So, for the latest installment of our Name that Fish Contest, I give you this rare “sabertooth sail-aucda” (illbiteus yourhandoffis).
This bad boy washed up on the Northern California coastline (Sonoma County) a couple years back and was photographed by Rich Dow, who stumbled upon the beast while walking the beach — and was lucky enough not to accidentally impale himself on those fangs. The CA Department of Fish & Game was called in to i.d. the critter. Turns out, he’s a rarely seen denizen of the deep that eats anything that crosses his path (duh!). He can live as deep as 6,000 feet and can grow to 6 feet long and though quite dead, still looks like he could jump right up and rip out your jugular.
Additionally, the “sail-accuda” is said to be hermaphroditic (it would be hard to find a mate if you looked like this guy) and, interestingly, their flesh, though of poor food value, is said to have aphrodisiac qualities.
Hey, baby, you wanna bite of my sabertoothed sail-accuda??
Anyway, I digress…So, you guys have any guesses as to this creepy critter’s true identity? Keep in mind that the Name that Fish Contest is currently sponsored by nobody and the winning guess is worth nothing more than a golf clap from us and, perhaps, the adulation of your friends co-workers. So what is he? Log you answers in the comment section below…
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I found one on the beach by Manila [Eureka, Ca. area], last weekend, it’s eyes were gone but the rest was in good shape. I thought it was some kind of barracuda. Now I know. Damn, I should have taken it home and fried it up, it was still pretty fresh.
You guys are good! The lancetfish it is! Guess I’m really going to have to dig deep next time…
No doubt a don kingacore
I have seen 1 on Mad River Beach a few years back too….even the Longnose Lancefish can’t make it either?
I remember hearing about this. I believe it’s a Longnose Lancetfish?
it is a Alepisaurus ferox of known as a
Longnose lancetfish
or maybe a lancetfish a.k.a. “wolf of the sea”- they really go for surface plugs like spooks or poppers
It’s a razor-tooth Norwegian sea-sail donkey, which, of course, are indigenous to the waters off Peru.
Duh.
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