What the Strange Oarfish Looks Like and Why It’s Thought to Foretell Earthquakes and Other Disasters

A unique specimen of oarfish It was observed this weekend in La Jolla Shores, a coastal area of ​​San Diego, United States, arousing the interest of the Californian scientific community, mainly because it is an exceptional event for more than a century.

The fish appeared to be floating and was discovered by kayakers and divers exploring the area, according to the local news channel. Fox 5 .

“This fish is remarkably large and strange “, noted the Ocean Conservation . can reach up to 10 meters in length and it has big eyes and red crown-like thorns that give it a weird appearance.

He Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California In San Diego, he detailed that The oarfish found is about 3.6 meters long . Nicknamed the “fish from the end of the world “Because of its reputation in some cultures as a harbinger of earthquakes and other natural disasters, Fox 5 explained that this is one of the few confirmed sightings of a rowfish in the state.”in more than 120 years “.

“Thanks to the work of these locals, scientists will be able to study this mysterious species in more depth, because it will be part of the Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection one of the largest collections of deep-sea fish in the world,” said Brittany hook deputy director of communications at Scripps.

The spokesperson also confirmed that a team of scientists from NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Scripps plans to do an autopsy to try to determine the cause of his death .

Fox 5 recalled that in some parts of the world, being a deep-sea fish, Oarfish are considered a harbinger of natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis . But Hook assures that This correlation has not been demonstrated. although some reports state that they appear on the beach before such events.

In 2011, for example, more than 20 oarfish appeared off the coast of Japan, just months before a magnitude 9.1 earthquake, known as the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami which led to the Fukushima tragedy.

Just days after the sighting of the oarfish in La Jolla, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California near Los Angeles. It is unclear whether these events are related or not, although it has sparked some curiosity.

“Experts have no evidence to explain why these fish are reaching the shores of Southern California. but they learn more from each specimen collected,” Hook said.

In the South American country, on July 11, 2022, A nearly six-meter-long oarfish was caught off the coast of Arica His image being lifted by a loading crane, with the iconic nose in the background, has sparked various reactions.

The discovery surprised the fishermen, according to several videos shared on social networks, among other things because the species usually lives in the ocean depths, more than 200 meters below the surface, where the marine world is dark because light cannot penetrate.

The next day, the National Seismological Center of the University of Chile A 5.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded south of Arequipa in Peru, more than 350 km north of the provincial capital of the Arica and Parinacota region. Coincidence?

According to scientific literature, the giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne) It was first observed in Norway and corresponds to a species of lampridiformes that is, flattened and long bodies, with a cosmopolitan distribution in all oceans except the polar regions.

It is a fish where Their skeleton is made mainly of bone and not cartilage —as happens with sharks and manta rays—. It is probably the longest species in this aquatic superclass.

The giant oarfish is also known as the “king of herring.” It has a small jaw with small teeth and slimy, silvery skin. AND It generally feeds on krill, small fish and squid. .

National Geographic said that It was first described in 1772 by Norwegian zoologist Peder Ascanius. and, although it may have a somewhat terrifying appearance, “does not represent a danger to people “.

But why do people think it could predict earthquakes and other disasters?

Japanese mythology places the oarfish as a predictor of major natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis . It all goes back to the legend of Namazu a large fish that takes refuge in the depths of the east of the country. Of uncontrollable force, its appearance is associated with all kinds of disasters.

The myth gained renewed attention after the devastating Tohoku mega-earthquake of March 11, 2011, with a magnitude of 9.1, followed by a tsunami with waves of up to 40.5 meters.

The tragedy claimed the lives of more than 15,000 people, according to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Observers retrospectively linked the earthquake to sightings of oarfish in Japan between 2009 and 2011.

Among the various hypotheses put forward by specialists to explain this phenomenon, we find that of the Japanese seismologist Kiyoshi Wadatsumi . “deep sea fish -like the oarfish- They live close to the sea floor and are more sensitive to active fault movements than those close to the sea surface. ” he warned.

That’s why It is possible that these fish emerge when they detect strange movements on the seabed. . From this could arise the idea that the appearance of a rowing fish on the surface of the sea foreshadows earthquakes or tsunamis.

Rachel Grant professor of animal biology at Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge suggests a similar hypothesis.”When an earthquake occurs, there can be a buildup of pressure in the rocks which can cause electrostatic charges. generating electrically charged ions which will then be transmitted into the water.

According to the expert, “This can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, a toxic compound. . Charged ions can also oxidize organic matter which could either kill the fish or force them to leave the depths of the ocean and rise to the surface. “.

“The geophysical processes behind these types of observations may occur before an earthquake ” he concluded.

For now, in the absence of scientific verification, Many experts reject the theory that the oarfish is a real messenger of disaster. .

“It is difficult to confirm the association between the two phenomena. ” wrote the seismologist Yoshiaki Orihara in an article of the Seismological Society of America after analyzing a total of 336 seismic events and 221 reports of deep-sea fish, such as oars.