A nightmarish fish that typically dwells thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface recently washed ashore on a California beach.
A beachgoer came across a decidedly rare sight while out for a morning stroll on California’s Newport Beach. Ben Estes spotted a strange-looking, all-black fish washed up on the beach.
According to NBC News, he came across the deep sea creature lying on the sand at Crystal Cove State Park and alerted park rangers about his find.
Crystal Cove State Park later shared pictures of the fish on Facebook, saying said the creature is most likely a female Pacific Football Fish, one of more than 200 species of anglerfish around the world, typically found thousands of feet deep in the ocean
”Last Friday morning an incredible deep sea fish washed up on shore in Crystal Cove State Park’s Marine Protected Area (MPA). There are more than 200 species of angler fish worldwide and this particular fish is most likely the Pacific Football Fish. Only females possess a long stalk on the head with bioluminescent tips used as a lure to entice prey in the darkness of waters as deep as 3,000 feet! Their teeth, like pointed shards of glass, are transparent and their large mouth is capable of sucking up and swallowing prey the size of their own body”, the post read.
Crystal Cove State Park also shared more information about the rare fish that rarely sees the light of day.
“Only females possess a long stalk on the head with bioluminescent tips used as a lure to entice prey in the darkness of waters as deep as 3,000 feet! Their teeth, like pointed shards of glass, are transparent, and their large mouth is capable of sucking up and swallowing prey the size of their own body.”
The state park also shared further details about the male and female varieties of these unique deep-sea creatures.
“While females can reach lengths of 24 inches, males only grow to be about an inch long, and their sole purpose is to find a female and help her reproduce. Males latch onto the female with their teeth and become ‘sexual parasites,’ eventually coalescing with the female until nothing is left of their form but their testes for reproduction. Wild!”
The Facebook post, shared on Sunday, has immediately gone viral with over thousands of comments.
“This is terrifying, and super cool, but also concerning that a fish that belongs so far underwater has washed up on shore,” wrote one person.
“It’s the fish off of Finding Nemo with the bulb in front of it,” another said.
It is not clear how the 18-inch deep sea fish washed up on the beach. It is currently in the custody of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
The world’s oceans remain one of the most underexplored places known to humans. Here is a look at 10 mysterious deep sea creatures that reside in the depths of the oceans.
Watch the video below for more details:
Sources: AWM, KCAL News/Youtube, NBC News