If good things come in pairs, the discovery of another
giant, nearly mystical sea creature should portend positive things for a bunch
of bewildered beachgoers who early Friday evening happened across the second
so-called "discovery of a lifetime" in less than a week.
The 13-and-a half-foot-long oarfish, which washed up on
a beach in Oceanside Harbor, Calif., is the second of the rarely seen creatures
to be found in a matter of days.
"It's so rare to find in Southern California,
especially in surface water," Suzanne Kohin, of the National Marine
Fisheries Service said. "They thought it was a very rare event the first
time, so these two events that we heard of in the last few weeks are the only
ones I've ever heard of."
The first discovery was made by a snorkeling marine
scientist who wrestled the dead 18-foot monster (with help) to shore near
Catalina last Sunday.
"I was thinking I have no idea what that is and
like it looks like a snake but it kind of looks like a giant eel," said
onlooker Alexandria Boyle, who was one of a class of third-graders on a beach
trip when the newest oarfish was found.
Boyle was among a crowd of about 75 who crowded around
the creature as police were called, and waited around for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration to come and collect the carcass.
Oarfish can grow up to 50 feet in length and live in
depths of up to 3,000 feet. Little is known about their habits and life cycles,
but the NOAA writes on their website they "probably only come to the surface when injured or
dying."
When the first oarfish was found last week, the
Catalina Island Marine Institute hailed it in a news release as a
"discovery of a lifetime."
Mark Waddington, a school training guide with the
Insitute told ABC News he spotted another instructor, Jasmine Santana, trying
to bring the fish to shore, and immediately jumped in to help, along with 15 to
20 others.
"I had heard of it in studies, but never thought I
would see one in person," said Waddington, who was "beside
himself" when he saw the size of the fish.
Divers inspecting a navy buoy in the Bahamas were the
first known to videotape a five-foot long oarfish in 2001, claims the NOAA.
The terrifying-looking and toothless oarfish is also
known as a ribbon fish, possessing bony, silvery bodies and bright red-crested
heads. They are thought to have spawned ancient folk tales about sea serpents.
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