A dead oarfish spotted along the Southern California coast marks the state's third sighting of the so-called "doomsday fish" this year.

The doomsday fish got its name because it looks like a mythical sea creature, with a long, ribbon-shaped body that can grow up to 30 feet.

Another oarfish has made its way from the deep sea to the coast of San Diego County in Southern California. Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers stumbled upon the rare fish, considered the largest vertebrate in the world’s oceans,

Considered to be the origin of the sea serpent tale, giant oarfish are a species yet to be largely researched by scientists.

A rare fish, regarded as a harbinger of doom, has washed up on the shore of Encinitas in southern California. It is the second time this year that an oarfish has been found in the area. Sightings are very rare, with fewer than a couple of dozen having been seen on the state’s coast in 120 years.

For the second time this year, a long, ribbon-shaped oarfish that is frequently connected to disasters has come ashore on Californian beaches. NBC News reports that PhD candidate Alison Laferriere of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in Encinitas, Southern California, made the discovery of the roughly 10-foot-long fish.

For the second time this year, an oarfish has washed up on a California beach. The 'doomsday fish' is considered a harbinger of doom in Japanese folklore.

A rare oarfish, believed to portend disaster, washed up on a beach in Encinitas last week. Since 1901, only 21 oarfish have been recorded on California’s shores. This is the second this year.

According to NBC News, the ominous creature lives in the depths of the ocean, making it a rare sight. There have been just 21 recorded oarfish sightings near California beaches since 1901. Two of those sightings occurred in 2024 —another oarfish washed up on a shore in La Jolla in August.