New videos of oarfish in their native habitat reveal more about this strange and elusive fish.
The giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is the largest of the bony fish.
They have been recorded at lengths of 8 metres (26 feet), but it's been
suggested they could reach lengths of 15 metres (nearly 50 feet).
Several myths surround oarfish; they've been suggested as the origin of
"sea serpent" legends and are considered a bad omen in Japan.
Currently there is a lot we don't know about oarfish. The specimens
available for study have typically been washed up onto the beach/shallow
water and are either dead or dying. While these specimens can tell us
about oarfish anatomy, they are of little help in studying aspects like
behaviour.
That's one of the reasons these videos, recorded
near the Gulf of Mexico, are so exciting. They offer a rare high-quality
glimpse into the life of an oarfish in its habitat. Five videos were
taken between 2008 and 2011. The videos reveal a lot about oarfish -
they can be found nearly 500 metres deep (over 1,600 feet) and can hang
almost vertically in the water. Undulation of their long dorsal fin
allows them precise control of movement, but they can also undulate
their whole body when they require speed.
The highest-quality
video revealed the oarfish had company. Clinging to its dorsal spine was
a parasitic isopod (imagine a giant underwater pillbug/woodlouse).
Given that the oarfish did not immediately flee the ROV (sticking around
for nearly 10 minutes), the team believe it has few natural predators.
See one of the videos here (good stuff starts nearly 5 minutes in): http://www.youtube.com/
Image: Still from one of the videos. Credit to Mark Benfield/Journal of Fish Biology.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://news.discovery.com/
http://
http://deepseanews.com/2013/
The giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is the largest of the bony fish. They have been recorded at lengths of 8 metres (26 feet), but it's been suggested they could reach lengths of 15 metres (nearly 50 feet). Several myths surround oarfish; they've been suggested as the origin of "sea serpent" legends and are considered a bad omen in Japan.
Currently there is a lot we don't know about oarfish. The specimens available for study have typically been washed up onto the beach/shallow water and are either dead or dying. While these specimens can tell us about oarfish anatomy, they are of little help in studying aspects like behaviour.
That's one of the reasons these videos, recorded near the Gulf of Mexico, are so exciting. They offer a rare high-quality glimpse into the life of an oarfish in its habitat. Five videos were taken between 2008 and 2011. The videos reveal a lot about oarfish - they can be found nearly 500 metres deep (over 1,600 feet) and can hang almost vertically in the water. Undulation of their long dorsal fin allows them precise control of movement, but they can also undulate their whole body when they require speed.
The highest-quality video revealed the oarfish had company. Clinging to its dorsal spine was a parasitic isopod (imagine a giant underwater pillbug/woodlouse). Given that the oarfish did not immediately flee the ROV (sticking around for nearly 10 minutes), the team believe it has few natural predators.
See one of the videos here (good stuff starts nearly 5 minutes in): http://www.youtube.com/
Image: Still from one of the videos. Credit to Mark Benfield/Journal of Fish Biology.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://news.discovery.com/
http://
http://deepseanews.com/2013/
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