Viral Photos Show a Huge and Terrifying Angler Fish Washed Up on the Beach

When going to the beach, there are many different types of animals you might expect to see. You might see starfish, crabs, dolphins, and perhaps even a shark out amongst the waves. However, for this seasonal lifeguard in California, she caught sight of something much more terrifying. And what was even scarier is that it washed up on shore! Take a look at the pictures below, and let’s dive in. No, like, literally dive because these fish aren’t supposed to be up this close.

Pacific Football Fish Sighting in California

Season lifeguard ​​Sierra Fockler reported she just caught sight of a terrifying Pacific football fish. It was sighted at the Crystal Cove State Park in California. What’s strange is that this is a deep-dwelling fish. They are known to be at depths of 2,000 feet beneath the surface. 

Crystal Cove State Park was able to post the pictures on Facebook, as seen at the top of this news article. It is a rare sight, and the last one seen was back in May of 2021 in California. 

After park officials were able to examine the specimen more closely, they were able to determine quickly that this angler fish was a female.

“While females can reach lengths of 24 inches males only grow to be about an inch long and their sole purpose is to find a female and help her reproduce. Males latch onto the female with their teeth and become ‘sexual parasites,’ eventually coalescing with the female until nothing is left of their form but their testes for reproduction. Wild!” park officials said.

What Does a Football Fish Look Like?

Can we just say horrifying and leave it at that? Let’s just say these fish are not ones you would want for your fish tank if you were even able to do that. We most commonly get our idea of what football fish look like from the movie “Finding Nemo.” And while some depictions are correct, there are a lot that are not.

According to the California Academy of Sciences, “In 1985, deep-sea fishermen in Monterey Bay, California, hauled up their nets to find a menacing-looking fish with a 6-inch-long globular body, prickly skin, needle-sharp teeth, minuscule eyes, and a strange stalk on its head.” 

This strange stalk on their heads is a long, bioluminescent tip that’s used to lure their prey in. Football fish can be brown or black in appearance. They typically weigh up to 24 pounds and can reach anywhere from 1-24 inches in length. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Jules_88/Shutterstock.com