sorts up there – but never anything like this.

"I wonder if anyone else has seen it?"

Sheffield Museums' Senior Curator of Natural History Paul Richards is the man who records instances of strange creatures which are spotted around the city.

Paul told The Star this was the first time it had been reported to him that there may be a capybara on the loose.

He said: "A capybara is not a component of our native fauna. They are usually found in South American forests or grasslands near to water.

"It is a timid, semi-aquatic creature which feeds on aquatic plants so it is unlikely to have been a capybara.

"It could have been a muntjac deer, which is very similar looking though none of those have been sighted around Sheffield before.However I cannot rule out that it might just be a capybara that has escaped from somewhere."

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