Italian navy officials have rescued a strange deep-sea monster on the 19th of August. It had the body of a shark and the face of a pig. The sailors on a navy vessel found it floating in the seas near the Darsena Medicea marina in Portoferraio, on the Italian island of Elba.
They noticed that what looked to be a shark had a pig-like face as soon as they took it out from the water. However aside from the shock, they decided that it was a rare shark. The shark was recognized as an Angular rough shark (Oxynotus centrina). Its commonly referred to as a pig-faced shark, which is exceedingly unusual.
image courtesy : Newsflash
It is also categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is seldom seen and survives up to 700 meters (2,300 feet) under the sea.
Despite the fact that the finding occurred three weeks back, images of the strange-looking aquatic creature were just recently shared on social media. Lots of remarks followed the post, including criticism from users who believed that the shark had really been trapped and slaughtered intentionally.
The angular rough shark was transported to the Harbour Office after being pulled out from the water. After investigations, it had been eventually disposed of. Yuri Tiberto of the Elba Aquarium informed local reporters that, despite its rarity, it wasn’t unusual to observe it in the area. “It’s known as a ‘pig fish’ as it makes a grunting sound as it emerges from the water,” he explained.
“It isn’t unusual to discover this species in the seas of the Tuscan archipelago, which are so abundant in biodiversity… I can fairly claim that I frequently hear tales of ‘pig fish’ caught in local fishing nets.”
“I also wanted to keep it in one of the aquarium’s tanks for a while, but I eventually gave up since I realized it’s a species that doesn’t fare well in captivity.”
The angular rough shark can be found in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic Oceans. It has a thick, blunt nose and a wide, flattened skull.
What are your opinions on this Pig Fish? Let us know in the comments.
