In this story, this is a fish with a shark body and a “pig face”.
Italian sailors noticed an unusual creature in the waters of Elba Island: a fish with a shark body and a “pig face”.
They pulled her ashore, photographed her and left her at the port office. The pictures were posted on a local travel page.
Despite such a discouraging appearance, the fish has long been known to science: it is the Atlantic centrina, or pig shark, which until recently was considered a vulnerable species, and its status has been revised for the worse – pig sharks are now recognized as endangered.
The ovoviviparous shark feeds on molluscs and plankton. It belongs to the trihedral shark genus, all of which are characterized by a flattened head with large, close-set nostrils and gill openings (squiggles) behind the eyes.
She was nicknamed “Pig” because of the grunting sounds that the fish makes.
The fish caught by the sailors already had injuries incompatible with life. Most likely, she collided with some kind of swimming device.
This species prefers life on the bottom, at depths of 100 to 700 meters, and usually does not come close to the shore. Even if the wounded shark is left in the water, it is unlikely that it will survive.
The fact that a rare representative of the marine fauna has come into the human field of view is an alarming signal – and an occasion to think again about the protection of marine ecosystems.
