A nightmarish fish that typically lives 3,000 feet below the ocean surface was found dead on a California beach.
The jet-black Pacific Football Fish with razor-sharp teeth was discovered by beachgoers visiting Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach on October 13.
Park officials determined that the fish was a female due to the long stalk on its head, a trait only a female would have, which has bioluminescent tips to lure prey in deep dark waters.
They also noted it is rare to see an actual angler fish intact above the surface, as predators usually consume the fish before reaching the surface.
Beachgoers visiting Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach this month found a jet-black creature lying in the sand
Park officials did not share many details about the creature but noted that females grow up to 24 inches long.
Pacific Football Fish are one of more than 200 species of anglerfish, a family of bony fish.
They possess a lifeless gaze through completely black eyes attached to the sides of their flat head.
What makes anglerfish unique is a dangling bioluminescent protrusion that juts from their face to hunt prey.
The tip glows through bioluminescence, produced by symbiotic bacteria, which acts as a fishing pole to lure prey close enough to the fish’s mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth – but the tentacle is only featured on females.
And the creature is capable of sucking in prey as large as its own body.
The creature is a Football Fish that lives 3,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. It is rare to see an actual angler fish intact above the surface, as predators usually consume the fish before reaching the surface.
Park officials determined that the fish was a female due to the long stalk on its head, a trait only a female would have, which has bioluminescent tips to lure prey in deep dark waters.
‘Seeing this strange and fascinating fish is a testament to the curious diversity of marine life lurking below the water’s surface in California’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and as scientists continue to learn more about these deep sea creatures, it’s important to reflect on how much is still to be learned from our wonderful and mysterious ocean,’ Crystal Cove State Park officials shared in a Facebook post.
The post mentioned it has been two years since a Pacific Football Fish was found on the beach.
On May 22, 2021, beachgoer and fisherman Ben Estes stumbled upon another creature that measured 18 inches.
This specimen was found frozen in the sand when officials came to collect it.
The post mentioned it has been two years since a Pacific Football Fish was found on the beach. On May 22, 2021, beachgoer and fisherman Ben Estes stumbled upon another creature that measured 18 inches
In 2018, scientists revealed footage of live anglerfish mating for the first time, according to a report in Science Magazine.
Before then, anglerfish mating pairs had reportedly only been observed in dead specimens caught in nets.
The eerie footage shows the female’s glowing filaments extending around her body as the tiny male clings on.
The footage was captured at a depth of 2,600 feet off Portugal’s São Jorge Island by husband and wife deep-sea explorers Kirsten and Joachim Jakobsen using a remotely operated vehicle.
The permanent attachment of males to females represents what the scientists call a form of ‘anatomical joining’, unknown in humans except for rare genetically identical twins.
