I have to disagree. My wife showed me that picture without any of the backstory, and I immediately saw the creepy tree stump (or whatever) and said “What is that, some kind of swamp monster?”
In fact, I would never have thought it wasn’t something deliberately created to look scary if I hadn’t later read the “It must be a stump, right?” and the speculation here.
Oops. Stupid double-posting due to my Linux box crashing…
Troll.
“Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist…” smack
Ehrm? My Internet gateway crashed and I thought the post didn’t go through, so once I rebooted it and was connected again, I clicked submit again. Turns out it did go through the first time.
I saw the thing fine in the first pic. OTTOMH I’d guess possum, or possibly a ferret. I’m having trouble juding the size, and making out certain details. IANA zoologist or biologist. But, ASAIK, there are wild possums in NJ. I know that here in PA, it’s technically illegal to own ferrets but that many business sell them and many people own them. Presumably, they sometimes get loose or are abandoned just as other pets are. The features of that head look very ferretish to me. The ‘coat’ could be some kind of leaves, loose bark, it may be that this is a cluster of animals but only one head is clearly visible, or the ‘coat’ could be a bag or some kind of other litter which the animal is investigating for food or shelter.
You call that a troll? Sheesh. Get your sorry butt over here, buddy, and I’ll introduce you to some trolls.
I’m afraid the only two truly scary things in New Jersey are still 1) the Jersey devil and 2) Donald Trump’s hair. 
Bah. The legends make it clear, and anybody who has ever read The Hobbit knows, sunlight turns those trolls to stone. All you have to do is stall them with a riddle game, or lead them on a wild goose chase for treasure or a better meal.
Opossum, maybe but I tend to agree with Ilsa that it’s a raccoon. It’s standing up on it’s hind legs and we are seeing it’s lighter underbelly. You can see the dark banded tail hanging down. Possums have big bald rat tails. The face is most likely blurry because it was moving.
I also agree that the stump in the middle looks like a big lizard.
But a grinning troll in an overcoat is much more interesting.
Looks like Tripler is home on leave…
Guys, it’s a stump. Overactive imagination much?
Oh, my God! gasp :eek: That’s…
…a very mundane-looking tree stump. :dubious:
Does the photographer know something we don’t?
For whomever it was that asked, the pic was taken in Lawrenceville, NJ, “in the swamp by the canal behind the Wal-Mart and Target on Rt. 1. There’s a trail that leads from the canal to the old mansion in the woods. This is taken about a mile in”.
He may be taking a walk back there this weekend for a follow-up.
Oh my god… it’s Littlefoot!
Everyone was so busy looking at the troll, no-one noticed the 25-foot-high walking stick insect rearing up on its back legs on the left, there. How did the photographer survive the encounter?
