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The following
photographic-rich article features the hairy trout which is one
of the most popular monsters seen at Dime Museums (a
pay-per-view exhibitions of curiosities and oddities produced by
circus sideshow companies in America.) This manuscript was
produced by Dr. Eriko N. Bond, an active art critic and author
in New York City, as told by Yamada and edited by Diane M.
Taros.
The hairy trout can be also
called hairy trout, fur-bearing trout, sable trout, furry trout
or beaver trout. This monstrous animal is a fictitious creature
supposedly native to the northern regions of North America,
particularly Canada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Great
Lakes. (Incidentally, the state of Wyoming is the birth place of
one of other very popular circus sideshow monsters called
Jackalope.)
Examples of
the hairy trout (their hairs can be black, white, brown, etc.)
The basic claim or tall tale is
that the waters of lakes and rivers in the area are so cold that
a species of trout has evolved which grows a thick coat of fur
to maintain its body heat in cold seasons (or all year long).
Another theory, says that it is due to four jugs of hair tonic
being spilled into the Arkansas River. Stuffed and mounted
specimens of these fish can be found in a number of museums of
curiosities.
Hairy Fish in On Monsters
and Marvels
A monstrous hairy fish is
featured in an academic zoological book entitled On Monsters
and Marvels which was written by Ambroise Pare (1510 - 1590AD). Pare was chef surgeon to both Charles IX and Henri III,
and widely being considered as the best physician and true
Renaissance man of the 16th century in
Europe. In his book, pare wrote,
“Monsters are things that appear outside the course of Nature
(and are usually signs of some forthcoming misfortune), such as
a child who is born with one arm, another who will have two
heads, and additional members over and above the ordinary.” In
this book, he gave 13 reasons that cause monsters. (At that
time, word the “monster” was used to address the today’s word
“freak”.) The job of scientists at the time was not the
construction of model of the universe as is for them today. The
job of scientists in the 16th century was to discover,
translate, and understand the symbolic messages in nature sent
by God. The science, nature, magic, art, politics, and religion
were one.
Here are illustration and
description (translation by Janis L. Pallister) of this savage
sea monster called Hoga featured in the book. (Needless to say,
there were no creatures like this existed in real world.)
Portrait of
the Hoga
In the huge, deep, fresh
water lake – on which the large city of Themistitan, in the
Kingdom of Mexico, is built on pilings, like Venice – is
found a fish as big as a sea-calf. The savages of the
Antarctic call it Andura; the barbarians of the country and
the Spaniards – who have made themselves masters of this
place by conquests of their new lands – call it Hoga. Its
head and ears are not different from a terrestrial swine; it
has five whiskers a half-a foot long or thereabouts, similar
to those of a big barbell; its flesh is very good and
delicious. This fish produces live offspring, in the fashion
of a whale. If you contemplate it while it is disporting
itself swimming in the water, you would say that it is now
green, now yellow, and then, red, just like the chameleon;
it keeps more to the edge of the lake than elsewhere, where
it feeds on leaves of a tree called Hoga, from which it took
its name. It is very toothy and savage, killing and
devouring other fish, indeed [those] bigger than it is; that
is why people pursue it, hunt it and kill it, because if it
entered into the conduits it wouldn’t leave a single one of
them alive; whereby the person who kills the most of them is
most welcome. Which is written by Thevet, chapter 22, volume
2, of his Cosmography.”
Reality of Furry Fish
In the world of crypt zoology,
hairy fish has been searched for many decades. In reality, no
fish have true hair like humans. For fish, it would not be good
to have hairs as it would not keep them warm underwater and
would drag as they swam along to slow them down and waste their
energy. However there are a few fish with bodies covered with
hair-like substances. Examples of these unique hairy fish are
Mirapinna, frogfish, and nurse shark. The “hairs” of hairy
frogfish (quite commonly shown at major aquariums in America) is
quite dramatic. These hairs are outgrowth of their scales.
There is also species of mold
grow on the body of a fish. It is called "cotton mold" (Saprolegnia)
and it produces fur-like growth to the host fish. This
carnivorous mold attack weak fish and literally eats them alive.
A heavy infection of this mold will result in the death of the
fish, and the fungus continues to grow afterwards. The dead fish
covered with white "fur" can occasionally be found at washed
ashore and called furry fish.
For those fish, their fur is a
curse rather than blessing. It is just like the nature-created
Jackalope; a poor rabbit infested by the Shope papillomavirus
virus growing horn-like tumors on their heads. (For more
information about this virus, read an extensive article of the
Jackalope by Takeshi Yamada.)
Yamada’s Hairy Trout
In 2004, Takeshi Yamada created
a three dimensional simulation of the hairy fish. Here are
pictures and description of Yamada’s taxidermy artwork (gaff)
entitled “Canadian hairy trout”.
Canadian Hairy
Trout by Takeshi Yamada. 13-1/4 inch, 2004
Hairy Trout,
pen & ink drawing on paper, digital color enhancement, by
Takeshi Yamada, 2006
King Hairy
Trout, pen & ink drawing on paper, digital color enhancement, by
Takeshi Yamada, 2006
Canadian Hairy Trout
Other Common Name(s): Canadian Hairy Trout,
Fur-bearing trout, Beaver trout, Sable trout, Furry trout
Latin Name: Salvelinus fluffudilis
Origin: Northwest Territories, Canada
Date: Circa 1780
Size: 349 x 114 x 39 mm
Description of the specimen: The Canadian Hairy Trout
is a species of fish that possesses a thick coat of fur to
keep itself warm in the cold waters where it lives. Canadian
hairy trout can be found in most waters in Canada with the
exception of Prince Edward Island and Manitoba. In Canada,
three species of hairy trout are recognized. The average
length of the fresh water form is 12-18 inches long and
18-24 inches in anadromous stocks. The colors of their furs
are light gray, light green, light brown, dark
greenish-brown, and almost black. The colors of their furs
are said to be determined by the foods and chemical
component of the water they live. These furry fish are
primarily found in the northern regions of North America,
but particularly in Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, and Canada.
The species is also sometimes referred to as the Fur-bearing
Trout, Furry Trout, Beaver Trout, or (incorrectly) as the
Sabled Salmon. Captive breeding of this fish has not been
successful.
This creature spawns in late autumn to early winter in
shallow, gravelly waters. The female digs a redd where she
lays about 2000 eggs. This species is carnivorous and feeds
on insects, crustaceans especially crayfish, molluscs,
salamanders, frogs and rodents. Its hairs grow
significantly longer during late autumn to early spring to
keep its body warm and enables it to be active all year
long. The Canadian hairy trout has enjoyed only limited
success as a game fish in Canadian waters because it is
difficult to catch. Several species of these furry fish are
also found in the northern regions of North America such as
Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Fur-Bearing trouts mounted
as trophies can be found hanging on walls throughout the
Great Lakes region of North America. Hairy trout mounted as
trophies can be found hanging on walls throughout the Great
Lakes region
A number of theories have arisen in academic circles to
explain this creature's luxuriant coat unlike any other
species of trout or fish groups. Some say that the creature
evolved its thick coat to protect itself from the extreme
cold of northern waters. According to another lesser-known
theory, this species of trout owes its fur to four jugs of
hair tonic that were accidentally spilled into the Arkansas
River (in Colorado) sometime during the 1870s. Today, some
scientists say that this creature’s fur is actually a
species of fresh water algae grows on the body due to the
fish’s release of special chemicals during the cold
seasons.
As the weather grows warmer during the spring the hairy
trout sheds its fur, only to regrow its coat as winter
returns. This is why trout with full coats of fur are so
seldom encountered. During the summer months when hairy
trout usually do not have fur, the ones from streams have
pale markings on a dark greenish brown background. The back
may be covered with wormlike marks. Lake Superior fish are
more silvery with less distinct markings. In both stream and
lake fish, the tail is nearly square, and the leading edge
of each lower fin sometimes has a white margin.
Hairy trout require cold, clean, highly-oxygenated water.
Hairy trout, like other salmonids, have developed a rich
life history diversity over time. This means that they have
evolved the capacity to take advantage of a variety of
aquatic environments. Hairy trout can live in river and
stream systems, tiny first order tributaries, small ponds,
large lakes and estuaries. Like other trout and salmon,
hairy trout can migrate from fresh to salt water where they
live in estuaries and the ocean close to shore, called
“salters.” As a char, hairy trout spawn in the fall among
loose gravel in streams and rivers, or on groundwater
upwellings in ponds and lakes.
Because hairy trout are so sensitive to water quality and
water temperature, they serve as a classic "indicator"
species of the larger aquatic ecosystem and the watershed
draining into the water body where they live. The reason
that Hairy trout serve as such good “indicators” of aquatic
health is that they have very specific water chemistry
requirements such as pH and DO.
When Takeshi Yamada created his
version of “Canadian Hairy Trout” shown above, this taxidermy
fish is based on his personal experience of living 13 years in
Chicago, Illinois with deadly cold weather. Although it is a
sister city of Chicago, his home city of Osaka in Japan is quite
warm and barely had any accumulated snow on the ground. The
situation is quite different in Chicago. It is not unusual that
the ice starts forming inside of the nose when one walk on the
State Street or Magnificent Mile downtown in winter season in
Chicago. Yamada often thought about the poor fish living in the
Lake Michigan during the winter. (Yamada’s apartment was only
35-minutes bicycle ride from the Lake Michigan.)
In addition, when creating this
gaff, Yamada also try to reflect the unique culture of his
native country. Specifically speaking, Yamada looked into a very
popular hairy creature seen everywhere in Japan. Yamada tried to
incorporate the meaning of these hairy marine animals. In Japan,
the hairy giant sea turtle is one of two animals featured in
Tsuru-kame.
Images of
Tsurukame in Japan
The picture of Tsuru-kame
(the crane and the giant old sea turtle side by side), symbol of
longevity and happiness can be commonly found at traditional
wedding ceremonies all over Japan even today. They were also
found commonly on the New Year Card (the most popular holiday
card used in Japan) among the Japanese. In fact, Tsuru-kame
is the most popular good luck charm in Japan.
The crane is also the national
bird of Japan. It is believed to live 1,000 years. The crane is
a symbol of marital commitment because it mates with only one
partner in its life time. The clain is also the national bird of
Japan.
The giant sea turtle it is
believed to live 10,000 years. The turtle is a symbol of
building a happy life one step at a time. This old turtle has
long hair-like seaweeds attached to his tail because it lived
for such a long time.
Just like this Japanese
good-luck turtle with long hair-like seaweed growing on his
body, Yamada consider this fish’s hairs to be a similar species
of hair-like seaweeds grown on its body. This hair-like seaweed
may grow exponentially due to the host’s metabolism change
caused by the lowering water temperature. For Yamada, the Hairy
trout is a good luck charm.
Technically speaking, although
Yamada’s version of Hairy Trout seems life-like and believable,
no animals’ body parts were used to produce this taxidermy artwork; it was
constructed with wood, wax, paper, synthetic polymer, glue,
synthetic fur (old fake fur coat), and acrylic. Yamada glued
hundreds of furs on its body one by one, as if he glued each
scale of fish one by one manually to achieve the more subtle and
“natural” appearance of this monster’s taxidermy artwork. (By
the same token, to create his Heart Fish and Pentagon Fish,
Yamada also glued hundreds of scales one by one manually on
their bodies.) In this way, Yamada created several taxidermy
Hairy trout.
Note: Today, all the salt water
fish and most of cold water fish taxidermy artworks processed by
licensed taxidermists do not contain any actual body parts of
original fish. Because of this reason, the fish taxidermy, as a
hand-painted ultra-realism replica/sculpture of the original
carcass, is widely considered as far more technically
challenging than taxidermy of other large animals such as a deer
or eagle. For more information on this, please read articles
about today’s taxidermy by Takeshi Yamada.
In addition to above mentioned
artworks of furry trout, Yamada also created new style of
artwork simulating the relationship between consumer culture of
people and hairy trout as a commodity. For Yamada, this is a
pure conceptual art and new generation of Coney Island style
circus sideshow gaff produced by fully utilizing today’s cutting
edge computer digital illustration software and photographic
printer. For more information on his over 70 varieties of Coney
Island Brand Exotic Canned Foods, see following website:
http://sideshowworld.com/TYConeyCans.html
Coney Island
Brand Exotic Canned Animal # 70: Hairy Trout by Takeshi Yamada,
digital
illustration with photo printing on photo paper, 2005
END
All rights reserved by Takeshi
Yamada, November 2006. Museum of
World Wonders in Coney Island,
1405 Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11224,
USA.
Phone: 718.714.6434
E-mail: yamada108@aol.com
Special thanks to Eriko N. Bond,
Lauren D. Travis, and Diane M. Taros.
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