A rare deep-sea oarfish, nicknamed the "doomsday fish" for its ominous reputation, has washed up on a Southern California beach, marking the third such discovery in recent months. The nearly 10-foot-long fish was found in Encinitas, north of San Diego, by Alison Laferriere, a Ph.D. candidate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

"We took samples and froze the specimen awaiting further study and final preservation," said Ben Frable, manager of the Scripps Oceanography Marine Vertebrate Collection. "Like with the previous oarfish, this specimen and the samples taken from it will be able to tell us much about the biology, anatomy, genomics and life history of oarfishes."

Oarfish, with their long, ribbon-like bodies, are among the most elusive and mysterious creatures of the deep sea. They typically inhabit the mesopelagic zone, a twilight region 300 to 3,300 feet below the ocean's surface, where sunlight barely penetrates. Known to grow up to 30 feet long, they have inspired myths of sea monsters and are often considered harbingers of natural disasters, particularly earthquakes.

The fish's foreboding reputation gained traction after 20 oarfish washed ashore in Japan shortly before the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Despite the folklore, scientific studies, including one conducted in Japan in 2019, have found no conclusive evidence linking oarfish strandings to seismic activity. Still, the nickname "doomsday fish" persists, fueled by the fish's strange appearance and rarity.

Since 1901, only 22 oarfish strandings have been documented along California's coastline, making the recent uptick in sightings particularly intriguing. Ben Frable, a researcher at Scripps and curator of its Marine Vertebrate Collection, suggests that changes in ocean conditions might explain the increased sightings. He points to phenomena like El Nino, red tides, and strong winds as potential contributing factors.

The Encinitas oarfish has been transported to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, where it will undergo a necropsy. Scientists hope to glean insights into the species' anatomy, genomics, and life history. Oarfish primarily feed on krill, using powerful vacuum-like mouths to draw in their prey. Observations from underwater footage reveal that they sometimes swim vertically, head-up, undulating their dorsal fins--an unusual behavior thought to aid in spotting prey silhouetted against the faint light above.

Despite their massive size and striking appearance, much about oarfish biology remains a mystery. Specimens preserved in collections like the one at Scripps, which houses over 6,000 species and 2 million specimens, are invaluable for research on marine evolution, ecology, and human impacts on ocean ecosystems.