An enormous deep-sea ‘earthquake fish’ has washed up on a busy beach in front of shocked kids.
The oarfish – dubbed a ‘harbinger of doom’ – measured 13 feet (4 metres) in length.
The infamous fish, which many people believe appears just before an earthquake hits, was still alive when beachgoers tried to help it back out to sea.
Helpers noticed the animal desperately trying to breathe through its gills.
However, the creature died on the shore at Cancas Beach in Punta Sal, Tumbes Province, Peru, at the weekend and was identified as a giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne).
One resident told local media: “We noticed that it was beaching here on the shore.
“The fishermen here were not afraid to touch it and tried to return it to the sea.
“However, it was destined to die.”
Images show two men dragging the long fish back into the water in front of a large group of onlookers, including dozens of children.
The video went viral with 129,100 views and dozens of comments.
One viewer commented: “It has already been reported that catastrophes occur during these times and many of us will suffer as a result.”
Another said: “Oarfish are synonymous with earthquakes and tsunamis. You have to ponder after that last tremor on the Salvadoran coast.”
Wendy wrote: “Another oarfish of earthquakes?”
Vladimir remarked: “It does not mean a catastrophe is coming. They are deep-sea fish that, if they are injured or about to die, come to the shore.”
Local fishermen said it was the second oarfish they have encountered on the beach in recent months.
An oarfish washed up on the beach during Cyclone Yaku in March this year.
Due to their size and shape, oarfish resemble ‘sea serpents’ and are considered harbingers of earthquakes and misfortune in Japanese mythology.
The myth was rekindled in 2011 after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Shortly before the disaster, at least a dozen of the rarely-seen fish washed ashore in Japan in late 2009 and 2010.
Despite their links to natural disasters, the Ecuadoran Geophysical Institute said the myth has no validity in any scientific study carried out as of August 2022.
Oarfish are considered one of the longest fish in the ocean and can measure up to 17 metres (56 feet) in length and weigh over 200 kilogrammes (441 lbs).
Their body is scaleless and the skin has a slimy, silvery protective coating known as guanine.
Their dorsal fin starts between their eyes and reaches its tail.
Due to its ability to adapt to different temperatures, oarfish are found in most of the world’s oceans with the exception of the poles.
They live at depths of up to 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) and sightings are not very common.
Sometimes they wash up on beaches after a storm or when they suffer a serious injury.
