# Sea serpent (or pretty good facsimile thereof) found **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337 "2013-10-15T19:45:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/1 "2013-10-15T19:45:40Z")
With respect to the recent cryptozoological threads, it’s worth pointing out that an [18-foot oarfish just washed up on a California beach](http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/west/2013/10/18_foot_long_sea_creature_found_off_calif_coast?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bostonherald+%28Home+-+BostonHerald.com%29). Oarfish have long been suspected as being responsible for some “sea serpent” sightings because of their long, silvery shape and sinuous swimming motion. Opponents dismissed the possibility because most serpent sightings indicated a creature much bigger than most oarfish. This example of the rare deep-sea fish is approximately six times larger than average, and establishes the possibility of others of a similar or larger size. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/2 "2013-10-15T19:49:00Z")
They killed Cecil! _sob_ ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/3 "2013-10-15T20:06:56Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > With respect to the recent cryptozoological threads, it’s worth pointing out that an [18-foot oarfish just washed up on a California beach](http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/west/2013/10/18_foot_long_sea_creature_found_off_calif_coast?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bostonherald+%28Home+-+BostonHerald.com%29). Oarfish have long been suspected as being responsible for some “sea serpent” sightings because of their long, silvery shape and sinuous swimming motion. Opponents dismissed the possibility because most serpent sightings indicated a creature much bigger than most oarfish. > > This example of the rare deep-sea fish is approximately six times larger than average, and establishes the possibility of others of a similar or larger size. The article says they can grow to 50 feet. > [@](#): > > The oarfish, which can grow to more than 50 feet, is a deep-water pelagic fish — the longest bony fish in the world, according to CIMI. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/4 "2013-10-15T20:20:27Z")
Yeah, I’d say that qualifies as a sea serpent. :eek: There was a documentary not too long ago (I think it was on the NG channel) about the Loch Ness Monster. It turns out there’s a species of humungous cold-water shark whose habitat is very deep fjords and channels. They seldom come near the surface, so sightings are extremely rare. They have, however, found sets of jaws that are larger than those of the Great White. I’ve been looking for the documentary on YouTube, but haven’t managed to find it yet. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/5 "2013-10-15T20:42:08Z")
This is why I stay away from the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/6 "2013-10-15T21:19:35Z")
They have a large one (or a large _sculpture_ of one) up on a wall at the San Diego Natural History Museum. I remember seeing it for the first time when I was about 6 years old and it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/7 "2013-10-15T21:44:30Z")
\Thor must be breathing a sigh of relief today.\ ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/8 "2013-10-15T22:03:19Z")
DAMMIT! I can **see** why folks would think it a Sea Monster! [http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/10/oarfish-carcass-discovered-near-catalina-island/](http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/10/oarfish-carcass-discovered-near-catalina-island/) [IMAGE ONLY](http://doubtfulnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/oarfish_catalina.jpg) > [@](#): > > ``` > A marine science instructor has made what’s being called the discovery of a lifetime: She found an 18-foot-long oarfish Sunday in Toyon Bay on Catalina Island. > > While snorkeling, Jasmine Santana of the Catalina Island Marine Institute discovered the obscure fish, which had evidently died of natural causes. When she reached the bottom of the bay, she spotted a silver creature with eyes the size of half-dollars. > > Santana’s colleagues saw her struggling to move the dead animal and came to her aid, ultimately discovering that it would take 15 people to move the animal to the beach. > > Mark Johnson, a longtime CIMI staffer, said in a statement that he’d yet to witness such a sight during his tenure at the institute. > > “In 32 years here, I have never seen anything like this,” he said. > > ``` It looks like Godzilla’s Sperm! With eyes! ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/9 "2013-10-15T22:11:03Z")
**Amateur Barbarian** [beat you.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=704986) ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/10 "2013-10-15T22:17:48Z")
Well there’s the great sea serpent. Now I want a bigfoot!! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/11 "2013-10-15T22:18:22Z")
I…_see_… ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/12 "2013-10-15T23:30:44Z")
Longest bony fish in the world. But in my days it was called a paddlefish. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/13 "2013-10-16T03:54:00Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > They killed Cecil! _sob_ No, not _that_ Cecil! [This Cecil!](http://www.mst3ktemple.com/images/beanyandcecil-sm.jpg) (ETA: Still… _sob_) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/14 "2013-10-16T11:25:18Z")
Merged duplicate threads. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/15 "2013-10-16T12:52:21Z")
Jeez, can you imagine the size of the aquarium That fish cleaned the glass of? That man must be one Hell of a Dentist… ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/16 "2013-10-16T16:29:05Z")
So those people found a huge dead rotting fish on the beach and all decided to pick it up to pose for the photograph? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/17 "2013-10-16T17:22:13Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > So those people found a huge dead rotting fish on the beach and all decided to pick it up to pose for the photograph? Er, no. A marine science instructor found an unusual specimen while snorkeling and brought it close to shore, where other staff members helped get it out of the water. Since they were already handling it in order to retrieve it for study and instructional purposes, they might as well take a picture with it–having people in the photo provides a sense of scale (NPI). It probably wasn’t very far gone, anyway, since it appears mostly intact, apparently including the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/18 "2013-10-16T17:44:29Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > I…_see_… bwa-ha. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/19 "2014-04-08T11:18:21Z")
Sorry to resurrect, but [here’s some good video of two oarfish swimming and well alive](http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/rare-video-of-oarfish-captured-on-baja-beach/) in La Paz. Cool underwater footage! I find all this so fascinating! There’s a couple ancient myths about killer sea serpents that may not really be myths, just embellished. 😃 However, at the same time, this sea creature tells me is both beautiful and freakin’ terrifying! This is why we know the ocean is not a safe place, same with space. Jellyfish and now these ancient fish dudes? Hey, great to see ya, but how about practicing living 1,500 feet below, like, all the time? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337/20 "2014-04-08T14:18:27Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > They have a large one (or a large _sculpture_ of one) up on a wall at the San Diego Natural History Museum. I remember seeing it for the first time when I was about 6 years old and it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. There’s a life-size sculpture of one in the Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-serpent-or-pretty-good-facsimile-thereof-found/671337.md?page=2)