Comments on: Arr, there be sea serpents yonder!

Arr, there be sea serpents yonder!

debralee — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 04:54:16 -0800

Wallace Cartwright, a lobster fisherman from Cape Breton Island, describes his recent encounter with a sea serpent: "It had a head on it like a sea turtle, and it had a body like a snake...about as big around as a five-gallon bucket." Perhaps Nessie has relatives abroad? The more likely explanation, however, is that Wallace had a rare glimpse of one of these strange creatures of the deep.

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 05:49:32 -0800

All of the sightings of oarfish seem to be collected around warm water regions, i.e., Mexico, Florida, and the museum is in Australia. The water off of Cape Breton is one step away from being frozen solid (at least when I've been in it). Those things look very badass, however.

By: Slithy_Tove

Slithy_Tove — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 06:19:46 -0800

The head does look rather like the beaked head of a turtle, too, doesn't it?

By: Danf

Danf — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 07:56:27 -0800

I found one of these (wolf eel) on a beach once, and it was a similar WTF moment. . .I was certain that a sea serpent had washed up after a storm.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 09:19:31 -0800

The "sea serpent" link was really interesting, debralee. Amazing that we don't even know what might be in our oceans. Can't they show this fisherman pictures of oarfish or whatever species he might have seen to find out if that's what he saw?

By: eddydamascene

eddydamascene — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 09:59:10 -0800

Giant oarfish caught off the coast of california! (1996) A friend claims that the oarfish was the inspiration for the naga that adorn Thai wats (according to legend, Gautama Buddha subdued a naga, after which the naga sheltered Buddha while he meditated).

By: JollyWanker

JollyWanker — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 10:04:06 -0800

The ones that still give me nightmares are the Giant Squid that were hauled up off Tasmania in 1997... 50 freakin' feet from head to... erm... tentacle, plus all the nasty, nasty connotations of squid a hundredth their size, just magnified to science fiction levels... Oarfish are no beauty pageant contenders, to be sure, but squid?! Now, that's nasty...

By: Ufez Jones

Ufez Jones — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 10:10:25 -0800

Great post. Those oarfish are fascinating.

By: wendell

wendell — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 10:41:14 -0800

Why don't we just rename the "Oarfish" to "Sea Serpent" and be done with it?

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 10:43:22 -0800

Oarfish are really creepy looking! I would have gaffed it and hauled it back. Think of all the fun you could have with a 50-foot disgusting fish!

By: weston

weston — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 12:04:21 -0800

The cool thing about stuff like this is that it can help you recapture a sense of wonder... OK, our world isn't fully catalogued and pressed into paper (or binary). The underlying instinct for that is probably what generates some of the strange tales in the first place, but it's nice to be reminded reality has some good surprises from time to time.

By: arielmeadow

arielmeadow — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 12:57:23 -0800

That video is amazing! My human brain naturally assumes that the oar fish would swim sideways, like an eel...but they swim vertically, with their head up. Cool!

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:16:32 -0800

Oh good. I hadn't been having enough nightmares lately. I'm sorta reminded of the Sesame street Martians.

By: me3dia

me3dia — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 14:21:47 -0800

Cool post!

By: bragadocchio

bragadocchio — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 15:45:51 -0800

It does sound like the serpent was an oarfish. Better an oarfish than an Atlantic Hagfish, which has an unusual method of eating.

By: tdismukes

tdismukes — Thu, 26 Jun 2003 05:18:32 -0800

arielmeadow - I think the reason the fish is vertical in the video is that it's been hooked (you can just barely make out the line). I assume the fish was dead or stunned by that time and was being held up by the line from the boat.