A young girl who found the biggest fly known to the UK on a camping holiday to Scotland said it was more exciting than seeing a pod of dolphins.
Kirsty Bennett, 11, spotted a dark giant horsefly sitting on a camping chair beside her tent, on the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde.
She wanted to snap a picture of the 3cm fly without disturbing it - but was glad when it buzzed off.
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The mega insect - which can measure 5cm - feasts on blood and can cause nasty bites, and is the heaviest fly found in Europe.
Kirsty said: "I saw two dolphins but seeing the fly was more exciting.
"Everyone knows about dolphins but nobody else knows about the fly, they can give you a bite.
"That fly was just sitting on my camping chair, beside my tent.
"I didn't know what it was. I could just make out a large, dark shape so I crept up to it carefully so I could take the photograph.
"It was massive. I've never seen a fly that big before, ever.
"I really didn't want to get close to it but I wanted to get a good photo. I was glad when it flew away."
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Kirsty visits Arran every summer with her mum, Ailsa, 47, who works as a teacher, and they love spotting wildlife.
She is looking forward to telling her friends about it on the first day back at school today (Sept 2).
Kirsty added: "We saw a couple of deer and some otters as well."
The family, including dad Malc, 48, and Kirsty's brother Craig, 17, were visiting Scotland from Marple, Stockport, Greater Mancs.
Proud mum Ailsa said: "Who would have thought a fly would be more amazing than a pod of dolphins.
"She was very brave getting as close to that beast as she did. It must have been about 3cm long - huge."
Horseflies, commonly known as cleggs in Scotland, thrive in hot and rainy weather.
Their bites can be painful, and can even become infected.
The Arran Ranger Service said: "This is a female as her eyes are separated by a bar, and she needs to feed on blood before she can lay her eggs.
"They can give a nasty bite as their mandibles are serrated choppers which will tear and rip at your skin.
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"These giant flies can reach up to 5cm long."
The British Pest Control Association puts their bites in its list of the top ten to avoid, and says soaring temperatures are one the reasons there has been a surge in reported fly bites.
Natalie Bungay, BPCA Field Officer, said: "Horse fly bites are particularly painful because their main food source is livestock, which have a limited ability to move the fly away.
“This means they can take their food without having to worry about delivering a painful bite, as the animals are generally powerless to stop them.
“This is as opposed to mosquitoes, which extract blood through a painless bite.”
MFL - trying to establish how rare the fly is in the UK.
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