Long strange creatures, 5 people can’t hug, washed up on New Zealand beach

01/05/2022 06:35 GMT+7

Just days after a rare oarfish washed up on a beach in Mexico went viral on social media, locals in New Zealand saw a creature with a similar appearance.

Long strange creatures, 5 people can’t hug, washed up on New Zealand beach

Local resident Isaac Williams first saw the oarfish lounging on Dunedin Beach while he and his family were on vacation.

The man took out his phone to record the video and share it on social media. Isaac Williams did not know exactly what creature it was, he described it as having a long snake-like body but living in the sea. Isaac suspected it was a shark.

Bridie Allan, University of Otago, marine expert conducted the investigation, discovered the mystery and identified this as an oarfish. However, the appearance of this fish on the beach is very rare because they usually live in deep water environments in the ocean. The oarfish this time is about 3.6 meters long.

Bridie Allan said: “The fish could hardly have survived, there was no other way. I went there to look. It was an oarfish, a super rare species. This is the 5th time we have spotted the species. This fish is in New Zealand”.

According to experts, the appearance of oarfish in shallow water is not a good sign. One of the first specimens of oarfish at the museum was collected from the beach in Otago, Moeraki, says Emma Burns, curator of natural sciences at the Otago Museum. In 1883, the specimen was sent to London, England.

Experts say the oarfish is the longest bony fish in the world, usually found at a depth of nearly 1 km in the ocean. Adults can sometimes be up to 11 meters long. They usually swim vertically, using their dorsal fins to balance their bodies. In Japan, some legends describe oarfish as having the ability to predict earthquakes.

Hoang Dung (synopsis)