A bizarre deep-sea monster has washed up on a Newport Beach shore with its body intact and well-preserved making it an “amazingly rare find” according to scientists.
The 18-inch creature, believed to be a Pacific Footballfish, was discovered on May 7 by a tourist.
It had “shards of glass” like teeth and a largemouth. It remains unclear how the marine creature that normally lives 3,000ft underwater ended up on the beach.
“Their teeth, like pointed shards of glass, are transparent and their large mouth is capable of sucking up and swallowing prey the size of their own body,” the Crystal Cove State Park said in a statement.
“To see an actual angler fish intact is very rare and it is unknown how or why the fish ended up on the shore.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers had seized the fish. It is believed it would be displayed in a museum or educational establishment.
