Rare 20-foot-long MONSTER fish shocks tourists and locals as it washes ashore in Mexico

Oarfish showed up in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Friday

Rare fish typically lives about 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean

Authorities dump the oarfish out to sea before scientists can study it



It may seem like something out of deep sea mythos, but a monster fish became a reality for stunned beachgoers last week.

An oarfish, a deep sea creature which has rarely - if ever - been seen alive before, washed ashore near Hacienda Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Friday.

Also known as a ribbon fish, is the longest bony fish in the sea - characterised by its shiny silver body and red or orange dorsal fin.

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Monster: The deep sea creature which has rarely - if ever - been seen alive, washed ashore in Cabo San Lucas on Friday

The one that turned up on Friday was believed to be about 20 feet long and drew a crowd at the beach.

Because of its size, many believe sea serpent folklore and stories of mythological sea creatures like the Loch Ness Monster originate with the oarfish.

OARFISH: MONSTER OF THE SEA

The oarfish, also known as ribbon fish, are among the largest fish in the ocean, with some that can grow to up to 50 feet long.

They are characterised by their long silvery body and red or orange dorsal fin. Sightings of the sea beast are rare, as they commonly reside 3,000 feet deep.

Oarfish only come to the surface when they are injured or near death. For such a large fish, they eat light, feasting mostly on shrimp and small fish.



The Pisces Fleet Sport Fishing blog reported that some locals jumped in to help the fish away from the beach, but it kept drifting back to the sand.

The blog said that park wardens quickly responded, scooping the fish out of the water, and dumping it back into the sea about two miles out before scientists could get there to take samples.



The oarfish typically resides in depths of about 3,000 feet below the surface, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

However, they reportedly come up to the surface of the ocean if they are sick or injured.

Oarfish can grow to up to 50 feet in length but they are not known to be dangerous, as they don't have any teeth.

Little else is known about the creature, as a live one has only been seen a handful of times.

The NMFS said that the first known video of a live oarfish was shot by divers in the Bahamas back in 2001.

Rare: An oarfish was photographed in May 2010 after it washed ashore in Sweden. At right, a museum worker measures the creature

VIDEO: Shocked tourists surrounded the monster fish, urging it back out to sea...