The Mystery Fish postcard, first noted here on November 29, 2005, has never been identified, as to exact location or species. New people sometimes have new ideas.
(Click on image to see full size version, enhanced by shockbeton)
Due to research (see below) on the type of postcard it is, there was a determination, thanks to Cryptomundo readers, that this specific item would have been produced between 1904-18.
The location seems to be in the Pacific; perhaps it was taken in the Philippines. Or maybe even Florida? Someone said this might be during WWI, in the south of France, because of the uniforms, but what of those palm trees? Where are these trees found? Can you identify the kind of trees? I don’t know where this was taken. Do you?
Due to several requests for a closeup of the head of the mystery cryptid on the postcard, here’s a computer enhancement.
What do you see here?
(Click image for full-size version)
(Click image for full-size version, provided by Todd DiLaMuca)
(Click image for full-size version, provided by Todd DiLaMuca)
Here is a roundup of all four (+ one) direct links to the "Mystery Fish Photo" entries in the Cryptomundo.com blog, which were posted in 2005 and 2006:
"Name the Mystery Fish Continued"
Reactions continued, as well, into 2006: “Mystery Fish Revisited”
More than three hundred comments, most of them extremely thoughtful and detailed, can be found at the above noted entries, and yours are welcome anew, here, below. To date almost 2,000,000 views of the Cryptomundo “Mystery Fish” photo have occurred.
(Click image for full-size version, provided by Todd DiLaMuca)
+++Date of the Postcard++++
The earlier discussions noted the date was between 1904-1918 for this postcard. For example, in this hyperlinked blog (please click), the entire back of the postcard is pictured. Various pieces of research exactly determined that the diagnostic direction of the triangles give forth with a specific range of when these postcards were produced. While the men and the fish could have been photographed before 1904, they could not have been photographed and appeared on this card after 1918.
The window of time for this event is, therefore, most probably, between 1890 and 1918. But certainly, this photograph was not taken anytime after 1918.
I think its a decomposing giant catfish.
If this is a real animal, I would have to throw my lot in with the eel or shark group. More the shark due to the location of the eyes and the odd shape of the nose.
I do agree with many of the other comments that this specimen was cut up or otherwise mutiliated prior to the snapshot being taken. Which makes identifying it all the more difficult.
Correct me if I am mistaken:
If that stretcher is 6 ft long, that would make the specimen approx 12-15 feet in length.
By the way the back end is laying, I am ASSUMING that the tail (if there is one) would be vertical meaning it is a species of fish.
The eyes are located front and top which says ‘predator’ to me.
At we can say with some measure of comfort that the specimen is found in tropical climates (due to the palms)
would that narrow this specimen down at all?
It’s definitely real. Why would people back in the day take time to make a stupid fake? It’s probably one of them prehistoric fish.
After looking at the world record holders for conger eels and seeing that their eyes are most definately round. I would have to rule out a conger eel.
What about a reef shark? I can see them skining that and taking its fins (for soup and such).
Who cares about the fish? I want to know where I can get some of those pants!
As I’ve posted in earlier threads I waffle back and forth regarding the possibility of a fake due to the out-of-focus foreground and the possibility that the shadow of the man standing far right out of frame may or may not be missing from across the tail of this animal.
I think it looks like one of those giant potato, giant jackrabbit hoax postcards from the fifties. Paste on a snake head photo and tada you have you mystery fish.
There’s a mystery sea creature photo floating around the net taken during the Civil War, of a bunch of Union sailors standing next to some kind of giant squid. This reminds me of that.