Rare Monster-Looking Fish Washes Up On Orange County Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A rarely seen fish washed up on an Orange County beach for the second time in three years, after a Pacific football fish was found Friday, Oct. 13 in Newport Beach.

The fish was found Friday, Oct. 13 at Newport Beach's Crystal Cove State Park. The park posted shocking photographs of the deep-sea creature last week.

Authorities with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are conducting more research on the fish, which is a type of anglerfish with rows of pointed transparent teeth and a long stalk on its head with bioluminescent tips that lure prey at a depth of 3,000 feet.

The fish typically lives at depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet in pitch black where food is scarce.

"To see an actual angler fish intact is very rare and it is unknown how or why these fish ended up onshore," Crystal Cove State Park said on Facebook. "Seeing this strange and fascinating fish is a testament to the curious diversity of marine life lurking below the water’s surface in California’s Marine Protected Areas and as scientists continue to learn more about these deep sea creatures it’s important to reflect on how much is still to be learned from our wonderful and mysterious ocean."