Double Pike
I don't know if this is a hoax or not. What do you think?
A friend sent this with a comment about fishing downstream from a nuclear power plant.
Hoax or not?
Labels: Double Pike, hoax, strange fish
posted by Steve Dobson at
00:25
6 Comments:
Well, I'm going to say it's a hoax.
Firstly, this isn't a mutation. Rather, it's a developmental defect. The difference is that mutations involve changes to DNA, and developmental defects are accidents in the reproductive process.
I can be sure it's not a mutation because it clearly shows two almost-complete animals joined together at the head. There are two backbones, two sets of muscles, two sets of organs etc. It's basically not possible for a mutation to result in this situation; you can't mutate one fish into two fish; you have to start with two embryos.
So it's not a mutation, which of course could have a theoretical link to a nuclear plant (except not really, because contrary to The Simpsons, real nuclear plants aren't actually allowed to discharge radioactive material to the environment. When they do, it's called a nuclear accident, and the last time it happened in North America was at Three Mile Island.
But none of that is why I call this a hoax.
I call it a hoax, because I don't believe this creature is viable. One of the bodies would either be totally limp and immobile (because it's not connected to a brain), or if it has a vestigal brain, would move of it's own accord. In neither case would it move in coordination with the other body. Not to mention, it's not exactly a hydrodynamic body shape it has going on there.
All in all I believe that this fish couldn't propel itself; couldn't hunt; would be likely to get trapped in weeds; would be completely at the mercy of strong currents; and would be an easy target for other predators. There's just no way it would thrive and grow the the size shown in the picture.
I therefore suggest that by far the most likely explanation is either a bit of creative stitchwork by some fisherman, or a bit of creative photoshopping when he got home!
Thanks for the thoughts Andrew,
Your points are well taken.
It would certainly be an easy “Photoshop” gag if that is what it is.
I am thinking the second body would be atrophied rather than healthy if the creature were real. Although, the fish is an ambush predator so it is possible that it could get by without having to swim too well. It only needs to be able lunge and hide.
Surviving long as a fry is where it would have been tricky.
Interesting to speculate isn’t it.
Cheers,
Steve
thats been flowing around the onatrio message boards for a while now....its a small pike with its head shoved in the gill plate of another slightly larger pike!!
What a hoot.
Now that you point it out Baraz, it is easy to see that that is pretty likely.
We don't have pike here, only small chain pickerel, so none of us are that familiar with them
Cheers,
Steve.
yeah, theres a few interesting pike shots that go around the message boards here.....including one shot of a hooked pike being eaten by another much larger pike....the claim being that the much larger pike is 7 feet long!! pure nonsense!! I'll see if I can dig up a couple of em for ya.
Great; send the pictures if you can find them Baraz.
It will be pretty interesting to see them. The best odd fish stories from this neck of the woods seem to involve the acrobatics of fresh run salmon. Hard to get pictures of them -'though my brother has a video somewhere of a salmon turning summersaults.
Cheers,
Steve
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