A stunning fish recently washed up on a Pacific Northwest shore, and experts say it belongs to a newly discovered species.
The Seaside Aquarium in Seaside, Oregon, announced in a Facebook post on June 6 that a rare aquatic creature was discovered on Gearhart Beach on June 3. Experts say the fish was a Hooded Winker Sunfish, measuring 7.3 feet in length.
The Hoodwinker Sunfish was only identified as an endemic species in the last decade, and sightings of the fish are so rare that locals flock to see them, according to Seaside Aquarium.
“Initially, the large, odd-looking fish caused quite a stir on social media, with people flocking to beaches despite storms to see the unusual creature,” the aquarium wrote. “It wasn’t long before news of the fish reached New Zealand-based researcher Marianne Nygard.”
Rare fish rarely seen by humans washes up on Oregon beach for the first time
A hooded winker sunfish was recently discovered in Oregon, and it may be the largest of its kind. (Tiffany Booth/Seaside Aquarium)
According to the aquarium, it was Nygard who determined that the fish was a sunfish (Mola tecta), not a member of the Sunfish family.
“Through her research, she discovered, described and published this new species of sunfish in 2017,” the post added. “It was her genetic sampling and eventual observations that contributed to the discovery of what she called a new species hiding in plain sight.”
“Originally thought to be found only in temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere, this theory has been called into question after several washed up in California and one as far away as Alaska,” the agency wrote. “The fish hides in plain sight and has likely been seen/washed up in the Pacific Northwest before, where it was mistaken for the more common sunfish.”
The aquarium worked with experts to photograph the creature and take tissue samples, and Nygard analyzed the photos and confirmed that it was a Hoodwinker sunfish.
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It was only in the last decade that the Hoodwinker Sunfish was identified as an endemic species. (Tiffany Booth/Seaside Aquarium)
“This may be the largest specimen ever collected,” the post adds.
The aquarium did not retrieve the fish, and as of Thursday, the dead fish was still lying in the same spot on Gearhart’s beach.
“The fish is still on Gearhart Beach and will likely remain there for a few more days or weeks as its tough skin makes it difficult for scavengers to bite,” Seaside Aquarium wrote. “This is an incredible fish and the Aquarium encourages people to come and see it for themselves.”
In the comments section of Facebook, locals expressed amazement at the fish’s appearance.
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Aquatic experts say the spectacular fish was over seven feet long. (Tiffany Booth/Seaside Aquarium)
“The 199,999,789th reason why I don’t swim in the ocean,” wrote one astonished Facebook user. “Did you ever imagine it would come up next to you?! I just can’t…”
“Such a shame it died as it was a rare species!!” wrote another.
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Seaside Aquarium in Oregon did not retrieve the dead fish. (Google Maps)
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Seaside Aquarium told Fox News Digital that because the species was only recently identified, they couldn’t comment on its underwater life.
