Fisherman finds mutant baby shark with a ‘human face’

An Indonesian fisherman appears to have got considerably more than he bargained for after catching a shark in his trawler.

Abdullah Nuren, from the village of Pepela on Rote Island, near West Timor, said he was out fishing with his brother on Saturday night when they discovered a pregnant shark in their nets.

“The next day I split the belly of the mother shark and found three cubs in its stomach,” the 48-year-old was quoted as saying by local outlet Viva.

But while two of the baby sharks looked similar to their mother, one bore an uncannily human face.

Nuren is reported as saying his family helped him to preserve the unusual-looking shark and that his home “has been crowded with people who want to see” it.

While some of his neighbours have reportedly offered to buy it, he has not said yes.

According to the MailOnline, he told reporters: “I think it will bring me good luck.”

Dr David Shiffman, a research scientist at the Marine Stewardship Council and Arizona State University, said the shark was unlikely to be a new species – but could be a result of a congenital defect known as cyclopia.

While Nuren decided to interpret his discovery as good luck, others were not so sure.

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