Emily Chan
According to Japanese legends, seeing a “doomsday fish” is a sign of impending earthquakes and tsunamis. The doomsday fish is really just an oarfish. It is the longest bony fish in the world, growing to more than 30 feet.
The longest one ever was estimated to be 50 feet in length. Due to their ribbon-shaped appearance, oarfish are believed to be partially responsible for a number of ancient legends involving sea serpents.
Oarfish primarily eat krill, plankton, and other small crustaceans. They have silvery, reflective bodies that help them camouflage themselves within patches of light.
Generally, oarfish live at depths of around 656 feet, but they have been found in waters as deep as 3,280 feet. As a result, it is rare for humans to encounter one.
In old Japanese myths, the creature is called “ryugu no tsukai,” which translates to “messenger from the sea dragon god’s palace.” The creature is said to emerge from the ocean’s surface to warn those on land of earthquakes.
The legend was popularized again in recent years, particularly after a series of deadly earthquakes and tsunamis that occurred in the 2010s.
Prior to Japan’s 2011 earthquake, one of the most catastrophic in history, about 20 oarfish washed ashore.
The belief that animals act differently before a natural disaster dates back to at least 373 B.C.E. from the writings of Greek historian Thucydides, who claimed that dogs, rats, weasels, and snakes abandoned the city of Helice just days before a massive earthquake struck. There have also been other reports of such phenomenon throughout history.
“Some minutes before they were felt, the oxen and cows began to bellow, the sheep and goats bleated, and rushing in confusion, one on the other, tried to break the wicker-work of the folds; the dogs howled terribly, the geese and fowl were alarmed and made much noise…” read one account of the Naples earthquake in 1805.
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