Fishermen Caught the First Mythical Tunicorn in Australia: Facts

Story:

Veteran fishermen caught the first mythical Tunicorn in Queensland, Australia.

Analysis:

Pictures and messages shared on social media claim to show that a group of veteran fishermen caught the first mythical Tunicorn (Tuna with a horn, like the mythical Unicorn) in Queensland, Australia. Let us analyze the whereabouts of the incident and the authenticity of the claims.

The Incident

Three fishermen Kim Haskell, his brother Jamie and their nephew Christopher were on a family fishing trip in a remote area of the Osprey Reef in Queensland, Australia. After catching several Tuna fish off the side of their 18 meter boat, Christopher suddenly reeled in an enormous Dogtooth Tuna fish that weighed a whooping 40 kilograms, but more surprisingly, the fish had a giant horn-like spike sticking out straight from its head. Describing their discovery, a message from Jamie Haskell was posted on 18 Oct. 2014 on Facebook page of ABC Tales from the Tinny, which shares fishing related stuff:

“Here is a Dog Tooth Tuna caught on the outer reef just out of Cooktown Queensland with Marlin spike embedded in it’s head. It was totally healed so must have been in it for a while. We were wondering if the spike entered through the mouth because the thin bit was at the end. Looked almost too perfectly centred and would not have believed it if we hadn’t caught it ourselves. Probably the strangest thing I have ever found inside a fish. Has anyone else seen such a thing?”

Speculations

The picture of the huge Tuna fish with a horn-like spike protruding from its head caught much attention on social media sites and sparked comparisons with the mythical Unicorn; it was dubbed as Tunicorn by social media users.

Facts

The Tuna fish caught by the fishermen in Australia is not mythical Tunicorn, nor it is a horn that is protruding from its head. Kim Haskell told Daily Mail Australia (Dailymail.co.uk) the horn-like spike in the dogfish Tuna’s head was most certainly the elongated bill from a Sailfish, resembling that of the swordfish and other marlins, and that it was perhaps lodged in accidentally. He also said that the area around the bill was well healed, suggesting that it was sticking out of the tuna’s head for months or years.

The fishermen trio brought the Tuna fish on deck, carefully removed the bill and revived it before releasing it back into the water. But unfortunately, the bleeding tuna attracted sharks and was killed soon after.