![]() ![]() This anglerfish has been found in California, Japan, Hawaii, Ecuador, Chile, and the Philippines, but the first deep-sea anglerfish discovered was found on a beach in Greenland in 1833. 2001 at Dog Beach in Del Mar, and this is the third known to wash up in California. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography says the last time a fish like this washed up in San Diego was 20 years ago in Dec. He initially thought it was a jellyfish from a distance, but as Beiler got closer, he noticed it was something far stranger.Īccording to experts, the Pacific Footballfish, or scientifically known as Himantolophus sagamius, usually lives in waters that are 3,000 feet deep. 13 when he saw an odd-looking object on the beach. Jay Beiler says he was walking on the beach around 4:40 p.m. Some of those rare species have managed to find their way to shorelines in the San Diego area, and a beachgoer in North County came across a strange discovery when he spotted a scary-looking fish washed ashore at Black's Beach in Torrey Pines nearly two weeks ago. CDFW added that they put the park service in contact with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles to arrange for a transfer.SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Many people have their speculations about the thousands of unknown species that swim in the unattainable trenches in the deep blue sea. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) told Snopes that they were made aware of the anglerfish by the Orange Coast District of California Department of Parks and Recreation and as of this writing, the fish is frozen at Crystal Cove State Parks. There are more than 300 living species of anglerfish, scientific order Lophiiformes, found around the world, all of which are considered bony fish. ![]() Ocean currents could have played a part." "As far as reaching the surface, disease might have rendered her incapable of maintaining depth. "A necropsy might shed light on the cause of death," he said. “The male becomes a permanent appendage that draws nutrition from its female host and serves as an easily accessible source of sperm.”Ĭatania noted that the current specimen appeared to be in "excellent condition," suggesting it was likely not killed as a result of predation. “The males of some anglerfish species, including the football fish, have evolved into ‘sexual parasites.’ Using well-developed olfactory organs, they find and fuse themselves to females, eventually losing their eyes, internal organs, and everything else but the testes,” noted the academy. It is not yet known whether the California footballfish is male or female, but the two genders are known to differ dramatically in size - some females can measure up to ten times larger than their male counterparts. ![]() In a lightning-fast motion, it sucks the prey into its mouth, where its teeth - which point inward - ensure that what goes in doesn’t come out,” wrote the academy. “Using its esca as a lure, an anglerfish remains motionless until prey comes within striking distance. The glow of the esca comes from photobacteria that emit light, flowing into the point through small pores - when inside, they survive on the nutrition provided by the host. Sunlight doesn’t penetrate the depths at which the Pacific footballfish live and because food is scarce in the deep, their esca is a special evolutionary advantage that helps them to entice whatever fits in their mouth, from other fish to squid and crustaceans. Scientifically known as Himantolophus sagamius, the California Academy of Sciences described the Pacific football fish as having “prickly skin, needle-sharp teeth, minuscule eyes, and a strange stalk on its head.” "The deep oceans are poorly sampled, so it's possible they are common at depth, we just don't know," Catania said in an email to Snopes.Īnglerfish are identified by their illicium, a long fleshy dorsal fin that extends past the front of the mouth and has a phosphorescent bulb (or esca) on the end to emit light and lure “unsuspecting prey.” And though it's rare to have a fish of this species in a museum collection, California Academy of Science Curator of Ichthyology Dave Catania said that doesn't necessarily mean they are rare in the wild. The 18-inch fish was identified as a Pacific footballfish, a species of anglerfish that are normally found between 2,000 and 3,300 feet below the ocean surface. ![]()
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