Ancient myths often feature mythical beasts that combine the characteristics of two different creatures. For example, in Greek mythology, the griffin has the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and wings. But are there mysterious creatures in real life whose appearances are equally elusive and hard to define?
Nature is full of wonders, and off the coast of Italy, a remarkable creature has indeed appeared that looks both like a pig and a shark! According to LADbible, sailors aboard a naval warship discovered this strange animal floating on the water's surface when they docked at the port of Portoferraio on Elba Island, Italy.
The sailors quickly hauled the creature ashore but could not identify what animal it was because it had the body of a shark yet a face resembling that of a pig. In fact, it was an angular roughshark (Oxynotus centrina), a species that usually inhabits deep waters about 700 meters below the surface, living in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its unusual appearance, it is also known as the "pig-faced shark".
This rare angular roughshark is currently classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Local residents report that these sharks occasionally surface. News of the navy encountering the angular roughshark at the port quickly spread online, leading some to mistakenly believe the navy was deliberately hunting the animal. However, after being brought ashore, the shark was immediately taken to the port office for further study and handling by relevant personnel.
Yuri Tiberto, a staff member at the Elba Island Aquarium, explained, "One reason they are called pigfish is because when they leave the water, they make a grunting sound. In the biologically diverse waters of the Tuscan Archipelago, it's relatively easy to spot them occasionally, and fishermen sometimes accidentally catch them in their nets. I have also tried to keep angular roughsharks in captivity at the aquarium but found that this species is not suitable for artificial breeding."
