A ‘harbinger of doom’ oarfish has washed up on a beach.
The marine beast, considered one of the longest fish in the ocean, was 9.5 feet long.
The dead oarfish was found on Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas near San Diego, California, US.
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The mysterious marine animal was spotted by Alison Laferriere, a doctoral candidate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Scientists took samples to research its genomics and biology, the Institution said yesterday (Nov 13).
It was only the 21st reported sighting of an oarfish on a Californian beach since 1901.
The last oarfish to be spotted in California was in August, not far from the most recent discovery.
The animal, which was 12.3 feet long, was found by kayakers in La Jolla Cove.
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Ben Frable, manager of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution, said yesterday: “We took samples and froze the specimen awaiting further study and final preservation.
“Like with the previous oarfish, this specimen and the samples taken from it will be able to tell us much about the biology, anatomy, genomics and life history of oarfish.”
He said it’s unclear why two “incredibly rare” oarfish have washed up on local beaches in recent weeks, adding: “It may have to do with changes in ocean conditions and increased numbers of oarfish off our coast.
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“Many researchers have suggested this as to why deepwater fish strand on beaches.
“This wash-up coincided with the recent red tide and Santa Ana winds last week but many variables could lead to these strandings.”
Oarfish can measure up to 17 metre (56 feet) in length and weigh over 200 kilogrammes (441 lbs).
Their body is scaleless and the skin has a slimy, silvery protective coating known as guanine.
Due to their ability to adapt to different temperatures, oarfish are found in most of the world’s oceans with the exception of the poles.
They live at depths of between 200 and 1,000 metres (656 and 3,280 feet) and sightings are not very common.
Sometimes they wash up on beaches after a storm or when they suffer a serious injury.
Due to their size and shape, oarfish resemble ‘sea serpents’ and are considered harbingers of earthquakes and misfortune in Japanese mythology.
The myth was rekindled in 2011 after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
The Ecuadoran Geophysical Institute said the ‘harbinger of doom’ myth has no validity in any scientific study ever carried out, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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