Sailors were creeped after the body of a shark and the face of a pig has been pulled from the water.
It was spotted by naval officers floating in the waters at the Darsena Medicea marina in the town of Portoferraio on the Italian island of Elba.
When they pulled it out of the water they discovered that what appeared at first glance to be a shark actually had a face that better resembled that of a pig.
But they quickly dispelled rumours it was some kind of mutant after it was identified as an extremely rare Angular roughshark (Oxynotus centrina).
It is also sometimes known as a pig-faced shark that normally lives up 2,300 feet below the surface.
The creature is also listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered which means it is rarely spotted.
Despite the find happening three weeks ago, its discovery went viral when photos of the bizarre-looking marine animal were posted on social media.
The post immediately attracted hundreds of comments, including criticism from netizens who thought the shark had been captured and killed on purpose.
After it was removed from the water, the angular roughshark was taken to the Harbour Office to be studied and then ultimately disposed of.
Yuri Tiberto of the Elba Aquarium told local media that although rare, it was still not uncommon for it to be seen locally.
He added: “It is commonly called a ‘pig fish’ because when it comes out of the water it emits a kind of grunt.
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