They are mysterious sea creatures that almost exclusively stay in the darkest depths of the ocean - between about 1,000 and 3,000 feet below the surface.
So it was an incredibly rare discovery to have an oarfish - the animal said to have spawned tales of sea monsters - wash ashore this week on South Catalina Island, one of the coastal isles off Los Angeles.
The dead fish, which was being picked at by seagulls and partially degraded, was discovered in the water off Sandy Beach by a harbor patrolman.
It took a large group of adults to pull the oarfish out of the water and bring it ashore.
The oarfish measured at about 17-feet.
However, according scientists, they are capable of growing to 50 feet.
Annie MacAulay, the founder of Mountain & Sea Adventures, an environmental education non-profit based on the island, said it was her second time seeing the snake-like fish in her 20 years working on Catalina.
'It was such a coincidence that I was here today,' MacAulay told The Orange County Register.
'I'm doing a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, so I'm not always at camp.'
The last time an oarfish was seen in the area was in October 2013.
That oarfish was an 18-foot specimen and was seen near the shore.
Before that, in 2006, another oarfish measuring about 15-feet was found.
Catalina is one of the only places in the world where the animals have been found, but it is unclear why.
Oarfish have a crimson-colored dorsal fin that resembles a mane, according to Grind TV.
Preferring to stay in the ocean's abyss, oarfish will only typically come near the surface if they are dead or sick, making them largely unstudied.
The oarfish is a deep-water pelagic fish — the longest bony fish in the world, according to CIMI.
They are likely responsible for the supposed sea serpent legends throughout history.
The giant oarfish was first discovered in 1772 by Norwegian biologist Peter Ascanius.
It's formal scientific title is Regalecus glesne, but the fish is also known as king of the herring, Pacific oarfish, streamer fish and ribbon-fish.
The longest recorded specimen clocked in at 26 feet, however, the species is believed to grow as long as 50 feet and weigh as much as 600 pounds.
However legend has it in 1808 a 56-foot oarfish washed ashore in Scotland.
Like the equally mysterious giant squid, the oarfish would go on to enchant fisherman and sailors and inspire stories of sea monsters.
The fish lives at extreme ocean depths, between 656 feet (0.2 kilometers) and 3,280 feet (1 kilometer) deep.
In 1996, a group of Navy Seals found a 23-foot long oarfish off Coronado, near San Diego, California.
So it was an incredibly rare discovery to have an oarfish - the animal said to have spawned tales of sea monsters - wash ashore this week on South Catalina Island, one of the coastal isles off Los Angeles.
The dead fish, which was being picked at by seagulls and partially degraded, was discovered in the water off Sandy Beach by a harbor patrolman.
It took a large group of adults to pull the oarfish out of the water and bring it ashore.
The oarfish measured at about 17-feet.
However, according scientists, they are capable of growing to 50 feet.
Annie MacAulay, the founder of Mountain & Sea Adventures, an environmental education non-profit based on the island, said it was her second time seeing the snake-like fish in her 20 years working on Catalina.
'It was such a coincidence that I was here today,' MacAulay told The Orange County Register.
'I'm doing a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, so I'm not always at camp.'
The last time an oarfish was seen in the area was in October 2013.
That oarfish was an 18-foot specimen and was seen near the shore.
Before that, in 2006, another oarfish measuring about 15-feet was found.
Catalina is one of the only places in the world where the animals have been found, but it is unclear why.
Oarfish have a crimson-colored dorsal fin that resembles a mane, according to Grind TV.
Preferring to stay in the ocean's abyss, oarfish will only typically come near the surface if they are dead or sick, making them largely unstudied.
The oarfish is a deep-water pelagic fish — the longest bony fish in the world, according to CIMI.
They are likely responsible for the supposed sea serpent legends throughout history.
The giant oarfish was first discovered in 1772 by Norwegian biologist Peter Ascanius.
It's formal scientific title is Regalecus glesne, but the fish is also known as king of the herring, Pacific oarfish, streamer fish and ribbon-fish.
The longest recorded specimen clocked in at 26 feet, however, the species is believed to grow as long as 50 feet and weigh as much as 600 pounds.
However legend has it in 1808 a 56-foot oarfish washed ashore in Scotland.
Like the equally mysterious giant squid, the oarfish would go on to enchant fisherman and sailors and inspire stories of sea monsters.
The fish lives at extreme ocean depths, between 656 feet (0.2 kilometers) and 3,280 feet (1 kilometer) deep.
In 1996, a group of Navy Seals found a 23-foot long oarfish off Coronado, near San Diego, California.
Music : Universal by Kevin MacLeod
Source : DailyMail , OCRegister, Catalina Island Conservancy
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