A mythical harbinger of doom washes up on a California beach

A second oarfish, the mythical harbinger of doom, has been found washed up on California’s shores.

The legendary “doom fish” has returned to California.

A long, ribbon-shaped oarfish, rarely seen and believed to signal disaster, has washed up on California’s shores for the second time this year.

PhD candidate Alison Laferriere from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego discovered the nearly 10-foot-long oarfish on a beach in Encinitas, in southern California, last week.

Oarfish are elusive creatures that dwell in the deep ocean — often as far as 3,300 feet below the surface — in the mesopelagic zone, a dark region beyond the reach of sunlight.

An oarfish found in Encinitas, Calif., this month.Alison Laferriere / Scripps Institution of OceanographyThese mysterious fish, which can grow up to 20 feet long, remain largely unstudied by scientists, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mythical-harbinger-doom-california-oarfish-rcna180454

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