Man discovers rare deep sea fish on San Diego beach

Robert Besser
05 Dec 2021, 09:08 GMT+10

Californian Jay Beiler was recently walking on San Diego's Black's Beach when he spotted a Pacific footballfish
The species has needle-sharp teeth that point inward and lives in the Pacific Ocean at depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet where sunlight does not reach
The Pacific footballfish is a species of anglerfish that can grow over 3 feet long and weigh up to 110 pounds, according to National Geographic

SAN DIEGO, California: Californian Jay Beiler was recently walking on San Diego's Black's Beach when he saw a disturbing-looking fish he first thought was a jellyfish.

According to the California Academy of Sciences, the fish was a Pacific footballfish, which lives in the Pacific Ocean at depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet where sunlight does not reach.

The species has needle-sharp teeth that point inward.

"I have never seen anything quite like this before. You know, I go to the beach fairly often, so I am familiar with the territory, but I have never seen an organism that looked quite as fearsome as this," Beiler told NBC San Diego.

The Pacific footballfish is a species of anglerfish that can grow over 3 feet long and weigh up to 110 pounds, according to National Geographic.

The last time a footballfish was found on a San Diego beach was in 2001, said Ben Frable, collection manager at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as reported by NBC San Diego.

"We do not know much about the biology of these fish, and that is one of the reasons we would like people to let us know when they find one on the beach, so we can potentially learn a little bit more," Frable added.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Santa Barbara Post.

More Information

65 ℉

Fair in Santa Barbara

United States

Section

Nusrat Chaudhry: Nominated as First Muslim woman federal judge in U.S.

WASHINGTON, USA - President Joe Biden nominated eight new judges on Wednesday, including civil rights lawyer Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, who ...

Lament over quarter-billion-dollar prison planned for Nebraska

Critics of Gov. Pete Ricketts' call for the Nebraska Legislature to fund a new prison argue the money would be ...

178,000 new businesses opened across North Carolina last year

Despite the pandemic, North Carolina has seen a record number of new businesses created in the past year. A report ...

Court deals Biden another blow on vaccine mandates

Federal judge in Texas blocks enforcement of Covid-19 vaccine mandate for government employeesPresident Joe Biden has suffered another legal setback ...

Mom promises to resist school mask mandate with guns loaded

Virginia mother is accused of threatening school board members over school mask mandatesActivists are calling for the arrest of a ...

US sending Russian weapons to Ukraine

Kiev to receive Russian-made helicopters the US originally bought for AfghanistanThe Biden administration is expediting the transfer of five transport ...