(San Miguel - The Azores /
0 meters / 7.15.2004)
No, it is not the Loch Ness monster,
although there are plenty of histories of sea serpents from all over the
world originating from oarfish observations. The oarfish is the longest
fish we know, it is well documented that it can reach 8 meters, but specimens 17 meters in length has been reported. This
should be sufficient to scare a heart attack on any diver or swimmer lucky
enough to encounter one. The chances are slim though, as this cosmopolitan
usually operates on a depth range from 20 to 1000 meters. Sometimes dying
oarfish are washed onto a beach or found floating in the surface. The
latter was the case with the individual presented here. It was found
standing vertically in the water during a whale safari outside the coast
of San Miguel (the Azores). It was still moving, but clearly in trouble as
parts of the tale seemed to be missing. Perhaps it was bitten
off by a toothed
whale. The remaining oarfish was approximately 3 meters long.
These pictures are the only ones taken
outside Norway on this website. However, I can
safely include the oarfish in the Norwegian marine fauna. In fact, the
first registered oarfish observation was made by the Dane Ascanius in 1765
and 1769
at Glesvær (from which the Latin name is
derived), a small village on the west coast of Norway.
All pictures:
