Shark body and pig’s head: the strange fish found on an island in Italy that has been mistaken for a sea monster

The find quickly drew a small crowd, intrigued by what it could be. strange animal that floated, lifeless, in the waters of the Elba island, to Italy. Seeing the peculiar shape of the body and the ice-colored eyes, more than a passer-by thought it was some sort of sea ​​monster.

Once taken to the dock in the town of Portoferraio everything became clearer: it was a Oxynotus Centrina, a small shark more commonly known as “Pigfish”. The discovery took place on August 19, but was made public thanks to images on Elba App’s Isola Facebook page.

The post immediately drew hundreds of comments, including reviews from users who believed the shark was caught and killed on purpose.

After being removed from the water, the shark was taken to the port office for investigation and ultimately disposed of.

The nickname “pig” is due to the unique sound that sounds like a growl, which emits when removed from the water. Completely harmless, the species prefers depths where it also hunts crustaceans.

Ancient knowledge of fishermen and divers, this fish usually lives in the waters of the Atlantic eastern and in the Black Sea, although it has also been sighted in the waters of the Mediterranean, much closer to the Tyrrhenian sea and the coasts of the island of Elba.

Adult fish reach up to one and a half meters in length and live between 100 and 700 meters deep. Another peculiarity is the elongated dorsal fin and very developed in height, in addition to the skin characterized by light spots and a large muzzle.

It is a species classified as “vulnerable” by the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, making its discovery in Portoferraio even more significant.

Although it is classified as a vulnerable species, it too often ends up by accident in the nets of fishing boats. A cruel fate which perhaps also touched this specimen which, this time, had been found in the water already dead.

The singular discovery is nothing new for the island of Elba. Another specimen had been captured in these waters in 2018. This time, however, finished at the fishmonger’s counter.

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