Giant Oarfish found off Santa Catalina Island
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 3:10PM Can you name the world's longest bony fish? With more than 400 dorsal fin rays, the Giant Oarfish, Regalecus glesne, can grow up to 50 feet in length.
These beautiful fish are extremely solitary and known to live at depths up to 3,000 feet below the surface. Rarely observed alive, today the remains of an 18 foot Oarfish was found off of Santa Catalina Island by Jasmine Santana, Marine Science Instructor at the Catalina Island Marine Institute.
Santana spotted something shimmering about 30 feet deep while snorkeling during a staff trip in Toyon Bay at Santa Catalina Island, about two dozen miles from the mainland.
"She said, 'I have to drag this thing out of here or nobody will believe me,'"
After she dragged the carcass by the tail for more than 75 feet, staffers waded in and helped her bring it to shore.
You can read more about this incredible find here. Be sure to watch the video below for rare footage of live Oarfish in their natural habitat. This amazing video was captured by Mark C. Benfield and his team with the Gulf SERPENT Project.