The fish, from the family Lepidosirenidae, was surgically removed by doctors who say they have no idea how the footage ended up being leaked onto social media networks.However the footage clearly shows many people standing in the background dressed in surgical gear and watching, with several of them also appearing to have mobile telephones recording the incident.Doctors can be heard laughing as the fish is surgically removed and one is heard to say: "This one is for the history", while another adds: "I have just sent the pic by mail."The fish was apparently still alive after being removed but had to be euthanised.The South American Lungfish can apparently exist in areas with very little oxygen and its typical environment is swampland and slow-moving waters.
The man was forced to undergo radical surgery to have a live fish removed from his intestine.
Graphic footage shows the man from Londrina, Brazil, having an operation to remove a South American lungfish from his body.In the horrific clip, a surgeon pulls out the eel-like fish, known to grow up to a length of 125 cm (4.10 ft), which had apparently burrowed into the man's body.
It can be seen being taken from his abdomen and wrapped in a cloth.Miraculously, the fish was still very much alive when it was removed - and can be seen wriggling around. One report suggests it was 2ft long, although this has not been verified. The creature later had to be euthanised, according to the Brazilian news website esmeraldanoticias.com.

The video of him and the fish, known locally as a piramboia, has become a viral sensation after it was posted on the website LiveLeak.During the operation, doctors can be heard laughing as the wriggling fish is surgically removed and one is heard to say: 'This one is for the history', while another adds: 'I have just sent the pic by mail.' Women can be heard laughing and cheering.

The fish, which can grow up to 125 cm (4.10 ft) in length, was still very much alive when surgeons pulled it out
THE SOUTH AMERICAN LUNGFISH
The South American Lungfish can apparently exist in areas with very little oxygen and its typical environment is swampland and slow-moving waters.It is native to the moving waters of the Amazon, Paraguay and lower Parana River basins inSouth America.Its other names include the American mudfish and scaly salamanderfish, though it is known more commonly in Portugese as piramboia.The young lungfish is spotted with gold on a black background, and this fades to a brown or grey colour when it grows to its adult size.The species has an elongated, almost eel-like body which can grow to a length of 125 cm (4.10 ft).News reports suggest Nádina Moreno, dean of the university, has now banned the use of cell phones inside the surgical centres as a result. In unusual and different cases, procedures are sometimes recorded without the patient being identifiable for educational purposes and for later discussion, but this should always be approved, she is reported to have said.An inquiry investigating those responsible for recording the operation without the patient's authorisation has been launched.Several people have were summoned to give explanations, including the physician responsible for the surgery.

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Nurses are taking pictures after the surgery. CEN |

The hospital launched an investigation after the operation was filmed and posted on the internet without the man's permission. People are seen laughing and cheering throughout the surgery