The sea is scary.
A beachgoer in California, USA, has shared terrifying images of an alien-like angler fish that is believed to be living 3000 ft below sea level.
The fish was perfectly preserved when it was found washed up on a sandy beach in California, USA.
Los Angeles boat tour agency, Davey’s Locker Sportfishing & Whale Watching, shared images of the strange looking pictures on social media.
They said in a post they made on Facebook:
Not something we pulled onto the boat today but still an AMAZINGLY RARE FIND off of local @newportbeach at Crystal Cove State Park yesterday. State park rangers and lifeguards with Crystal Cove State Park were alerted to a weird looking fish that washed ashore Friday morning from beach visitor Ben Estes who happened to notice it on the sand. It’s been identified as a deep-sea Pacific Footballfish, which is a species of anglerfish that are normally dwellings at depths more than 3,000 ft below the surface. It’s one of more than 300 living species of anglerfish from around the world. Though the fish itself is not rare, it is extremely rare to see one this intact along a beach in southern CA. The fleshy long dorsal fin called an illicium extends in the front of the mouth and has a phosphorescent bulb on the end which can emit light to attract unsuspecting prey closer to it. It’s not known yet why this 18” fish washed ashore almost perfectly preserved, but our partners @crystalcoveconservancy explained that it’s still unclear where this rare find will end up (either with museums/ educational institutions, etc), but it is currently housed with CA Department of Fish & Wildlife.
After Ben Estes found the fish, state park rangers and lifeguards were called right away.
The tour company explained that the find is amazing and extremely rare.
The incident happened at the Newport Beach in California, USA.
Do you find the fish scary? Let us know what you think about it by leaving a comment in the comments section below!