Fishermen in Misamis Occidental have landed what appears to be a heavily tattooed fish.
Photographs shared by GMA News on its Facebook page show intricate, symmetrical patterns and some lettering.
One of the photos shows the fish side by side with a similar specimen showing the usual, unadorned colour of the species.
It seems likely that the markings were caused by some sort of man-made trash coming into contact with the fish’s skin and somehow imprinting its image there.
Commenting on the pictures, Facebook user Steve Clark said: “This was probably caused by some sort of trash or fabric that had been embedded in the fish’s skin and over time imprinted this design onto it. Just a thought.”
However, many of the other 2,000-plus commentators favoured less rational explanations of the strange tattooed fish — ranging from being a sign of the End Times to being an escapee from an underwater secret jail.
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