5 Surprising Facts About the Oarfish That Has Been Washing Up on Beaches
Two of the deep-sea creatures have been found in less than a week.
On Friday, a 14-foot (4.3-meter) oarfish was found on a beach in Oceanside, California. Just five days earlier, staff of the Catalina Island Marine Institute had found the body of a dead 18-foot (5.5-meter) oarfish in Toyon Bay on California’s Catalina Island.
Milton Love, a biologist at the University of California in Santa Barbara, told the Toronto Star that he doubts the rare double find is merely coincidence. He said he suspects the long, bony fish were pushed toward shore by strong currents and then battered to death by swells.
The Internet has been buzzing about the oarfish finds, including a lot of questions about the poorly known animals, as well as plenty of jokes:
To set the record straight,
