OK,
Kim, we don't have jaguars here, but good guess!
Teresa, Otter was my first thought too! But an otter has five toes, and you should be able to see the webbing. That is what I was hoping it was when I saw it...
Robin, very good guess on the bobcat. If it was a little bit bigger, I'd somehow convince myself that is what it is. But although a few people have claimed seeing one on the island, nobody has ever produced any "proof" like scat, tracks, mauled animals, etc.
Donna, there were raccoon prints right alongside these, but no telling how far apart in time the animals actually left the prints in the sand.
Lu, although our beach is very populated with doggies (and on some list of the "dog-friendliest beaches" in the country), I was the only bean on the beach this morning, (and no nails on the prints either). :smile:
Denise, if a baby gator was around, that means momma was nearby, and I would have been beating feet outta there!
My next hope was that it was a grey fox, because I know we have those, but there's no evidence of nails above the toes in the prints.
So, after asking a few people, I've been forced to accept it was just a plain old feral kitty (but I think it could have been a young bobcat anyway!). But like Lisa said, it must have been a pretty big kitty.
Regardless, EVERYBODY gets the flowers!