The creature though isn’t something I recognize at all. It doesn’t look anything like any shark I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen quite a few. I’ve seen them wash up dead and deteriorating, I’ve seen them skinned and cleaned with jaws removed. But I’ve never seen anything like that.

It’s been years but if I recall, to remove the jaws of any shark you have to cut away a lot more flesh and skin then you might think, which leaves a much larger gape.

I agree that it looks to have been shot and I also see a tail (small for the size but a tail none-the-less). What looks like a “smile” could be a blood trail from the mouth if the head was elevated and the whole thing turned. I can also see where the gill is.

To me the guy in the middle looks like his shirt should also be white but is very dirty. Maybe blood from cleaning the fish? It also looks like it’s on his upper pants.

I very rarely think these things (cryptid photos) are real but this one I do think is. Whether it’s an actual cryptid or not, I have no idea.

Anyone know if it’s ever been sent to National Geographic or the like to see if they can identify it?

First of all, I see a tail. A fish tail to be sure, on the far right, but a tail nevertheless. It is augmented the same way as a reptile would have a tail, so anything like a whale fetus is out. Laying more or less flat, and hard to see, to be sure, but it has a tail.

Secondly, blood. What looks like a wound at the top right of the head, looks like a bullet hole. And the blood spatter going down the side of the head, looks what it would be like if a creature got shot. The other blood aspect is right where there would technically be a throat. Where the head meets the body, it looks very dark, bloody as it were. That’s from slitting it’s throat. Pump a round in it’s head and slit it’s throat, just like they do when they hang up sharks.

Thirdly, where the head meets the body, look closely and you’ll notice the coloration doesn’t match. That’s because it’s a gill cover. Look on any fish, dead or alive, and when the gill cover is slightly open, it gives the impression of a larger more squared off head. Look at the coelacanth logo from Cryptomundo itself, the gill cover is squared off similar to this.

Finally, the mouth. Although it looks drawn on or fake, the part that goes upwards at the back of the head could be part of the gill mechanism. Water goes inside the slit, flows over the gills, and exits. And remember, if we are trying to compare an unknown creature with an unknown body style to known creatures with known body styles, they may not even come close to matching. It may be something completely different, exactly what I believe is pictured here.

See pic.

If I HAVE to hazard a guess, I’d say skinned shark.

Whatever it is—still a fascinating picture.

Not sure if that helps or hinders things!