'Incredibly rare' dead sea serpent surfaces in California waters; just 1 of 20 since 1901

Nothing marks the sign of impending doom like the appearance of the elusive oarfish, according to Japanese folklore. Hopefully it's just a myth, since one was recently found floating in Southern California waters for only the 20th time in nearly 125 years.

A team of “sciencey” kayakers and snorkelers found the dead sea serpent while they were out for a swim at La Jolla Cove in San Diego over the weekend, according to Lauren Fimbres Wood, a spokesperson for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.

A number of people, including the team of scientists and lifeguards, worked together to get the oarfish from the beach to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facility, Fimbres Wood told USA TODAY on Friday.

Only 20 oarfish have washed up in the state since 1901, making the sighting of the deep-sea fish “incredibly rare,” according Scripps' in-house fish expert Ben Frable. 

A necropsy for the “mysterious species” was underway Friday afternoon, with scientists working to determine cause of death.

Oarfish are an omen of impending disaster, Japanese folklore says 

The belief that the sight of an oarfish in shallow waters is an omen of an impending earthquake dates back to 17th century Japan, according to reporting by Atlas Obscura. 

The fish, also know as “ryugu no tsukai,” were believed to be servants of the sea god Ryūjin, according to Japanese folklore. 

It’s believed that “Ryugu no tsukai,” which translates to “messenger from the sea god’s palace,” were sent from the palace toward the surface to warn people of earthquakes, USA TODAY reported.

There were multiple sightings of the fish reported ahead of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and Fukishima nuclear disaster, but there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the two events are connected, Hiroyuki Motomura, a professor of ichthyology at Kagoshima University, told the New York Post.

“I believe these fish tend to rise to the surface when their physical condition is poor, rising on water currents, which is why they are so often dead when they are found,” Motomura told the Post. 

The “connection” between the two might have to do with the fact that the shimmery creature typically lives in the deep sea, dwelling anywhere between 700 and 3,280 feet below the surface, according to USA TODAY reporting. And it rarely comes up to the surface. 

These majestic creatures have been spotted in waters all over the world, with sightings reported in California, Maine, New Jersey, Taiwan and Japan, of course. 

Cause of oarfish washing ashore unclear 

Scientists are unable to speculate why the oarfish washed ashore in California over the weekend, saying that each specimen collected provides a unique opportunity to learn more about the species.

The unique creature will be preserved for future study, becoming part of the Scripps’ Marine Vertebrate Collection, one of the largest collections of deep-sea fish in the world, according to  Fimbres Wood. 

Should you encounter a unique creature on a California beach, you are encouraged to alert lifeguards and contact the institute at (858) 534-3624 or at [email protected]. Taking creatures home is prohibited.

Contributing: James Powell; USA TODAY