Another rare creature is taking the spotlight. This time it is neither a shark nor a crustacean thriving in the bottommost parts of the ocean but a notorious predatory fish known as the lancet fish.
The ferocious-looking fish surprised guests of Jennette's Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina on Monday when it was found in the shores of popular fishing destination. Lancet fish are pelagic fish or dwellers of the open seas, meaning they reside neither close to the bottom nor near the shore. Although they can be found in almost every ocean of the Earth except for the polar seas, information about its biology and nature is quite scanty.
"Lancetfish -- Check out these images of what we believe is a lancetfish. It was photographed Monday night, just south of the pier. They rarely come close to shore as they're an open ocean or pelagic fish. Have you ever seen or heard of them?" Jennette's Pier wrote on its Facebook Page.
Since its posting, the images have been shared hundreds of times and has hit mainstream and online media.
The pictures of the rare find were taken by Leif Rasmussen from Manteo, which were subsequently posted on the social media accounts of Jennette's Pier. The strange appearance of the fish was undeniably eye-catching it piqued the interest of fans and followers young and old alike, who expressed their fears and shock with the discovery of the creepy fish.
Lancet fishes come from the genus Alepisaurus, which literally translates to "scale-less lizard." They grow up to 6.6 feet in length and they have huge mouths lined with razor-sharp teeth and each jaw has two to three larger teeth that resembles a fang, suggesting its voracious nature.
These fishes are sneaky when preying on its food such as planktonic crustaceans, squid, salps and fish among others, since they possess watery muscle that impede them from swimming at a swift speed. Using their thin and silver-colored bodies, lancet fish conceal their presence and when a prey stray near their area, they use their dorsal fin and large mouth to engulf their meal in a snap.
However, the fish discovered in Jennette's Pier was lacking very high dorsal fins, a noticeable feature of the lancet fish. Their fans were quick to point it out, too, but Jennette's Pier said the dorsal fin was down when the photo was taken but the photographer able to see it.
Lancet fish are not hauled for human consumption though they are mostly bycatch from tuna fishing and sometimes considered as pests since they eat the bait intended for other fishes.
Authorities at Jennette's Pier said the rare fish was alive when it was spotted on the shore. Daryl Law from the North Carolina Aquarium, meanwhile, said the fish was brought back to the waters right after the photos were taken. However, it came back to the shore, prompting scientists in the area to deduce that the fish might be sick.
