Freaky fish turns up far inland

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/8105827.html ^

[traumer]

As soon as he viewed the photo - those fanglike teeth, like something out of a horror movie - John Lundberg knew what the mystery creature was.

"Once you see one of these things, you don't forget it," says Lundberg, curator of fishes at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

It was a wolf eel, a 6-foot-long - docile, despite appearances - inhabitant of deep waters off the North Atlantic coast, including New Jersey.

The puzzle: How did the smelly, half-decomposed specimen get to a fox den in Hunterdon County?

Susan Goeckeler had been walking with her dogs on her 50-acre farm outside Frenchtown one afternoon about six weeks ago when she came across the unusual jaws.

Her sons Rowan, 7, and Jarred, 13, are always finding snakeskins and skulls and such, "but usually we can identify them."

She called a neighbor who hunts, thinking it might be a bear skull. Nope.

Jarred, a seventh grader, took it to school. No luck there. Nor online.

Goeckeler finally brought photos to the state wildlife management office in nearby Clinton.

Baffled, the staff asked her to bring in the jaw. They checked with colleagues in the endangered species program next door. Same deal.

"We're all terrestrial guys," says principal biologist Kelcey Burguess. Still, he says, the evidence was unmistakable, not to mention overpowering: "It had a fish smell."

Photos went from there to state fisheries folks, who forwarded them to the museum in Philadelphia.

That's where the specimen is now. The staff has immersed it in a bath of alcohol, "trying to take the edge off" the stench, Lundberg says.

The curator of fishes says he doesn't know which of several wolf eel species it is, but the genus is Anarhichas. And it's not a true eel, he says, but a type of fish that is edible.

"They're on the bottom and hang out in rocks, poking their heads out and snagging crabs," he says, adding that the creature breaks the hard shells with its powerful jaws. "It looks just like a tool for cracking crabs and lobsters that you get in a restaurant."

The academy plans to display the specimen, along with two others from its collection, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, says research and curatorial assistant Kyle Luckenbill, who will answer questions.

Meanwhile, the question remains: How did a deepwater marine species wind up more than 50 miles from the nearest beach? (A saltwater eel, it could not have swum up the Delaware River.)

Lundberg's best guess is that locals caught it while fishing at the Jersey Shore. Or found it while beachcombing.

Then they brought it home, skipping what would have been his final step:

"I'd bring the head home and mount it."

[AnAmericanMother]

Some kid brought it back from the shore in his suitcase, and his mom made him throw it out.

(At least, that's what always happened to US!)

[Osage Orange]

That’s my mother-in-law......!!

[NCC-1701]

Here is a wolf eel:

It hasn't got the teeth that the partial remains have.

[Westlander]

It runs in the family.

[lowbridge]

bump

[Grizzled Bear]

One of those lived under my bed when I was a little kid!

My parents didn’t believe me either.

[Firefigher NC]

Looks like it came from one of the aliens from “Aliens vs. Predator”.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Wolf Eel

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

see # 9

[chesty_puller]

It was a wolf eel,

I don't think so Ollie.

[Talking_Mouse]

...curator of fishes at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

No, No, NO! The word fish is both singular and plural. One fish, two fish, lots of fish, there is no word fishes.

[Texas Songwriter]

I think ‘fishes’ is a proper word. Ichthyologists use the term all of the time.

[traumer]

[Andy from Beaverton]

[TOneocon]

Sea Wolf.....Thats a class of submarines.

[SittinYonder]

"Fishes" is also acceptable and correct. Main Entry: 1fish Pronunciation: \ˈfish\ Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural fishor fish·es

[Rb ver. 2.0]

Wolf eels, the Ichthyological Orthodontist’s wet dream.

[Domandred]

That's not a fish, its a rancor skull!

[Rb ver. 2.0]

Another mystery solved by Art Vandelay.

[ASA Vet]

One fish, two fish, three fish, blue fish.

[Flavius]

[lowbridge]

http://www.thejump.net/1fishphoto4/photo13.htm

[dragonblustar]

[UglyinLA]

stop it. You’re insulting the fish.

[skepsel]

Isn’t that the creature from the Fred Ward, Kevin bacon flick “Tremors”?

[coconutt2000]

Somebody had one in their aquarium, and it died, and they threw it out where the foxes got it and dragged it home to their den.

[Right Wing Assault]

[null and void]

Fishes for multiple varieties of fish.

[oneamericanvoice]

I’m with you General. Those jaws are mighty big. I can’t imagine the monster that was attached to that set!

Anybody check Loch Ness?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Or for individual fish(es) served as food.

[Doc Savage]

“It’s number 4 Captain, I’ll never forget his toothy grin as he ate my leg!”

[oneamericanvoice]

It would have to be one-hell of a fish to have jaws that size!

[Greg F]

He He He He He He . . .

[BallyBill]

"The staff has immersed it in a bath of alcohol,"

I knew alcohol was involved somehow. Maybe the Staff is immersed in alcohol.

[sheik yerbouty]

Behold! Her Heinous, The bride of Beelzeflubba!

[ROTB]

>No, No, NO! The word fish is both singular and plural.

Grammar Nazi! =)

[Domestic Church]

“Alistair Underwater” labelled it a Gooze.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

You decide.

[Socratic]

It hasn't got the teeth that the partial remains have.

If that was a partial, I'd hate to see the full dentures!

[VaRepublican]

I carefully chose who to respond to. I choose you and I agree, hehehehehe diggity sniggity murmurmur...lol!

[mirkwood]

[spanalot]

I knew that was coming

[xp38]

The Rancor Keeper is upset at this thread

[Eaker]

That little girl must have some really bad breath.

[Grammy]

ping a ling!

[WVNan]

Hold the presses, I think we’ve found Helen Thomas’ sister!

[WVNan]

Well, I see we had the same thought.

[maine-iac7]

Gad. Can you imagine going through life with that face? No wonder she's such a bit*h

[mimic31u10]

My 1'st post on Free Republic. 2 of my relatives (been around since Freepers was founded),have wanted me to sign up, I just did, I think that it was all a plant to get the media involved, why else would this mostly decomposed creature be their?