Oarfish
Pelagic lampriform fish belonging to Regalecidae
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Key Takeaways
- The oarfish is a large and extremely long pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family Regalecidae.
- One of these, the giant oarfish ( Regalecus glesne ), is the longest bony fish alive, growing up to about 8 m (26 ft) in length.
- The family name Regalecidae is derived from the Latin regalis , meaning "royal".
- Their rarity and large size, and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying, make oarfish a probable source of historical sea serpent tales.
The oarfish is a large and extremely long pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family Regalecidae. Found in areas spanning from temperate ocean zones to tropical ones, yet rarely seen by humans, the oarfish family contains three species in two genera. One of these, the giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne), is the longest bony fish alive, growing up to about 8 m (26 ft) in length.
The common name oarfish is thought to allude either to their highly compressed and elongated bodies or to the now discredited belief that the fish "row" themselves through the water with their pelvic fins. The family name Regalecidae is derived from the Latin regalis, meaning "royal". Although the larger species are considered game fish and are fished commercially on a small scale, oarfish are rarely caught alive; their flesh is not well regarded for eating due to its gelatinous consistency.
Their rarity and large size, and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying, make oarfish a probable source of historical sea serpent tales. Their beachings before storms have gained them a reputation as harbingers of doom, a folk belief reinforced by the numerous beachings before the disastrous 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
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