Rare Oarfish Found Off San Diego Coast

A peculiar fish resembling a serpent was discovered floating dead on the ocean surface near San Diego, and it has marine experts buzzing with interest.

This 12-foot-long oarfish was spotted last weekend by a group of snorkelers and kayakers at La Jolla Cove, just north of downtown San Diego. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography shared the news in a statement.

According to fish expert Ben Frable at Scripps, this marks only the 20th time an oarfish has washed up in California since 1901. That’s quite a rare find!

Oarfish are known for their impressive size, capable of growing longer than 20 feet, and they typically dwell in deep waters known as the mesopelagic zone, where sunlight doesn’t reach, as noted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The oarfish found at La Jolla Cove was transported to shore atop a paddleboard. After that, it was placed in the bed of a pickup truck. Scientists from the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Scripps are planning to perform a necropsy on Friday to figure out how this magnificent creature met its end.