A vicious creature was recently found washed ashore on a San Diego beach. The creature is the cannibalistic lancetfish that typically lives between the ocean's surface and 6,000 feet below.
The fish, measuring an estimated 4ft, was found dead on the La Jolla Shores with a missing chunk from its neck that was likely torn off by seagulls feasting on its carcass. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has already taken custody of the carcass to study its stomach contents.
Model of a North Atlantic longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) at the Sant Hall of Oceans at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., USA. Lancetfish grow to be about 6.6 feet (2 m) in length. Very little is known about them, even though they are quite common throughout the world's oceans (except for the polar regions). Lancetfish are predatory, ambushing plankton, squid, and other fish. Sharks, albacore and yellowfin tuna, and seals are all known to eat lancetfish.
Examining the Lancetfish
Scripps announced via Twitter the sighting of the long and skinny lancetfish by beachgoers on Friday. Although lancetfish is not particularly a rare sighting, Scripps said it is the first specimen they will preserve after 25 years since 1996. Also, it will only be the 17th preserved lancetfish specimen from the San Diego beach since 1947.
Marine Vertebrate Collection Manager Ben Frable of Scripps told CNN that he suspects the fish washed ashore in La Jolla Shores after trying to swim away from a predator but getting caught by the current. Upon examining its stomach contents, they found that the fish had consumed a large number of microplastics.
Aside from the lancetfish, Scripps also recently tweeted about finding a Pacific footballfish that washed up on a San Diego shore. It is one of the largest among the 200 anglerfish species that live 3,000 feet below the ocean's surface.
Mail Online reported that the last time a Pacific footballfish was washed ashore in San Diego was about two decades ago in December 2001 at Dog Beach in Del Mar, California.
ALSO READ: 16 Species of Ultra-Black Fish Goes Invisible in the Ocean's Dim Backdrop
Lancetfish: The Cannibalistic and Hermaphrodite Fish
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), lancetfish is known for its gaping, fanged jaws, enormous eyes, sailfin, and long, slithery body that makes it look as if it came from prehistoric time. But lancetfish is also known to be a notorious cannibal, eating its species and other fish and invertebrates.
Dr. Elan Portner, a post-doctoral fellow at SIO's Choy La, and his team of scientists have studied its stomach contents and found remains of other lancetfish. NBC San Diego reported that researchers believe it is a maturity thing in which they started becoming a cannibal when they reached 3ft long. However, there is still no exact reason for this mysterious behavior.
Aside from being a notorious cannibal, scientists also found that this fish species is a hermaphrodite. They are said to possess both female and male reproductive organs that produce viable egg and sperm cells or gametes at the same time. Scientists said that sequential hermaphrodites undergo a switch.
However, they are still unsure how the lancetfish can reproduce by themselves or whether they rely on one or multiple partners. Portner also said it is unclear if lancetfish travel alone or in schools.
RELATED ARTICLE: Omnivorous Fish With Human-Like Teeth Reportedly Reeled in North Carolina: Is This Real or Fake?
Check out more news and information on Fish in Science Times.
