From the Museum of the Weird in Austin, Texas.

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 weather in which these fish live have caused them to grow their dense coat of (usually) white fur.
Mounted by Ross C. Jobe, Taxidermist of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Apparently this trout is one of many made by Ross C. Jobe, who used his taxidermy skills to attach rabbit fur to the otherwise normal freshwater fish. So the story goes, Jobe had spotted someone else’s attempt at making a fur-bearing trout displayed in a lodge circa 1959 and sought permission from the owner to take it home and improve upon it.

“The owner liked his improved version so much she asked him to produce more,” according to an article on the Sault Ste. Marie news website SooToday. “The rest is history; as Ross Jobe went on to sell large numbers of the mounted furry trout through shops like the Hudson’s Bay Company.

“They have made their way far and wide — residing on the walls of numerous homes and businesses here in the Algoma region, in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museums, and countless other locations around the world.

“The fame didn’t stop there; the fur-bearing trout also starred in a successful Caramilk chocolate bar campaign. The title of the ad was “Five Fake Mysteries and One Real One” where our local furry hoax was featured front and centre.”