Second California Oarfish Pregnant; Deep-Sea Fish 'Messenger from Sea God's Palace' (VIDEOS)

Source: Youtube/Animalist

The oarfish that washed up on the shores of California has been confirmed pregnant based on scientists' evaluation. According to reports, the California oarfish turned out to be female and was due to give birth soon, had it lived.

The 14-foot sea serpent was the second oarfish found on the coast of California. The first oarfish sighting was by a snorkeling scientist who spotted the 18-foot creature at the bottom of the sea.

Scientists found that the female oarfish was ready to give birth. Thousands of eggs were found inside her ovaries, measuring 6-feet long. If the female oarfish had survived, it would have deposited her eggs and left them until hatching.

There is little known about the sea serpent's reproductive behaviour, except they have been reportedly observed to spawn during the months between July and December off the Mexican coast.

Marine biologists had dissected and examined the California oarfish and found no clear cause of death. HJ Walker from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said the pregnant oarfish was healthy, but it lost its tail somewhere else during its lifetime. According to Mr Walker, the scientists also found bite wounds on its body believed to be the work of cookiecutter sharks, but none of the wounds caused the fatality.

The oarfish can grow up to 50 feet long, and usually has a weight of up to 600 pounds. Although oarfish may prove to be challenging to game fishers, they cannot be eaten. Scientists believe oarfish stay near the surface of the ocean when they feel sick or are dying.

Coincidence or harbingers of death?

In Japan, the oarfish is known as "ryugu no tsukai" which means "messenger from the sea god's palace." According to a report by Japanese Times, Japanese fishermen discovered dozens of oarfish right around the time that Chile was struck by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake in March 2011.

Ecological seismology expert Kiyoshi Wadatsumi told the local newspaper that deep-sea creatures like the oarfish usually live near the bottom of the sea. They are reportedly more sensitive to active fault movements than the fish near the ocean's surface.

Some researchers had previously suggested the links between earthquakes and animal behaviour. Historical events of earthquakes had indicated strange animal behaviour months or days before the earthquake actually happened.