Mystery Fish Photo

Loren Coleman
Cryptomundo
Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:37 UTC

© Unknown

What is it?

That is not a simple question.

When the following photograph was first shown at Cryptomundo four years ago, there were only a few hundred of you reading this.

A year ago, 30,000 readers per day, with 3000 registered users examined it. Now, in April 2009, I want to celebrate our passing 11,000 registered users of Cryptomundo with this old favorite. Some days, 1.9 million people read these pages. Cryptozoology is alive and well as an active quest.

There is no reason not to revisit this lovable topic of Cryptomundians. If you haven't seen this mysterious postcard before, you might be interested in leaving your opinion. If you've had your say before, you might want to take a new look.

Get that enhancement software uploaded, pick up your magnifying glasses for another look at the "Mystery Fish Photo." If you are new here, take a moment with this one.

As oldtimers here may recall, despite speculations, theories, thoughts, rumors, ideas, hypotheses, and claims, this longest standing mystery at Cryptomundo has never been fully solved.

The postcard photo was originally sent to me by Phyllis Mancz of Ohio.

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. Lots of new readers may not be familiar with this Cryptomundo mystery. So here goes....(if you are a seasoned Cryptomundian, please have patience; a new look might really help).

© Unknown

Due to research (see below) on the type of postcard it is, there was a determination 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? Or the Caribbean?

One reader 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?

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?

© Unknown

© Todd DiLaMuca

© Todd DiLaMuca

Over 500 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 nearly 5,000,000 views of the Cryptomundo "Mystery Fish" photo have occurred.

Date of the Postcard

© Loren Coleman

The earlier discussions noted the date was between 1904-1918 for this postcard. For example, in this hyperlinked blog , 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, it seems they could not have been photographed and appeared on this card after 1918.

The window of time for the producing of the card stock is, therefore, most probably, between 1890 and 1918.

The postcard has become such an enigmatic icon that it was incorporated by artists into the design on the front of my new edition of Mysterious America.