An Oarfish is the likely candidate to be identified as the giant fish that was found washed up on a Spanish beach this past week. A giant fish carcass was found by beachgoers, and stunned all those who saw it, sparking some to even suggest it was some kind of sea monster or sea serpent.
Oarfish are not widely known, but is a kind of large, thin long fish that ordinarily grows to about 10 feet long. However, some giant versions of the fish have been known to have appeared, with the largest being nearly 60 feet long.
Just last week a giant fish carcass was washed up on a Spanish beach, which has drawn huge attention. The mysterious fish was found on Luis Siret Beach in the village of Villaricos.
The extraordinary look of the fish meant no one knew what it was, but eye witnesses have described it as having horns sticking out from the head.
However, identifying the giant fish has also proven difficult as the carcass was badly decomposed by the time it was washed ashore, and apparently smelled terribly.
A group of researchers in Spain are now attempting to identify the remains of the fish, which was measured as being about 13 feet in length.
"It's hard to tell," David Shiffman, a University of Miami shark researcher told NBC News in a Twitter exchange. "But the official guess that it could be a thresher shark seems plausible."
But Shiffman also suggested that it could be an Oarfish: "Certainly the tail looks oarfish-y," Shiffman wrote. "It maybe could be a thresher shark — but nothing else."
Oarfish are mostly found in the deep sea, and are rarely washed up on shore.
See a video of the giant fish below:
