Latest news with #BenFrable
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare ‘doomsday' oarfish on display at Birch Aquarium after washing up in San Diego
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The 'doomsday fish' that washed up on a San Diego beach late last year is now on display at San Diego's Birch Aquarium, giving visitors a unique chance to see the rare oarfish in person. The 11-foot oarfish was found on Grandview Beach near Leucadia in northern San Diego County in November 2024, and can be seen on display through this summer at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Another rare 'doomsday fish' discovered in San Diego County 'Oarfish: Recent Discoveries from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Collection' is a new limited-time immersive exhibition that brings visitors into their deep-sea world, and includes the preserved Short-crested Oarfish, along with a preserved ribbonfish — a King-of-the-Salmon. Oarfish are scaleless with silvery heads, and have a string-like red dorsal fin, and long, narrow bodies that can grow up to 30 feet. They are found in warm seas worldwide, but are rarely seen by humans as they are deep sea fish that live in the mesopelagic zone, a layer of the ocean between 200 and 1,000 meters deep. In folklore, oarfish are typically depicted as as 'messengers' that warn humans of earthquakes, diseases and other natural disasters, hence the 'doomsday fish' nickname. Giraffe calf born at San Diego Zoo Safari Park The oarfish discovered in Encinitas was the second found dead in San Diego County in 2024. 'Oarfish are rarely encountered here in California, making it remarkable that we recovered, studied, and preserved two of them last year,' said Ben Frable Senior Collection Manager of Marine Vertebrates at Scripps. 'Each new specimen deepens our understanding of this enigmatic fish. With their long, silver bodies and striking red fins, emerging from the vast ocean, oarfish have long fueled human imagination. I hope that seeing these specimens in person fosters a deeper appreciation for them—not as mythical creatures, but as remarkable living beings that share our world.' The oarfish exhibit is open through summer 2025 at Birch Aquarium and is included with general admission. The aquarium says advanced reservations are required. Birch Aquarium is located at 2300 Expedition Way in La Jolla. Visit for more information, including the Daily Schedule. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Video captures rare 'doomsday' oarfish swimming near Mexico beach shore
Mexico beachgoers were treated to a rare sighting earlier this month of a shimmering oarfish, native to the deep sea and seen in Japanese folklore as a signal of impending doom. The "doomsday" fish was spotted alive at the nation's Baja California Sur beach Feb. 9, according to AccuWeather and FOX affiliate KMSP-TV. Video shows the marine serpent swimming by the shore in the clear shallow waters while stubbed beachgoers surround it. When the fish stops moving someone proceeds to gently grabbed and moved toward the water. "What are you doing?" one witness asks the fish in the video. "That's an oarfish. They're almost never seen live," another says. In 2024, there were at least three separate oarfish sightings in Southern California, including one in San Diego last August that marked the region's first spotting in nearly 125 years. However, all three fish were found dead. In August, a 12-foot-long dead oarfish was recovered by a group of "sciencey" kayakers and snorkelers swimming at La Jolla Cove in San Diego. In September, a second oarfish was found dead in Orange County's Huntington Beach in September according to Ben Frable, an in-house fish expert for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. On Nov. 6, a roughly 10-foot oarfish was found dead at a beach in Encinitas, around 25 miles north of San Diego, Frable confirmed. The sight of a "doomsday fish" in shallow waters serves as an omen of an impending earthquake dating back to 17th century Japan, according to travel outlet Atlas Obscura. Japanese folklore indicates the fish belonged to servants of the sea god Ryūjin. Hence the fish are also known as "ryugu no tsukai," which translates to "messenger from the sea god's palace." It's believed the oarfish were sent from the palace toward the surface to warn people of earthquakes. Scientists are unable to theorize the reason why three oarfish have washed ashore last year, saying that each specimen collected provides a unique opportunity to learn more about the species. Especially since there is more than one variable at play in the so-called "strandings" of the oarfish, including shifts in the climate patterns of El Niño and La Niña, Frable said in November. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows rare 'doomsday' oarfish greeting Mexico beachgoers
USA Today
19-02-2025
- General
- USA Today
Video captures rare 'doomsday' oarfish swimming near Mexico beach shore
Mexico beachgoers were treated to a rare sighting earlier this month of a shimmering oarfish, native to the deep sea and seen in Japanese folklore as a signal of impending doom. The "doomsday" fish was spotted alive at the nation's Baja California Sur beach Feb. 9, according to AccuWeather and FOX affiliate KMSP-TV. Video shows the marine serpent swimming by the shore in the clear shallow waters while stubbed beachgoers surround it. When the fish stops moving someone proceeds to gently grabbed and moved toward the water. "What are you doing?" one witness asks the fish in the video. "That's an oarfish. They're almost never seen live," another says. In 2024, there were at least three separate oarfish sightings in Southern California, including one in San Diego last August that marked the region's first spotting in nearly 125 years. However, all three fish were found dead. Where were oarfish spotted in California last year? In August, a 12-foot-long dead oarfish was recovered by a group of "sciencey" kayakers and snorkelers swimming at La Jolla Cove in San Diego. In September, a second oarfish was found dead in Orange County's Huntington Beach in September according to Ben Frable, an in-house fish expert for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. On Nov. 6, a roughly 10-foot oarfish was found dead at a beach in Encinitas, around 25 miles north of San Diego, Frable confirmed. How are oarfish an omen of impending disaster? The sight of a "doomsday fish" in shallow waters serves as an omen of an impending earthquake dating back to 17th century Japan, according to travel outlet Atlas Obscura. Japanese folklore indicates the fish belonged to servants of the sea god Ryūjin. Hence the fish are also known as "ryugu no tsukai," which translates to "messenger from the sea god's palace." It's believed the oarfish were sent from the palace toward the surface to warn people of earthquakes. What do scientists say dead oarfish sightings mean? Scientists are unable to theorize the reason why three oarfish have washed ashore last year, saying that each specimen collected provides a unique opportunity to learn more about the species. Especially since there is more than one variable at play in the so-called "strandings" of the oarfish, including shifts in the climate patterns of El Niño and La Niña, Frable said in November.
Fox News
18-02-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Mysterious 'doomsday fish' shocks beachgoers as it approaches shallow waters
A group of beachgoers encountered an interesting-looking fish as it surfaced in shallow waters on a beach in Mexico. The silvery, iridescent oarfish was captured on video washing onto the shores of Playa El Quemado in Baja California Sur, making a rare appearance in broad daylight. "The fish swam straight at us, lifting its head above the water about two inches," Robert Hayes, the beachgoer who recorded the fish, told Storyful. "We redirected it three times out to the water, but it came back each time." The flat-bodied fish laid itself out on the beach, outside the water, before people approached the creature. Another man in the video who identified the deep-sea species attempted to return the "flailing fish" back into the ocean before it swam right back up to shore. "This is amazing, it's the smallest one (oarfish) I've ever seen," the man can be heard saying in the video. Oarfish are typically located in the great depths of the ocean, ranging from 650 feet to upwards of 3,200 feet, according to the Florida Museum. The oarfish is commonly referred to as the "doomsday fish," as some believe it "foreshadows natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis," according to the Ocean Conservancy. Last year, Ben Frable, Scripps Oceanography Marine Vertebrate Collection manager, said in a statement that the increased spotting of oarfish off the coast may have to do with a change in the ocean conditions. "Many researchers have suggested this as to why deep-water fish strand on beaches. Sometimes it may be linked to broader shifts such as the El Niño and La Niña cycle but this is not always the case," said Frable. The Florida Museum reported that oarfish are only spotted on the surface of the water or in the shallow depths when they are injured or dying. While oarfish can reach lengths of 36 feet, this particular fish in the video appeared to be on the smaller side, the Florida Museum stated. "The long, flat, tapering body is reflective silver with a dorsal fin running the length of it that it uses to swim and turn with. Its abrupt, slightly concave profile is set with a toothless mouth ideal for filtering krill and crustaceans out of the water," Florida Museum officials wrote online. "It is a deep-water fish that spends time floating vertically in the water column to camouflage itself, trailing the elaborate red first spines of its dorsal fin and pelvic fins." The man in the video who identified the fish helped it move through the water.
