📷 Katia Cao · CC BY 3.0
📷 john_barkla
📷 John Barkla
IUCN: Not Evaluated
Oarfish
Regalecus glesne
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassActinopterygii›OrderLampriformes›FamilyRegalecidae›GenusRegalecus
About
The oarfish is the stuff of sea-serpent legend: a ribbon of silver that can stretch to the length of a small boat, topped with a scarlet crest of elongated fin rays and trailed by long, oar-like pelvic fins. It lives in the twilight depths far below where divers go, swimming vertically with its head up, filtering krill and small fish through a toothless mouth. Almost everything known about the species comes from the rare individuals that strand on beaches or wash ashore after storms.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deep open ocean, usually 200–1,000 m, occasionally washed to shore
🍃Diet Krill, small fish, squid, and other planktonic animals
📏Size & Weight Typically 3–6 m; largest confirmed about 8 m
•Weight Up to about 270 kg
⏳Lifespan Unknown; possibly several decades
🗺Range Deep waters of all temperate and tropical oceans
Fish
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deep open ocean, usually 200–1,000 m, occasionally washed to shore
🍃Diet Krill, small fish, squid, and other planktonic animals
📏Size & Weight Typically 3–6 m; largest confirmed about 8 m
•Weight Up to about 270 kg
⏳Lifespan Unknown; possibly several decades
🗺Range Deep waters of all temperate and tropical oceans
Photo Credits
#1Katia Cao · CC BY 3.0
#2john_barkla · CC BY 4.0
#3John Barkla · CC BY 4.0
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