The discovery of a 12-foot (3.5 meters) long oarfish, found dead and floating near La Jolla Cove in San Diego, marks the 20th such occurrence in California since 1901.
Some cultures associate the appearance of oarfish with impending natural disasters, giving rise to the name "doomsday fish." There is no evidence to support the belief.
Oarfish typically dwell in the ocean depths in total darkness, and can grow longer than 20 feet, or 6 meters.
They surface when their health deteriorates, prompting necropsies and further study to understand their behavior, physiology, and role in the marine ecosystem.
The specimen found was transferred to the Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection for in-depth analysis.
Sources: Independent, BBC, Guardian, USA Today, Washington Post, Yahoo, Albawaba, Western Journal, Times of India, K2 Radio, Interesting Engineering, Tribunnews, ABS-CBN, Evrim Ağacı, Daily Galaxy, Recently Heard.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
