When
Ben Estes discovered the bizarre fish on Friday morning (May 7), he contacted state park rangers and lifeguards at Crystal Cove State Park.
The fish was later identified as a deep-sea Pacific footballfish. It's a species of anglerfish that are usually found under the sea more than 3,000 feet below the surface.
"It’s one of more than 300 living species of anglerfish from around the world. Though the fish itself is not rare, it is extremely rare to see one this intact along a beach in southern CA," wrote Davey's Locker in a Facebook post. "The fleshy long dorsal fin, called an illicium, extends in the front of the mouth and has a phosphorescent bulb on the end which can emit light to attract unsuspecting prey closer to it."