Ancil
A couple of fishermen caught a horrifying ‘doomsday fish’, a deep-sea species with a peculiar head shape.
Finding fish in the sea isn’t news—they live there.
The fish in question is unusual due to its unique head shape and enormous size.
The ‘doomsday fish’ was caught off Melville Island, part of the Tiwi Islands. I think that nickname describes what we’re dealing with.
Curtis Peterson of Tiwi Islands Adventures caught the massive beast while moonlight fishing.
After being posted on Fishing Australia TV’s Facebook page this week, his find has gone viral.
As expected, several Reddit users commented on a photo of the fish.
“That fish looks straight out of a sci-fi movie!” A second said, “I will always think it’s wrong to see people proudly pose with dead animals, especially when they’re rare.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before, what a fascinating creature!” one said.
It’s the Oarfish, not the ‘doomsday fish’ as many online have claimed.
The fish has been seen worldwide, however they live at depths of up to 1,000 meters, increasing their rarity.
Unfortunately, most oarfish are found dead washed up, reducing the likelihood of a sighting.
NT News fishing columnist Alex Julius said: “I’ve never heard of a fish like that being caught up here. It’s rare to catch one of these fish; most wash up dead.”
While you’d assume ‘doomsday fish’ would have been invented online, it has old legendary roots.
Business Standard reports that the term originated after severe disasters in Japan caused Oarfish sightings.
