An oarfish was found on a beach in Mexico on Feb. 9. Beachgoers were surprised to see the unsual-looking fish. Oarfish typically stay in the deep sea and only come to shallow water if they’re injured or dying.
BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, Mexico – A rare deep–sea fish was recently found on a beach in Mexico.
Video from Feb. 9 showed the long, silvery fish washing onto the shores of Playa El Quemado, a beach in Baja California Sur.
According to the Florida Museum, oarfish are typically found in ocean depths ranging from 650 feet to more than 3,200 feet.
Beachgoers in the video echoed their surprise at seeing the unusual-looking fish on the beach. Robert Hayes recorded the video.
Silvery oarfish flops around on beach in Mexico.
(Robert Hayes via Storyful / FOX Weather)
Oarfish are usually only seen at the surface of the water when they have been injured or are dying, according to the museum.
In the video, the flat-bodied fish swims around in the shallow water before it lays flat on the beach, out of water.
A bystander picks up the oarfish to try and help it get back into deeper water. “This is amazing, it’s the smallest one (oarfish) I’ve ever seen,” the man said.
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A man picks up an oarfish that washed up in Mexico on Feb. 9.
(Robert Hayes via Storyful / FOX Weather)
Oarfish can grow up to 36 feet in length, according to the museum. The one in the video appeared to be on the smaller side.
The fish have long, flat bodies with reddish-orange dorsal fin rays that run the entire length of the animal’s body.
Oarfish have small mouths with no visible teeth, according to the Florida Museum. Their bodies get the silver appearance from guanine, not scales.
Oarfish tries to swim away after washing up on a beach in Mexico.
(Robert Hayes via Storyful / FOX Weather)
In a later clip of the video, the fish tries to swim away but doesn’t get too far.
“The fish swam straight at us, lifting its head above the water about two inches,” Hayes told Storyful. “We redirected it three times out to the water, but it came back each time.”
Hayes told Storyful that the man who picked up the fish in the video said he would bring it to a marine biologist, assuming the oarfish was injured.