iStockphoto / Nuarevik
For the second time in about two years, a very rare fish has washed up on the shores of Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County, California which is situated between the postcard towns of Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.
The Pacific Footballfish is one of more than 200 species of angler fish. Even if you lack a degree in Ichthyology, or even if that word means absolutely nothing to you whatsoever (branch of zoology that deals with fishes), you probably know angler fish from pop culture.
Angler fish are aptly named because they use a little bioluminescent dangler in predation like a light-up lure at the bottom of the ocean to bring prey in close to their mouths and boom, easy meal. Dory and Nemo almost met their maker when they were lured in by an angler fish in Finding Nemo:
Well, the rare Pacific Footballfish washed up on an Orange County beach on Friday the 13th! So the Crystal Cove State Park shared an educational but spooky rundown on this fascinating species and folks in the Facebook comments were shooketh.
Fun Facts Abou Angler Fish And The RarePacific Footballfish
Since Facebook cuts off the caption, here are some facts they throw out in that post:
“There are more than 200 species of angler fish worldwide and this particular fish is most likely the Pacific Football Fish. Only females possess a long stalk on the head with bioluminescent tips used as a lure to entice prey in pitch black water as deep as 3,000 feet! Their teeth, like pointed shards of glass, are transparent and their large mouth is capable of sucking up and swallowing prey the size of their own body. While females can reach lengths of 24 inches males only grow to be about an inch long and their sole purpose is to find a female and help her reproduce. Males latch onto the female with their teeth and become “sexual parasites,” eventually coalescing with the female until nothing is left of their form but their testes for reproduction. Wild!”
These are deep sea creatures. Seeing one in person is an extremely rare occurrence. The fact that two have landed on this beach in the past 29 months is incredible.
2021’s specimen has been at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles for the past two years. It remains to be seen where this incredible specimen is headed.
Meanwhile in the comments, folks expressed amazement and awe. Someone wrote “That entire post is freaky and amazing!” Another person added “Such weirdness in the ocean, this is why I don’t swim at the beach.” News flash: fish like this aren’t going to be swimming around in the shadows. This floated up from very VERY deep water.