A odd-looking sea creature that typically lives in deep ocean waters and rarely seen off Southern California was found washed up at Crystal Cove State Beach.
The sharp-toothed, black fish with a large antenna-like stalk that comes out of its head and dangles in front of it was spotted on Friday, May 7, in the park’s Marine Protected Area. It appeared to officials to be a kind of anglerfish.
“There are more than 200 species of anglerfish 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 the darkness of waters as deep as 3,000 feet,” the folks with Crystal Cove State Beach posted on social media.
“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.”
Females can reach lengths of 24 inches, but males only grow to be about an inch long.
It’s “very rare” to find an anglerfish intact and it is unknown how or why the fish ended up on the shore, State Parks officials said.
“Seeing this strange and fascinating fish is a testament to the diversity of marine life lurking below the water’s surface in California’s MPAs and as scientists continue to learn more about these deep sea creatures it’s important to reflect on how much is still to be learned from our wonderful ocean,” the post says.
Ocean wildlife enthusiasts shared the post on social media, marveling at the rare sight.
“Though the fish itself is not rare, it is extremely rare to see one this intact along a beach in Southern CA,” Davey’s Locker Whale Watching & Sportfishing in Newport Beach said in sharing the post.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reached out to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History about the find.
“Per their email, the species is not rare, but encountering one is. They only have three in their collection, only one from California,” John Ugoretz, marine resource assessment program manager for the department, said.
