A 5-foot-long cannibal fish has washed to shore making a rare appearance that has scientists and researchers thrilled. It's not often that you get a good look at the fish, known for a cannibal diet and even stranger apparance.
But on April 22, the cannibal fish, called a longnose lancetfish, washed to shore near the Seaside Aquarium in Oregon. Tiffany Boothe, assistant manager of the aquarium in Oregon, opened up to USA Today about the strange fine.
"When he showed us the picture, it was such a fresh, great specimen that we were like, 'Sweet, we're gonna go pick it up,' " said Boothe. It's a rarity that the cannibal fish appears. It's even rarer to find one intact. Booth explains that the fish has "gelatinous flesh that the seagulls just absolutely go crazy after," Boothe said. "So it's kind of hard to find ones that are fresh and that intact."
Cannibal Fish Makes Rare Appearance
"It doesn't look like a very friendly fish," Boothe told the outlet. "If I saw that fish alive, I wouldn't touch it."
You can see a complete look of the fish on Facebook.
"Their beautiful large eyes, sharp fang-like teeth, and serpent-like body distinguishes this fish from most others living in the Pacific Northwest," the aquarium wrote. "Little is known about the longnose lancetfish. We know they range from the southern Bering Sea to Chile and occupy surface waters down to 6,000 feet."
"We also know that they are not picky eaters, they are known to eat over 90 different species of marine life, including each other, and unfortunately, are attracted to plastics," the aquarium continued. "Their unique feeding habits, along with the varying range of depth that they occupy, have scientists studying their stomach contents. They have poor digestion, so when you look at the contents of their stomachs you will usually see whole fish and other prey items."
Boothe explained that so far the aquarium hasn't been able to find a lancetfish alive for more than an hour. Despite its rarity and strange-looking face, "It's actually very beautiful." That's one way of putting it for sure.
