Anglers discover rare oarfish attacked by sharks off Cabo

Part of the appeal of deep sea fishing is that you never know what you might encounter at sea.

But you can be pretty sure no one would expect to encounter a 10 foot long oarfish being attacked by sharks.

The oarfish in question, a snake-like creature with purple fins, was spotted wriggling near the surface off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on May 28.

Local angler Tony Frasconi and his friends Ken and Gary were fishing offshore when they spotted the oarfish, which had no tail fin, being circled by sharks.

Pisces Sportfishing Fleet interviewed the anglers after they returned to port.

“Incredible catch today in Cabo!” Pisces exclaimed on Facebook. “This beautiful, 130-pound, extremely rare oarfish was stolen from sharks by anglers fishing for marlin nearby.”

When the fishermen realized the oarfish was dying, they fished it out with a harpoon hook on board their vessel. The “elusive and strange” creature was donated to biologists in the capital of Baja California Sur, La Paz.

In a separate Facebook post, Pisces added: “This deep sea species is rarely seen and rarely this large. This fish is also known as the ‘earthquake fish’ because according to popular wisdom, it only appears when an earthquake is imminent.”

Because of their size and bizarre appearance, it is believed that oarfish gave rise to stories about sea monsters among ancient sailors.

According to National Geographic, they usually live at depths of over 3,000 feet and can reach lengths of over 50 feet.

“Although oarfish are probably the source of many historical stories about sea serpents and sea monsters, they pose little danger to humans,” National Geographic assures on its website. “Oarfish feed on tiny plankton and have a small opening in their digestive system.”

Although oarfish are rarely seen, there have been several sightings off the coast of Baja California Sur over the years, generally of dead or dying oarfish.

Scientists believe that oarfish can be driven to the surface by storms or strong currents.

In Japan, some people believe that seeing an oarfish could mean an impending earthquake.

No significant tremors have been recorded in the Los Cabos region since the oarfish was shipped into port.

The story originally appeared on For The Win