Sailors have been reportedly "creeped out" after pulling an animal from the water with the body of a shark and the face of a pig.
The strange animal was first seen by naval officers in the waters of the Darsena Medicea marina in Portoferraio, Elba.
At first they thought it was a shark, but ... guys. This is no shark.
The animal has been identified as an Angular rough shark, or Oxynotus centrina. It's an extremely rare animal that lives up to 2,300 feet below the surface of the water. It's also known as (wait for it...) the pig-faced shark.
The sea creature is so rare that it was listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered, which means it is rarely spotted.
The Mirror reported that Yuri Tiberto of the Elba Aquarium spoke to local media. He said that while the pig shark was rare, it wasn't uncommon to spot in their local waters.
"It is commonly called a 'pig fish' because when it comes out of the water it emits a kind of grunt," he said.
"In the sea of the Tuscan archipelago, so rich in biodiversity... it is not uncommon to find this fish, and I can safely say that I often receive reports telling me of 'pig fish' that have ended up in local fishing nets."
"I also tried for a period to host it in one of the tanks at the aquarium, but soon I gave up because I saw that it is a species that does not adapt to captivity," he added.
The Angular rough shark is most commonly found in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
People on Facebook had this to say:
"It looks so sad. If it was still alive, I hope it was released back into the water," one user wrote.
Another said, "Poor shark looks like he woke up early, had a day at work and, then came home to a house full of screaming kids and an angry wife..."
Someone else wondered, "Wait......does that shark have..Eyelids?" (eeeeewwww)
Pretty cool to see such a rare animal any way you slice it!
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