Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
no thank you
This rare, massive 'sea serpent' washed up on a beach
It’s a lovely little oarfish.
PRETTY LITTLE THING, isn’t it?
Workers from the Catalina Island Conservancy in California discovered this rare sea creature on a beach earlier this week.
The oarfish is the second to wash up nearby in the past two years.
According to the conservationists the creature is 13-foot long, although others have suggested it could have been up to 17-foot.
Any specimens found are valuable to scientists as it usually resides almost a kilometre below sea level.
Oarfish are thought to be responsible for sightings of mythical ‘sea serpents’, adding to its reputation as a deep sea monster despite only plankton and small crustaceans making up its diet.
This particular example was found without a tail – although the oarfish may have detached this itself – and seagulls had already started to feast on it.
Locals posed with the carcass before it was removed for further examination.
“I’ve lived on the island for over 20 years, and I’m on the water all the time … and I’ve never seen one,” one told ABC7.
have your say