Oarfish / Sea Serpent
CALIFORNIA — Two rare oarfish have washed up on California beaches. A dead 18-foot-long oarfish was found off Catalina Island on October. 13. A 14-foot-long oarfish carcass was found on Oct. 18 in Oceanside, CA.
Oarfish can grow to more than 50 feet in length and are considered the longest fish. Their appearance has led to many theories of sea serpents.
Japanese folklore believes the beaching of oarfish predicts earthquakes — “a notion that some scientists have speculated could be supported by the bottom-dwelling fish being more sensitive to seismic shifts.”
“It’s probably just a coincidence,” said Rick Feeney of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. “We think that they come inshore to die actually because they’re in distress for some reason, but we don’t know what the reason is,” said Feeney, adding that the fish could have been starving or disoriented.
However, the one found off Catalina Island has been dissected and found to be healthy. “It looks good enough to eat – if you have a 13ft pan,” biologist Ruff Zetter said.
Oarfish Found In California