Rare fish appears on California beach again, sparking curiosity and concern about its elusive behavior.

There are some creatures in the ocean that have always been seen as harbingers of doom. They are rarely seen, but when they do appear, people take notice. One of these creatures is the oarfish, a long, serpent-like fish that has been known to predict disasters and destruction. And recently, for the second time this year, an oarfish was spotted off the coast of California.

A PhD student from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California was the lucky one to come across this 'doomsday fish' while it washed ashore in Encinitas. It was reported to be around nine to ten feet long, smaller than the 12-foot oarfish that had shocked snorkelers earlier this year near San Diego. The oarfish's unique appearance has earned it the nickname 'doomsday fish', as it is often seen as a warning sign of bad news, especially natural disasters like earthquakes.

In fact, during the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan in 2011, twenty oarfish were found on beaches just before the disaster struck. And just recently, a weaker 6.0 magnitude quake shook the country's southern islands. This month's oarfish discovery has once again sparked talk of their supposed predictive abilities.

The 12-foot oarfish found in La Jolla Cove on August 10 by a group of kayakers also left marine scientists puzzled. It's not every day that these creatures are found, as they typically live in the deep, dark waters of the mesopelagic zone where light cannot reach. So to have two sightings in such a short period of time is quite unusual.

When the snorkelers came upon the dead oarfish, they quickly notified a lifeguard who helped take it to a NOAA facility. According to experts at the Scripps Institute, only 20 oarfish have been documented washing up on California beaches since 1901. However, with shifting weather patterns, there may be more regular sightings in the future.

Brittany Hook, assistant director of communications at Scripps, expressed her gratitude towards the locals who helped recover the oarfish. Thanks to their efforts, scientists will have the opportunity to further study this mysterious species as it becomes part of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps, one of the largest collections of deep-sea fish in the world. Only time will tell if the oarfish's reputation as a 'doomsday fish' holds true, but for now, it remains a fascinating and elusive creature of the sea.

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