Rare giant oarfish found by snorkeller off Californian coast

Updated

The carcass of a massive, eel-like creature thought to have inspired tales of giant sea serpents has been found by a California marine instructor on a leisurely weekend snorkel.

Catalina Island Marine Institute instructor Jasmine Santana spotted the 5.5-metre oarfish, which is as thick as a man's torso, while snorkelling in clear waters off the island's coast on Sunday afternoon, the institute said.

Oarfish are found in all temperate to tropical waters, but because they dive to depths of almost one kilometre they are rarely seen, and remain largely unstudied.

Little is known about their behaviour, the non-profit educational institute said.

"Jasmine Santana was shocked to see (a) half-dollar sized eye staring at her from the sandy bottom," the institute said in a statement.

"Her first reaction was to approach with caution, until she realised that it was dead."

Oarfish have a crest running the length of their bodies and a skeleton of bone rather than cartilage common to fish species like sharks.

They can grow up to a length of 17 metres.

Because of their strange appearance, they are believed to have inspired legends of giant sea serpents.

It took a group of 15 adults to pull the fish's massive carcass up the beach to a better viewing area, the institute said.

Its longest serving employee, Mark Johnson, could not believe his eyes.

"In 32 years here I have never seen anything like this," he said.

The body of the fish appeared almost perfectly intact.

The institute sent tissue samples and video footage to a University of California fish expert, and is awaiting a final determination on the species.

A spokesman for Guided Discoveries, the educational non-profit which operates programs on Catalina Island, says the sea creature's skeleton will likely be put on display for visitors.

Reuters

Topics: fish, animal-science, science-and-technology, human-interest, united-states

First posted