At first, I knew nothing about the elusive oarfish. This all changed when I was casually playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In the game, you will come across silhouettes of fish in nearby bodies of water. I happened to stumble upon an abnormally large silhouette in the water. Intrigued, I decided to cast out my fishing rod and patiently waited for the fish to see my bait. Once it did, the fish nibbled on my bait a couple times and then it started to run with the bait and hook in its mouth. Not wanting to lose a rare opportunity to catch a unique fish, I swiftly pressed the button on my controller to reel it in, and I was not prepared for what came out of the water.

It is safe to say I was flabbergasted. I was entranced by this beautiful yet terrifying creature. I immediately wanted to know more about the oarfish, so I did some research and I would like to share that with you! The oarfish is not extremely well know or documented. Most of the time, humans see the fish washed up on shore or dying in shallow water. This is due to the fact that oarfish live anywhere from 500ft to 3,500ft below the surface. In fact, the US Navy was the first to capture an alive oarfish on film in 2001. One thing always mentioned by people recounting encounters with oarfish is their immense size, specifically their length.

Coming in at a whopping max length of 36ft, the oarfish holds the record for the longest bony fish in existence. That about the length of a school bus! Both the oarfish’s length and rarity contributes to my personal favorite fact about the oarfish: it is likely the creature behind sea serpents in mythology. In addition to their mythological significance, they also have symbolical significance. An oarfish washed up on shore is a symbol of danger for Japan and other island nations. More specifically, it indicates that an earthquake or tsunami is on its way. In fact, 20 oarfish were found on the beaches of Japan right before the 2011 Tsunami. Is it a coincidence or is there actually a connection? It is tough to say whether or not there is actually a connection and it is debated amongst researchers.  and there is In Japan, the oarfish is known as “Ryugu No Tsukai” or “Messenger from the Sea God’s Palace” in English. The oarfish goes by many other names, one of which is its scientific name: Regalecus glesne, which means “belonging to a king”. It can also be called the Pacific Oarfish, King of Herrings, Streamer Fish, or the Ribbonfish.

Another characteristic that makes this fish unique is its lack scales. Instead of scales, the fish is covered in silvery ganoine, which is a glassy mineralized coating. It is easily scraped and scratch so for this reason, the oarfish prefers to swim around in the open ocean. In addition to a lack of scales, the oarfish also lacks a gas bladder. Gas bladders are very common in bony fish in order to control buoyancy. Instead of the using a gas bladder for buoyancy, the oarfish will use its long body to row itself through the water. This is why when oarfish are recorded swimming, most of them are swimming vertically. Hopefully, you have come to appreciate the Giant Oarfish as much as I do.