• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Worrying ‘harbinger of doom’ fish discovered washed up on beach that could be a bad sign for us all

Home> News> World News

Published 16:35 16 Nov 2024 GMT

Worrying ‘harbinger of doom’ fish discovered washed up on beach that could be a bad sign for us all

The creatures are associated with natural disasters

Danni King

Danni King

A very rare fish has washed up on a California beach, but it could come with some bad news.

For the second time in 2024, a rarely seen deep sea fish, known as an oarfish, has washed up on the coastline in California.

The creatures are historically considered a 'harbinger of doom' and tend to live in an area of the deep sea called the mesopelagic zone, where light cannot reach.

Advert

The 10ft-long specimen was discovered on Encinitas beach. (Alison Laferriere/Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
The 10ft-long specimen was discovered on Encinitas beach. (Alison Laferriere/Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, reported that, last week, one of its PhD students came across a specimen on a beach in Encinitas, southern California, and it measured roughly around 10ft long.

Oarfish tend to have long, ribbon-like bodies and are often referred to as 'doomsday fish'.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography shared on X: "Look what decided to make another appearance! Last week, another #oarfish washed up on Grandview Beach in Encinitas and was spotted by Scripps Oceanography PhD candidate Alison Laferriere. This cool creature measures roughly 9 to 10 feet long."

In a second tweet, the account revealed what Scripps' Marine Vertebrate Collection Manager Ben thinks, adding: "Like with the previous oarfish, this specimen and the samples taken from it will be able to tell us much about the biology, anatomy, genomics and life history of oarfishes.”

Advert

Social media users were shocked at the photographs of the 10-ft specimen.

One person said: "They look amazing! Wow! This will help scientists understand these creatures better and also look for reasons why they’re appearing more frequently on our beaches," while a second added: "Magical fish!"

It's the second time an oarfish has washed up on the California coast this year. (Alison Laferriere/Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
It's the second time an oarfish has washed up on the California coast this year. (Alison Laferriere/Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

The creatures got their nickname due to their mythical reputation as predictors of natural disasters or earthquakes. In the months leading up to the 2011 earthquake in Japan, 20 oarfish were found on beaches around the country.

The latest discovery comes just a number of months after a group of kayakers and snorkelers came across a 12ft-long oarfish off the San Diego coast, floating dead in the water.

Advert

Seeing these creatures wash up on the shore is a very unusual occurrence, with oarfish having only been documented washing up in California on 20 occasions since 1901, per The Guardian.

Researchers took samples and froze the oarfish recovered recently for further study. Preservation is planned in the institution's marine vertebrate collection.

The discoveries this year have allowed scientists to conduct in-depth studies on oarfish, enabling them to analyse the creatures' organs and bodies.

Featured Image Credit: Alison Laferriere/Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Topics: Weird, World News, Animals, US News, Science, Education, Environment

Danni King
Danni King

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
6 hours ago
7 hours ago
8 hours ago
  • 5 hours ago

    How long it takes brain to return to normal dopamine levels after substance abuse

    Alcohol and drugs can do serious damage to your brain but how long does it take for the organ's dopamine levels to return to normal?

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Aviation experts identify potential cause of Air India crash that crashed with 242 on board

    An investigation into the crash is currently underway

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Medical report claims Brit mum whose 'heart went missing' after mysterious death died from food poisoning

    The mum-of-two died while on a family holiday in Turkey

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Diddy's son could be thrown out of court over T-shirt he wore to trial

    People aren't meant to wear clothes with slogans on them in court

    News
  • Rare 'Doomsday creature' that's a 'sign of pending disaster' discovered off coast two days before earthquake
  • 44,000-year-old wolf found perfectly preserved and it could have ancient viruses in its stomach
  • Scientists discover key sign you could be developing Alzheimer's disease
  • Scientists explain worrying things that would happen if Earth’s magnetic field flipped with NASA on alert over ‘dent’