Fact Check

Pig Fish

Photograph shows a 'pigfish' with distinctively porcine ears and snout.

Published March 12, 2014

Claim:

Claim:   Photograph shows a "pigfish" with distinctively porcine ears and snout.


FALSE


Example:   [Collected via Facebook, March 2014]


A new species of fish has been discovered in Texas creeks. It's know as the Wild Hogfish and can be extremely aggressive, and their numbers are increasing like crazy. Very tasty, a little like bacon, they are good eatin'. Once reintroduced domestically, they become goldfish.


 

This 'pig-nose fish', was found in the dam of Clanwilliam, flowing waters of the Burg Rivers of Cape Town, South Africa. I have never seen one of these critters but doubt it that it would be kosher or halaal.
 


Amazing new fish discovered in Arkansas.


 

Origins:   The image displayed above has been circulated via social media with accompanying text variously describing

it as showing a "pigfish," a "pig-nose fish," and a "wild hogfish," a type of fish supposedly found in locales ranging from Arkansas to Texas to South Africa.

Although there is a taxonomic family of fish (Congiopodidae) collectively known as pigfish and at least one species of fish called a hogfish, none of them exhibits the distinctive porcine ears and snout shown in this picture.

In fact, this image is simply a digitally manipulated version of an ordinary photograph of a rather common and visually unremarkable type of fish:

Last updated:   12 March 2014

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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