Oarfish Carcass Found Off Californian Coast — Giant 18-Foot (5 Meter) Oarfish Found

An giant 18-foot long oarfish carcass was just found off the coast of Southern California. While the fish in question is rather huge looking, individuals of the species are actually known to get as large as 50-60 feet long, and can, perhaps, grow even larger than that.

This recent individual was found by marine scientist Jasmine Santana of the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI). Thanks to the impressive size of the animal, though, she needed the help of 15 other people to bring the carcass to shore.

Giant oarfish California

For more information on giant oarfish, see: Oarfish Spotted In Gulf Of Mexico — Giant Sea Serpent Facts, Habitat, Videos, And Information

The fish in question appears to have died of “natural” causes — there are no obvious signs of physical injury, but that’s not to say that human activities for certain didn’t contribute to its death. Samples have been sent to the University of California, Santa Barbara, for further research.

Oarfish head

The current plan is for the fish to be buried in the sand and then dug up after the soft tissues have disintegrated — the skeleton will then be reconstructed for display at CIMI.

Image Credits: Catalina Island Marine Institute

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