In the highlands of Scotland scurries a small hairy creature known as the haggis.  Highly elusive, haggis hunters have searched for centuries to capture one of these small creatures, but only the most skilled trackers and trappers are successful and able to turn the sweet meat into the country's national dish.

So hard to spot are these little beasts, that descriptions of the animal vary wildly.

Some say that it is a three legged fowl. Others describe it as a small four legged mammal, but with the legs on one side of it's body shorter than on the other side. The reason for this difference in leg length, is so the creature can run around the sides of hills more easily.

There is also another theory which suggests that there are two different species, one with longer legs on the left side of it's body and one with longer legs on the right side of it's body. Obviously, one species can run clockwise around hills and one anticlockwise, and the story goes that these two species cannot interbreed as the stubby legs of the offspring would cause them to tumble helplessly down the hills to be quickly netted and popped into a pot to be cooked.

These little animals are well loved in Scotland,  and you will find round hairy plush toys in most souvenir stores around the country,  and their likeness can be found on postcards, stickers, T shirts and many other types of memorabilia.

The haggis even inspired Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns to write an 'Ode to the Haggis' which is still traditionally recited when the haggis is brought to the table to be served.  So noble is the haggis that its entrance to a dinner is even accompanied by bagpipe music,  a tradition known as the haggis being 'piped in'.

Some people believe that the the haggis is merely a mythical creature invented so that the Scots could avoid revealing the secret recipe of haggis - served as a large sausage type meal, normally with mashed potatoes and turnips. However a 2003 survey of 1,000 American tourists found that 33% of them believed that the haggis was an actual animal and 23% said that they were hoping to catch one when they visited Scotland.  

Haggis hunts are organized in many highland areas where tourists are offered a chance to see the animal's natural habitat although they are warned that they would be extremely lucky to actually catch a glimpse of them.   A national newspaper even runs an online Haggis hunt, where entrants can win prizes such as a stay in luxury Scottish hotel if they manage to spot a haggis on one of the website's many webcams which monitor areas where the animals are known to live.

If you are ever lucky enough to find a haggis out in broad daylight and want to catch it, try chasing it the opposite way around the hill, as they will not be able to run away from you.