Exclusive images leaked to us by a whistleblower on an Eastern fish farm appear to show one of the world's first inter-class hybrids involving a fish and an amphibian. Called the Oxcarlotl, the beast is sure to shock and outrage purists.
Images from an Eastern farm purport to show a revolutionary hybrid that combines the legs of an albino Axolotl with the body of an albino Oscar.
To our knowledge, this is the first time that such extreme hybridisation has ever occurred, and the company involved is closely guarding the technology used to create it.
From what information we can obtain, the process is entirely artificial, with the donors of the gametes from each species never even meeting. It seems that eggs are taken from the Axolotl and mixed with sperm from the Oscar and raised in absence of either parent to create the hideous chimera we see here.
Curiously, the process is only reported to work with albino fish and axolotls, though the reason for this is even hazier.
Reports are that the legs on the fish work, but not too well, and that the fins of the larval fish remain joined into adulthood, just like an Axolotl's.
Though the animal carries the body shape of the fish, it has also gained the Axolotl's external gills.
We imagine that by the nature of the creature's origins, it'll be illegal to import into the UK, and probably comes under the GM banner, but again, we have little information to go on.
Early indications are that the Oxcarlotl will carry a retail price equivalent to $2000 a time.
Though we cannot name the farm at present, we can say that it's not known as one of the major players for the aquatic trade.
I'm known for having a stance on hybrid fish, morphs and human tweaks, and I try to remain as impartial as I can. I've shrugged off GloFish, pretended not to notice the most extreme fancy goldfish, and refused to endorse hybrids passed off as real fish.
But even for my balanced views, a creature like this is beyond all reasonable ethical conduct, and the potential for health problems - currently an absolute unknown - makes the exercise one of extreme short-sightedness.
Further updates to follow as soon as we can secure any more information.
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