Last week 2 giant, shimmering oarfish washed ashore in southern California. This is not a common occurrence and some speculate that it may be a means to warn of an impending earthquake. Others say that it could just be a “banner week for weird fish photo ops“. In either case, I’m making the most of the teachable moment and sharing some facts about the prehistoric looking bony fish.
1. Oarfish, nicknamed “King of the herring,” are the longest bony fish in the sea reaching a length of up to 56 feet. This fact is not to be confused with the largest fish in the sea or the largest bony fish in the sea.
2. Oarfish got their common name from their long extended pectoral fins. Another identifying feature of oarfish are the long red plumes stretching from their head and other fins.
3. Oarfish swim holding themselves straight up and down in the water column. It’s believed that’s how they search for food.
4. Oarfish are inedible with a gelatinous body texture and hold no commercial value.
5. Oarfish tend to reside in the deep-sea up to 660 feet below the surface of the water. They only come to the surface of the sea when they are sick and vulnerable and often wash ashore after storms. Because of these sightings they’ve tended to prolong sea serpent lore. It wasn’t until 2001 that a oarfish was captured on film by the US Navy.
The first of the 2 sighting from last week was found by some very lucky environmental educators. Image (c) Catalina Island Marine Institute
That’s an amazing sight – indeed, totally oar-some… Saw it mentioned elsewhere, thanks for some pocket-sized facts.