Fur-Bearing Trout

Region: Global

Lead Investigator: Agent 67

Last Updated: 26 April 2024

• Also known as "furry trout", or "shaggy trout" in Iceland
• Common in Icelandic folklore
• Reported exclusively in cold climates

Identification:

• Thick coat of fur to maintain body heat
• The change of temperature from the water to the air may make the fish explode, and the fur and skin come off in one piece

Top Locations:

• Pacific Northwest
• Canada
• Iceland
• The Arkansas River, Colorado

History

• 17th century: Some claim a Scottish immigrant wrote home about "furried animals and fish", and he was requested to "procure a specimen of these furried fish"
• 1929: In a Montana Wildlife magazine article, J.H. Hicken said that he caught the furry fish from a lake in Glacier National Park.

Proposed Explanations

• Trout infected with Cotton mold
• Bottles of hair tonic fell into the river, infecting the fish

Images

Plaque reads: "Fur Bearing Trout - Very Rare - Caught while trolling in Lake Superior off Gros Cap. near Sault Ste. Marie. District of Algoma - It is believed that the great depth and the extreme penetrating coldness of the water in which these fish live, has caused them to grow their dense coat of water in which these fish live, has caused them to grow their dense coat of (usually) white fur. - Mounted by Ross C. Jobe, Texidermis of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont."

The plaque below (not pictured) reads: "The great fur-covered trout myth: A furry fish like this was once displayed in the National Museum of Scotland as an authentic species of trout! Believing that the immense depth and icy temperature of Canada's Lake Superior made the fish grow fur to keep warm, the museum stubbornly refused to believe the fish was a hoax. - The myth of the fur-covered fish persisted well into the 1930's until Robert Ripley discovered a backwoods Canadian taxidermist making his living by attaching rabbit fur to brook trout."

15 June 2009. Samantha Marx. Unknown Location.

Fish infected with cotton mold.

Unknown date. Unknown author. Unknown location.

Unknown date. Unknown author. Unknown location.

Other Resources

furbearingtrout.com - Montana Wildlife article

Fur-Bearing Trout Wikipedia

Roaming Wyoming: Furry Fish are Cool. Very Cool.

furbearingtrout.com

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