Please can anyone identify this
shark-like animal, washed ashore in New Zealand IN 1901? I have permission from
the Sir George Grey Special Collections,Central City Library,
Flying Snake 5 should be out
,(available £3.99 via Pay Pal on the longer link below,) in about 3
weeks.
I found several newspaper-clips re this animal. It was exhibited from an Mr. Targett later for some money. But before an scientist could examine it it was said to be buried due to its decomposition. Strangely, to the stomach contents also an whole shark was added in one clip. It was said btw that the fish's liver brought six gallons of oil. Judged from the general shape, the oil-filled liver I would think it was nothing more than an shark. If I understand it correct the picture was drawn from a sketch of someone else, so there could be some failures what would explain some weird features. But wait.... there's another maybe interesting link. Mr. Targett could be Mr. Elijah Targett of Thames. Another newspaper revealed that Mr. E. Targett exhibited an "unknown fish" back in 1877 for money and then began a journey through the country with it. Hm, hm, hm. What to make of this?
ReplyDeleteMade me think of Mongitore's "monstrous fish" found stranded on a Sicilian beach :
ReplyDeletehttp://cryptozoo.pagesperso-orange.fr/dossiers/twodors.htm
Perhaps a new kind of giant shark ?
We can't exclude a recent shark yet. Some sharks have similiar fins like the nurse shark for example.
ReplyDelete