Nightmarish ‘Footballfish’ Washes Up on Beach and Becomes Internet Sensation

Tommy ChristopherMay 11th, 2021, 7:49 am
 

A nightmarish deep-sea creature known as a “footballfish” washed up on the beach, and in that final act achieved internet immortality.

The 18-inch anglerfish washed ashore in southern California’s Crystal Cove State Park this weekend, a rare sight according to the park And if you think this specimen had it rough, spare a thought for her husband:

Last Friday morning an incredible deep sea fish washed up on shore in Crystal Cove State Park’s Marine Protected Area (MPA). There are more than 200 species of angler fish worldwide and this particular fish is most likely the Pacific Football Fish. Only females possess a long stalk on the head with bioluminescent tips used as a lure to entice prey in the darkness of waters as deep as 3,000 feet! 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. 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! To see an actual angler fish intact is very rare and it is unknown how or why the fish ended up on the shore.

A photo of the ill-fated former denizen of the deep went viral, sparking thousands of reactions ranging from alarm to amusement from Twitter blue-checks.

Here’s hoping the army of footballfish awaiting provocation in their watery lair don’t have Twitter.

Watch a news report on the find above via CBS Los Angeles.

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