Bizarre photos of a fish that appeared to be branded with an intricate tattoo left the internet baffled last week.

The huge blue marlin, caught in the Philippines on Friday, caught the eye of beach goers because of the coat of arms and complex leaf designs imprinted on its scales.

Some internet commenters suggested the markings were a result of alien activity.

But 41-year-old fisherman Zosimo Tano, who caught the two-metre-long (6.5ft) 'tattooed fish', has now revealed that the patterns came from his t-shirt.

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Bizarre photos of a fish that appeared to be branded with an intricate tattoo left the internet baffled last week

THE MYSTERY OF THE TATTOOED FISH When photos first surfaced last week, internet users were stumped as to the tattooed fish's origins. Some even claimed it could be an alien creature. Scott Waring, editor of ufosightingsdaily.com, suggested the fish could have arrived from another planet. He wrote: 'This large fish may have been a visiting alien species that wanted to mingle with a species similar to its own only to get caught and eaten as food.' Advertisement

He divulged the true nature of the pictures after a friend had told him his fish, caught in Lopez Jaena in the Philippines, had been all over the news.

Mr Tano said that the 24-kilo marlin that he caught never had a tattoo.

The curious symbols were printed onto the fish's body when he covered it with his t-shirt.

'It has no tattoo, I never thought that the print of what I used to cover would embed on the fish skin,' Mr Tano told ABS-CBN News.

Mr Tano sold the blue marlin, his only catch for the day, for 180 Philippine pesos (£2.80 or $3.60) per kilo.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) explained that there was a chemical reaction between the fish's slimy skin and the print of the fabric.

'That chemical reaction should be subject for further studies,' said BFAR-IX Assistant Regional Director Joseph Florig.

When photos first surfaced last week, internet users were stumped as to the tattooed fish's origins.

Some even claimed it could be an alien creature, with one commenter speculating that an unknown quantity was behind the markings.

The huge blue marlin, caught in the Philippines on Friday, caught the eye of beach goers because of the coat of arms and complex leaf designs imprinted on its scales (right image). The left image shows a normal blue marlin next to the mystery tattooed fish

They wrote: 'There are many things in our world that we do not know about, especially under the sea. Remember, the sea is greater than land.'

Scott Waring, editor of ufosightingsdaily.com, suggested the fish could have arrived from another planet.

He wrote: 'This large fish may have been a visiting alien species that wanted to mingle with a species similar to its own only to get caught and eaten as food.

Some internet commenters suggested the markings were a result of alien activity. But the 41-year-old fisherman Zosimo Tano, who caught the two-metre-long (6.5ft) 'tattooed fish', has now revealed that the patterns came from his t-shirt

'Sadly, if this was an intelligent alien visiting Earth, its first contact with humans didn't end well.

'Aqua intelligent species would be very difficult for humanity to communicate with, let alone believe in, but they do exist.

'Like mermaids, stories that last the test of time, always have some truth to them.'

But after Mr Tano's revelations, it seems the strange markings are far more ordinary than they first appeared.

Mr Tano said that the 24-kilo marlin that he caught never had a tattoo. The curious symbols were printed onto the fish's body when he covered it with his t-shirt