Gàidhlig / English
Snaod

Snaod

Posted by Kate on Thursday 21st July 2016
I would say that you’d be very fortunate to see an otter swimming past you in any remote location in Scotland. Perhaps you won’t catch sight of an otter itself as they are very shy, but of the snaod, or the track of an otter in water which is left behind when it swims by. You will recognise the snaod of the otter as it swims with its body low, and where it keeps its nose above the water level. A line is called a snaod in the Isle of Skye, and ràs is what is known by anything else that you might drag through the water.

Keep an eye out for slip of the otter on the grass. This word was recorded in Harris as well as Scalpay, and is what is known by the trail of phlegm that the otter leaves on the blades of grass when it crawls on land.

In Cape Breton and on Christmas Island, the trail of a bear is called a tasmaltan, and this is clear to see by the undergrowth he’d leave flattened in his wake. It might also be obvious from the entrails, if the bear was guzzling a snack on his trip!

In Uig, Isle of Lewis, atach is what is known by a trail of anything that has lost its use, and has been left in a mess on the floor.

If you are familiar with any of these words connected to the trails of different animals, please get in touch in the comments section below.
 
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