Comments on: New Mystery Fish

By: RayG

RayG — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:07:19 +0000

I think the fish is a Aimara

By: cryp-23

cryp-23 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:38:04 +0000

alright it’s defenently not a pike and i have got to say no to walleye to i think it could be a snakehead but if it is it’s defenently crushed and i wonder what kind of “animal” draged it from the pond.

By: Sordes

Sordes — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:46:15 +0000

DNA testing is expensive and needs time. Why should anybody pay money for such a fish? Furthermore, it would be no problem to identify it, if there would be better photos, analyses of the skull and the scales.

By: Saint Vitus

Saint Vitus — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:44:23 +0000

It is certainly not a wolf fish or anything like that. There are many common predatory fish with similar facial features, but judging by the body shape it could be a snakehead. It doesn’t seem to have any fins attached so it’s hard to say. I’m surprised no one has DNA tested this thing yet, that seems like the obvious thing to do.

By: Samson77

Samson77 — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:39:54 +0000

Come on pike people, no way that thing is a pike. It definitely lacks the pike “beak”. A Walleye would be more likely than a pike.
It sure looks like a Snakehead to me.

By: whiteriverfisherman

whiteriverfisherman — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:12:55 +0000

Looks like a Sauger or Saugeye, maybe a Walleye or pike, I can see where the dorsal fin used to be and where the tail fin has been removed. The head was crushed when it was run over thus distorting the face.

By: john

john — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:38:11 +0000

freshwater wolfish, hoplias malabaricus a common freshwater aquarium fish that reaches about 20″ in length. There is another fresh water wolf fish that get much larger, hoplias aimara ie. hoplias lacerde.

By: cromcrom

cromcrom — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:10:28 +0000

What about Esox lucius? Although it looks like a dessicated snakehead to me…

By: sschaper

sschaper — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:42:42 +0000

Sand trout?

Seriously, too damaged to be sure of what it is other than I’d hate to have one bite me.

By: maslo63

maslo63 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:23:09 +0000

I believe the fish is likely a lake trout. Lake trout do posses sharp teeth. Though they appear longer then on a live specimen I believe this is a result of decomposition exposing them.
It also appears to me that the fish in question has an adipose fin. I circled what I believe to be the adipose in the below photograph from another source.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h225/centrarchid/fullsize_8dad3604eb49fa55046954730b.jpg
The adipose fin is a small fleshy fin located behind the dorsal in salmonids, characans, catfishes etc. If what I’m seeing is an adipose fin that supports the lake trout theory and rules out pike, snakeheads etc. If it is not a lake trout my next best guess is walleye (Sander vitreus).
http://www.emowalleye.com/files/images/chipleer.jpg

The fish is not a wolf fish, at least not a marine wolf fish anyway (Anarhichas lupus). The anatomy is all wrong. Just look at the skull.
http://piclib.nhm.ac.uk/piclib/webimages/0/9000/900/9917_med.jpg

The fish could however be the freshwater South American wolffish (Hoplias malabaricus). These are popular in the aquarium hobby and it would not be unusual for someone to release one.
http://nis.gsmfc.org/photo/Hoplias_malabaricus.jpg

And there is just no way it is a member of the Esox (pike) family. I have a pike skull sitting within view and have seen a lot of live and dead specimens. The head anatomy is all wrong.
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/966/45001680.JPG
http://www.chrismccully.co.uk/data/wl/200707/200707301952img01.jpg