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.
May 11, 2021 05:19 AM EDT
Unusual Find
Ben Estes reported a strange fish he saw Friday morning to state park rangers and lifeguards at Crystal Cove State Park.
According to a Facebook post by
href= https://www.facebook.com/DaveysLockerSportfishing/photos/pcb.10158370414247989/10158370414087989/ >Davey s Locker Sportfishing & Whale Watching, a local boat tour company, this fish was not dragged onto their docks but had actually washed up on the beach.
Deep-Sea Pacific Footballfish
(Photo : Photo from Davey s Locker Sportfishing & Whale Watching FB Page)
The fish was described as a deep-sea Pacific footballfish, a form of anglerfish that can be found at depths of more than 3,000 feet beneath the surface.
SoCal Beachgoer Encounters Bizarre Looking Fish Washed Ashore During Morning Stroll Stephanie Lopez
Beachgoer Ben Estes found an anglerfish at Newport Beach.
A beachgoer came across a rare find on his morning stroll when he saw a weird looking fish washed ashore at Newport Beach.
Ben Estes informed the state park rangers and lifeguards at Crystal Cove State Park about a bizarre fish he encountered Friday morning.
RARE FIND! Deep sea anglerfish washed up in Newport Beach on Friday morning! On Crystal Cove beach @CrystalCoveSP staff were alerted by beach visitor Ben Eslef and were able to retrieve this intact specimen.. pic.twitter.com/vERGy5Zujt Davey s Locker (@DaveysLocker400) May 9, 2021
SoCal Beachgoer Discovers Deep-Sea Fish Rarely Seen Ashore The fish was identified as a deep sea Pacific footballfish, which is a species of anglerfish that are more commonly found at sea depths of more than 3,000 feet below the surface. By Stephanie Lopez •
Updated on May 10, 2021 at 9:53 am
NBC Universal, Inc.
A beachgoer came across a rare find on his morning stroll when he saw a weird looking fish washed ashore at Newport Beach.
Ben Estes informed the state park rangers and lifeguards at Crystal Cove State Park about a bizarre fish he encountered Friday morning. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
Origin
In early May 2021, photos of an “amazingly rare” anglerfish known as a Pacific footballfish went viral after it was reported that the animal had washed ashore in southern California.
Davey’s Locker Sportfishing and Whale Watching, a recreational guide company based in southern California, posted the photos on May 8 and as of this writing, they had been shared more than 125,000 times.
“State park rangers and lifeguards with Crystal Cove State Park were alerted to a weird looking fish that washed ashore Friday morning from beach visitor Ben Estes who happened to notice it on the sand,” wrote the company, adding that the fish was reportedly found on May 7 at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach, California. The park subsequently shared photos of the fish to Facebook on May 10.