The Italian sailors hauled in the nets and brought the shark on board.
The shark’s head looked like it had been transplanted from a different species, and within minutes most of the crew had pushed for its release back into the ocean.
Near the little island of Elba, several fishermen reeled in a peculiar catch.
The sailors were particularly taken aback by the proximity of the shark’s capture to the pier, since sharks typically avoid coastal areas.
The monster looked like a shark that was grossly overweight.
Its snout looked so much like a pig’s that the fisherman had to let it go. Several people thought they were dealing with some kind of mutation.
A few photos were taken by the sailors, and these were shown to the aquarium’s local employees.
Almost instantly, he grasped what was going on. The fish was not a mutant, but rather a very unusual species.
A specimen of Oxynotus centrina. ‘Centrins spend their whole lives between 700 and 800 meters below, so it’s a mystery how it ended out in such shallow water,’ aquarium worker Mario Bertolucci said.
The Red Book has a listing of standard centrins. Lucky for them, the fishermen were able to safely return their catch to the sea.
