A rare oarfish that is said to predict ‘something bad is going to happen’ has washed up on a beach in the Canary Islands.
Oarfish are often interpreted as a bad omen when seen outside of their natural habitat – the depths of the ocean.
The sea creature was discovered by bathers on 10 February and has sparked worries online.
A video of the fish appearing on the beach has over nine million views on Instagram so far, as reported by NeedToKnow.
In the video, a man wearing swim shorts goes up to a silver creature with its translucent orange fins to rescue it.
The oarfish, known in Japanese mythology as Ry*g* no tsukai – or ‘messenger of the Sea God’ – has historically been linked to anticipating catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis and cyclones.
It is difficult to study due to its normal habitat deep in the sea.
This particular oarfish was found on the coast of Playa Quemada on the Canary Islands.
A rare oarfish that is said to predict ‘something bad is going to happen’ has washed up on a beach in the Canary Islands
The post on social media was captioned: ‘A rare Oarfish came ashore.’
It has gained over 267,000 likes and 5,000 comments.
Ahmed said: ‘Something bad is going to happen.’
Jen commented: ‘They show up before natural disasters.’
Meriah wrote: ‘Usually, it means that an earthquake is coming when it appears to the surface of the water.’
Senuka added: ‘Bro doesn’t know what’s coming.’ [sic]
Someone else said: ‘Put that back and run, may be a tsunami coming.’
Zaria commented: ‘PUT IT BACK.’
The sea creature was discovered by bathers on 10 February and has sparked worries online
In the video, a man wearing swim shorts goes up to a silver creature with its translucent orange fins to rescue it
The sighting in the Canary Islands comes just weeks after a similar fish sparked fears on a beach in Mexico.
Surfers spotted the creature on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula.
The massive fish, about as long as a surfboard, featured a silvery-blue body with a stunning red fin trailing down its back but had an injured tail.
They can measure up to 36 feet in length and weigh over 441 pounds.
Legend has it that the fish are harbingers of earthquakes and other natural disasters.
A local who witnessed the scene in Mexico said: ‘They say those fish appear when there is going to be a very strong tsunami.’