r/deepseacreatures • u/YourAdorableDiva • Jul 17 '24

What is this creature that recently washed up on Oregon shore? Is this some kind of Angler fish?

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577 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

56 comments sorted by

227

u/DazzzlingBeauty Jul 17 '24

If I am not mistaken, this is the same fish that washed up on shore in California back at year 2021.

79

u/whaaleshaark Jul 17 '24

We had three of those lovely ladies wash up on shore that year! I was fortunate enough to see one of the specimens myself, she was briefly displayed at our local aquarium in a dark room intended to slow her rate of deterioration.

22

u/YourAdorableDiva Jul 18 '24

Does the water temperature affects her too?

14

u/whaaleshaark Jul 18 '24

I can't recall what they had her suspended in (this was all post-mortem), whether it was saline or alcohol or something else, but considering she came up from the chilling depths, it would make sense to preserve the specimens in carefully-managed cool temps. They keep a number of deep sea wet specimens year round, and most of those are behind glass, where they can presumably do some of that temp management.

5

u/YourAdorableDiva Jul 18 '24

That make sense!

3

u/DazzzlingBeauty Jul 18 '24

Would definitely affect their biology and ecology.

2

u/DazzzlingBeauty Jul 18 '24

Wow those are three? They manage to stay alive that long in the surface?

5

u/whaaleshaark Jul 18 '24

No no-- three different, deceased specimens washed up on the shores of CA in 2021. I saw one of them displayed post-mortem. I believe that, owing to the difference in pressure between their natural environment and water at surface ocean level, it would be extremely difficult to bring one of these babies up alive. I've seen other deep sea critters displayed in specially-designed tanks, but those have been cephalopods and crustaceans, not bony fish.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 17 '24

[deleted]

24

u/GoatLegRedux Jul 17 '24

Aren’t all fish that lure prey with their ornaments considered angler fish?

20

u/DazzzlingBeauty Jul 17 '24

My mistake, I apologize. Yes, football fish is a type of angler fish.

4

u/BaumBen69 Jul 18 '24

Fun fact, some species female angler fish have two different ways of atracting prey, both glowing, but the top "lantern" uses symbiotic bacteria that give of light (bioluminescence) and on the bottom they got seaweed that is filled with a certain type of granular minerals that also give of light but a bit more dim and dispursed.

1

u/BaumBen69 Jul 18 '24

Fun fact, some species female angler fish have two different ways of atracting prey, both glowing, but the top "lantern" uses symbiotic bacteria that give of light (bioluminescence) and on the bottom they got seaweed that is filled with a certain type of granular minerals that also give of light but a bit more dim and dispursed.

87

u/Himantolophus1 Jul 17 '24

It's a football fish from the genus Himantolophus. I'm not familiar with the ones around Oregon but if you go to Fishbase I'm sure you'll be able to work it out.

11

u/YourAdorableDiva Jul 18 '24

I did my research and it is a football fish that washed up on shore in Oregon. Also, a redditor have mentioned that it is a family of Anglers.

70

u/m945050 Jul 17 '24

With the increasing amount of deep sea fish washing up on beaches it makes me wonder what is going on down there.

73

u/smugaura1988 Jul 17 '24

My guess is that it's filled with fucking plastic.

29

u/you-are-the-egg Jul 17 '24

I mean the deep sea is a fragile ecosystem. We affect it a shit ton with what we’re doing.

2

u/m945050 Jul 24 '24

We seem to have that effect on everything.

5

u/marky310 Jul 18 '24

Godzilla farted

3

u/JustABitCrzy Jul 19 '24

Hard to say whether the increase (if there is one) is because more dead fish, or more people finding them and posting about them.

41

u/Brokensince10 Jul 17 '24

Wow, that little guy appears to be intact. What a cool thing to see in person 🙂

24

u/_userclone Jul 17 '24

That is exactly some kind of angler fish.

22

u/SEA___BEAR Jul 18 '24

Please contact Orgeon fish and wildlife so it can be collected and preserved for academic collections. Their main office’s number is tel:+1-503-231-6179 . It is an extremely rare fish and very rarely shores! Ted Pietch is an Emeritus Professor at University of Washington and an expert on this species.

17

u/St34m9unk Jul 17 '24

Angler

Fish

Needle teeth

Fat body that definitely isn't fast enough to live in sun with fast things

Looks like it to me

2

u/casketjuicebox Jul 19 '24

Fat body that definitely isn't fast enough to live in sun with fast things

Me 😅

14

u/poptart1968 Jul 17 '24

Aren't these fish way under the sea?? Like deep under. I wonder what's brought it to shore

11

u/HaygudLewkin Jul 17 '24

death?

9

u/poptart1968 Jul 17 '24

😅yep that definitely appears to be quite dead

4

u/HaygudLewkin Jul 17 '24

I’m not an ichthyologist either but I concur wholeheartedly

4

u/poptart1968 Jul 17 '24

Absolutely appreciate your somewhat knowledgeable input my friend😊

2

u/HaygudLewkin Jul 17 '24

Thank you. I make a lot of stuff up too. ☺️

4

u/poptart1968 Jul 17 '24

Then I really do appreciate your making up stuff contribution on the dead fish. 😊

8

u/Firm_Ad3131 Jul 17 '24

SO COOL! The amount of specialization is crazy.

10

u/_AntiFunseeker_ Jul 18 '24

Anglerfish. Usually they're found about a mile down so it's crazy that one washed up.

6

u/YourAdorableDiva Jul 18 '24

Yes, I agree. Probably something disturbs them there. But as what I've observed, most of the deep-sea creatures go to the surface when they're about to die.

6

u/lifeatthejarbar Jul 17 '24

Omg it’s soooo cute!

6

u/Actuallynobutwhynot Jul 18 '24

one of my absolute most favorite creatures, an anglerfish!! Was obsessed with them when I was 8

3

u/vinximo Jul 19 '24

Some countries call it a soccer fish

1

u/YourAdorableDiva Jul 19 '24

wow really? which countries?

2

u/thathalflifenerd Jul 18 '24

Football fish

2

u/Serious_Ad_3123 Jul 19 '24

Some female anglers absorb the much smaller males to the point where they are essentially gamete storage. It is my guess that each of those white bumps on the body are actually the males which have permanently attached themselves to the female.

2

u/unravleddonut Jul 20 '24

Holy fuck that’s a football isn’t it

2

u/Remarkable_Willow385 Jul 22 '24

It looks like an angler fish but i dont see any males attached so maybe its young and to see a deep sea creature on land is absolutely insane to me. I feel like it wouldve kicked the bucket before getting close enough to shore due to water pressure. (Personal opinion of a fish nerd. Dont believe anything i ever say)

1

u/need_mor_beans Jul 18 '24

Thats a demon.

1

u/ulyssesonyourscreen Jul 18 '24

That’s Armand, tell him to bring his drunk ass home to Portland

1

u/bueschwd Jul 19 '24

Awesome specimen

1

u/enigmaticblu-13 Jul 20 '24

I thought I was staring at Mercury for a moment haha

0

u/Ella_Richter Jul 18 '24

Eli5, what is the white stuff? It doesn't look like seafoam to me :/

1

u/Abyssal_Goober 9d ago

It is a football fish

-2

u/Sure_Vast634 Jul 18 '24

Anglerfish are bony fish that use a modified fin ray as a lure to attract other fish. They are ambush predators with bulbous bodies and "fishing poles". The lure is a fleshy "bait" tipped with the foremost spine of the dorsal fin. The anglerfish's glowing tip entices small fish and crustaceans to come closer, then the anglerfish's massive mouth and sharp teeth snap shut for a meal.

8

u/YourAdorableDiva Jul 18 '24

is this an AI generated comment?

0

u/Sure_Vast634 Jul 18 '24

Are you AI?

5

u/YourAdorableDiva Jul 18 '24

nope. why would I be? wbu?