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Post by Skaloop on Oct 17, 2013 14:27:37 GMT
18-foot oarfish discovered off southern California coast (CNN) -- A marine science instructor's late-afternoon snorkel off the Southern California coast last Sunday was first met with shock and soon excitement when she discovered a gigantic oarfish, a deep-sea creature that remains little known to the science world and people outside. Jasmine Santana was about 15 feet underwater when she found the 18-foot-long, silvery fish with reddish fins and eyes the size of a half-dollar staring at her from the sandy bottom. Realizing it was dead, she snatched the fish's tail, and using buoyancy and low tides, powered her way back on shore. "I was first a little scared," said the still-thrilled Santana, who has been working for Catalina Island Marine Institute since January. "But when I realized it was an oarfish, I knew it was harmless." Giant eyeball washes up on beach After a 15-minute swim dragging the 400-pound carcass, she needed help from 14 others to lift the fish out of the water at Toyon Bay, California. "I was really amazed. It was like seeing something in a dream," said Mark Waddington, the senior captain of CIMI's sailing school vessel the "Tole Mour" who gave Santana a hand. "It's the first time I ever witnessed an oarfish this big." Discovery makes a splash: The rarest whale "Oarfish are found in all temperate to tropical waters, but are rarely seen, dead or alive," CIMI, a non-profit marine science education group, said in a release. "It is believed that oarfish dive over 3,000 feet deep, which leaves them largely unstudied. and little is known about their behavior or population." Waddington, who has been with CIMI since 1994, said it remains unclear why the oarfish was found in shallow water this time, but it appeared to have died naturally. Waddington said while the oarfish's carcass is still being preserved in ice, CIMI has been sending some of its tissues and other samples to marine scientists, including Dr. Milton Love, a fish expert from University of California at Santa Barbara, to study its DNA and diet habits. Waddington said CIMI will likely to keep the fish's skeleton for educational purposes. Its program attracts more than 30,000 school-age children each year. www.cnn.com/2013/10/15/us/california-18-foot-oarfish/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1 |
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Post by Skaloop on Oct 17, 2013 14:29:59 GMT
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Post by Skaloop on Oct 21, 2013 12:20:13 GMT
Second 'sea serpent' in a week washes up in southern California Another "sea serpent" has attracted gawkers on a southern California beach. This time the rare, snakelike oarfish washed up on Friday afternoon in Oceanside. The U-T San Diego newspaper reports that it measured nearly 14ft long. While it is unusual to find the deep-water fish near shore, this is the second time in the past week that one has surfaced. On Sunday, a snorkeler off Catalina Island found an 18ft oarfish and dragged it ashore with the help of a dozen other people. According to the Catalina Island Marine Institute, oarfish can grow to more than 50ft (15 metres), making them the longest bony fish in the world. They are probably responsible for sea serpent legends throughout history. Earlier in the week, a rare whale with a dolphin-shaped head and sabre-like teeth was found dead on Venice Beach, Los Angeles, even though it prefers frigid subarctic waters. The roughly 15ft female Stejneger's beaked whale washed ashore Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Times reported. A truck hauled away the mammal, which was being examined at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum to determine how it died. The Stejneger's beaked whale is rarely seen in the wild. The species typically dives deep in subarctic waters to feed on squid and small fish. It is believed to migrate as far south as northern California. How the whale ended up so far south will probably remain a mystery. "This is the best," said Nick Fash, an education specialist for the Santa Monica-based environmental group Heal the Bay. "[Previous finds] aren't anything like this. This is a treat." Males are known for their sabre teeth that stick up midway from each side of the lower jaw. However, the teeth of females and their offspring remain hidden beneath the gum tissue. The whale was alive when it washed ashore, said Peter Wallerstein of Marine Animal Rescue. Its body was covered in bites from so-called cookie-cutter sharks that feed by gouging round pieces of flesh from larger animals. Because the species is not seen much anywhere, the autopsies of washed-up carcasses are the best source for scientists to gather information. www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/19/oarfish-whale-california |
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