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Not one hit on Google. The text says '... een zeevarken is een haai'. (No more context). My old dictionary gives it as 'sea hog' or porpoise but a porpoise is not a shark. Sea-pig is generally described on the internet as another term for a porpoise but is once linked to the Latin name 'scorpaena porcus' which I believe is a "scorpion fish". I am now totally confused. Does anyone know for definite what the Dutch term refers to?
Thanks everyone for the discussion. The varkenshaai = dogfish idea would solve the riddle since I believe a dogfish is classed as a shark so may well have been what the author was thinking of. Don't know about the glossary entry though in view of the wide range of creatures that seem to be classed as a zeevarken! 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I fail to see the similarity between the varkenshaai en the dog fish in the links provided by Kate, but googling for the latin name of varkenshaai yields this: http://www.sportesport.it/sharks04.htm : Humantin! (and this time the pictures do match:)
Not every zeevarken is a Europees zeevarken (which only gives 10 hits!). If you google zeevarken + bruinvis you'll find it is a whale/dolphin-like animal.
'writeaway' pointed me to a picture of a European 'zeevarken' at http://www.duikteamgejo.nl/fotoalbum/20040628_Ile_de_Medes/p... Looking at images on Google of a scorpion fish they seem to be the same thing. But it's still not a shark, which may be an error in the text. There seems to be a fair bit of confusion if your dictionary also gives it as a dolpin/whale-like creature.
According to the dictionary a zeevarken, or bruinvis, is not a shark but a whale- or dolphin-like animal (genus Phocaenidae). Sea hog or porpoise would seem correct, but I would change the shark bit (with a note).
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16 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
sea pig
Explanation: Sea pig might just do the thing! "Seevark" in Afrikaans is also called a "tornyn", which is a small dolphin, about 1.5m long and looks rather like a porpoise (although it isn't) and is often referred to by fisherman as a 'tornyn' (Afrikaans ... www.simonelwen.net/index2.php/research/PhD?SimonElwen=16247... - 6k -
These are well-known terms in the villages along the South African west coast.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2008-03-07 14:13:41 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I found another reference: Labuschagne & Eksteen, Verklarende Afrikaanse Woordeboek, Van Schaik, 1993: seevark, "Stompneussoogdier van die see, 'n soort dolfyn, wat in troppe voorkom en wydverspreid is, bruinvis (Phocaena, Cephalorhyncus, Lagonorhyncus, Lactoria spp.")
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2008-03-07 14:16:20 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
typo for "fishermEn". Sorry!
Andries Conradie Germany Local time: 19:03 Native speaker of: English
Kate Hudson Netherlands Local time: 19:03 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
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Thanks everyone for the discussion. The varkenshaai = dogfish idea would solve the riddle since I believe a dogfish is classed as a shark so may well have been what the author was thinking of. Don't know about the glossary entry though in view of the wide range of creatures that seem to be classed as a zeevarken!
Explanation: This is one of the confusing situations where animals are referred to by their vernacular names. According to the "Pharos Groot Woordeboek" a "seevark" in Afrikaans is a stump-nosed dophin-like creature, also referred to as a "tornyn". A "tornyn" (Lagonorhyncus) is a blue porpoise-shark. This explanation may possibly serve for Dutch "seevark" as well.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 hrs (2008-03-07 16:44:39 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Sorry, Dutch "zeevarken"!
lexispro Local time: 20:03 Native speaker of: English, Afrikaans
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
