Man discovers rare deep sea fish on San Diego beach

Robert Besser
05 Dec 2021, 09:08 GMT+10

Californian Jay Beiler was recently walking on San Diego's Black's Beach when he spotted a Pacific footballfish
The species has needle-sharp teeth that point inward and lives in the Pacific Ocean at depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet where sunlight does not reach
The Pacific footballfish is a species of anglerfish that can grow over 3 feet long and weigh up to 110 pounds, according to National Geographic

SAN DIEGO, California: Californian Jay Beiler was recently walking on San Diego's Black's Beach when he saw a disturbing-looking fish he first thought was a jellyfish.

According to the California Academy of Sciences, the fish was a Pacific footballfish, which lives in the Pacific Ocean at depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet where sunlight does not reach.

The species has needle-sharp teeth that point inward.

"I have never seen anything quite like this before. You know, I go to the beach fairly often, so I am familiar with the territory, but I have never seen an organism that looked quite as fearsome as this," Beiler told NBC San Diego.

The Pacific footballfish is a species of anglerfish that can grow over 3 feet long and weigh up to 110 pounds, according to National Geographic.

The last time a footballfish was found on a San Diego beach was in 2001, said Ben Frable, collection manager at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as reported by NBC San Diego.

"We do not know much about the biology of these fish, and that is one of the reasons we would like people to let us know when they find one on the beach, so we can potentially learn a little bit more," Frable added.

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