Watch Rare Footage Of Living, Swimming Oarfish

Monday, April 7, 2014 - 17:00 in Biology & Nature

http://ak.c.ooyala.com/Y1OTB0bDr7NeOEMVp6DdascLEKTdiaqG/promo221159530 Please enable Javascript to watch this video Behold the oarfish, the world's longest bony fish. The beasts typically live hundreds of feet below the ocean surface are thus are rarely seen. Since 2002, however, a few videos (like the one above) have surfaced and given scientists important clues about the animals. Most oarfish seen by humans are dead or dying on a beach. But a new video captured in March in Mexico's Sea of Cortés shows two 15-foot-long oarfish--aka Regalecus glesne--gliding about in shallow water near the shore. Oarfish are known for their lengthy dorsal fin, which they undulate to move about. They can also contort their whole body in a sinusoidal pattern for fast swimming. Their large size and swimming behavior has led historians to think oarfish might be the source of many "sea serpent" sightings in...

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