What is this?

My friend sends me pictures from time to time to see if I know what they could be. I'm into these weird things and he indulges it.
An hour ago I received another one of this odd looking thing from him, he found the photograph of this in a chest he bought full of old photos (he is a pawnbroker). There were no distinguishable marks or writing on the photo front or back. The only size reference I can make out are the pins holding this in place but that really doesn't help either.
I have seen my fair share of hoaxes and strange animals, my first impression is this looks like a real something? But I am again stumped, so I am posting it to see if anyone in there pursuit for the truth has run across something that looks like this before.

So here it is:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/09e1fd2c89c8.jpg[/atsimg]

I have not ruled out a taxidermy type hoax, for I have seen many of these. For some reason this looks like a real animal to me I just can't make it out. . .

reply to post by AnteBellum


In Fla, they sell a boat-load of strange looking combined Fish-type forgeries ..some pro-port to be MERMAIDS..

That is what i think This is

Origami fish

no i think thats just a dry octopus

Some really strange amphibious type bat? It could be a hoax, but it also could not be. Very strange looking creature. I wonder if the picture has a date on the back? Perhaps you could find out and then try and deduce what it is that way?

reply to post by AnteBellum


Could be some odd type of stingray or cuttle fish?

Found this image too, no explanation tho:
www.flixya.com..." target='_blank' class='tabOff'/>

Very weird if this is real

Would also be help-full if we had some sort of size scale...

I'm going to suggest a dried shovelnose shark.

Maybe its tail was damaged somehow before it dehydrated.

reply to post by Unresponsible


Found this photo online!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/eeb1ca4c0aba.jpg[/atsimg]

TARBORO — Tarboro is talking about a strange-looking skeleton that sent neighbors searching for answers.

Blanche Thomasson found the skeleton buried a foot-and-a-half-deep near an Edgecombe County farm.

"I thought it was a pepper or a dried-up vegetable, but I kept digging at it," she said. "It looked like a monster."

She took it to her vet, who did not know what it was.

Some people thought it was an out-of-this-world find, but they noticed that the skeleton had eyes, gills and fins.

Eventually, scientists at East Carolina University identified it as a shovelnose guitarfish, a type of shark that lives in warm waters south of North Carolina. Interesting, but not extraterrestrial.

"I was ready to talk to Geraldo about my find," she said.

A piece of burlap found near the fish may explain why it was there. Thomasson wonders if a collector had preserved the fish before it was buried.

Wral

That's pretty damn close to me!

This is a dried Atlantic Guitarfish




Lots of photos here

reply to post by AnteBellum


I looked for a few seconds because I seen something like it on ATS before a bigger one and this kinda confirmes the big one unless someone is making multiple sizes and versions. I think it was called a LUMARIAN but not sure the big one was on a table it was found in the sea somehere. Look up Lumarians if correct spelling if not correct spelling then its a lead in direction I hope sorry but there is a larger version on ATS laying on a lab bed..
Great pic S&F