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OarfishFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oarfish

King of herrings

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Lampriformes

Family: Regalecidae

Genera

Agrostichthys

Regalecus

US servicemen holding a deadGiant Oarfish, found on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the USA in 1996.

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Oarfish are large, greatly elongated,pelagicLampriformfishes comprising the

smallfamilyRegalecidae.[1]Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the oarfish family

contains fourspeciesin twogenera. One of these, theking of herrings(Regalecus glesne), is listed in

theGuinness Book of World Recordsas the longestbony fishalive, at up to 17 metres (56 ft) in length.[2][3]

Thecommon nameoarfishis presumably in reference to either their highly compressed and elongated bodies,

or to the former (but now discredited) belief that the fish "row" themselves through the water with their pelvic

fins.[4]

The family name Regalecidaeis derived from theLatinregalis, meaning "royal". The occasional

beachings of oarfish after storms, and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying, make oarfish a

probable source of manysea serpenttales.

Although the larger species are consideredgame fishand are (to a minor extent) fished commercially, oarfish

are rarely caught alive; their flesh is not well regarded due to its gelatinous consistency.

Contents

[hide]

1 Anatomy and morphology

2 Distribution

3 Ecology and life history

o 3.1 Behaviour

o 3.2 Feeding ecology

o 3.3 Life history

4 See also

5 Bibliography

6 References

7 External links

[edit]Anatomy and morphology

Oarfish that washed ashore on a Bermuda beach in 1860. The animal was 16 feet (4.9 m) long and was originally described

as asea serpent.

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The tapering, ribbony silver bodies of oarfishtogether with an impressive, pinkish to cardinal reddorsal fin

help explain the perception of majesty taken from rare encounters. The dorsal fin originates from above the

(relatively small)eyesand runs the entire length of the fish. Of the approximately 400 dorsal fin rays, the first

10 to 12 are elongated to varying degrees, forming a trailing crest embellished with reddish spots and flaps of

skin at the ray tips. The pelvic fins are similarly elongated and adorned, reduced to 1 to 5 rays each.

Thepectoral finsare greatly reduced and situated low on the body. Theanal finis completely absent and

thecaudal finmay be reduced or absent as well, with the body tapering to a fine point. All fins lack truespines.

At least one account, from researchers in New Zealand, describes the oarfish as giving off "electric shocks"

when touched.[4]

Like other members of its order, the oarfish has a small yet highly protrusible oblique mouth with no

visibleteeth. The body isscalelessand the skin covered with easily abraded, silveryguanine. In thestreamer

fish(Agrostichthys parkeri), the skin is clad with hardtubercles. All species lackgas bladdersand the number

ofgill rakersis variable.

Oarfish coloration is also variable; the flanks are commonly covered with irregular bluish to blackish streaks,

black dots, and squiggles. These markings quickly fade following death. The king of herrings is by far the

largest member of the family at a published total length of 11 metres (with unconfirmed reports of 15 metres or

more) and 272 kilograms in weight. The streamer fish is known to reach 3 metres total length whilst the largest

recorded specimen ofRegalecus russeliimeasured just 540 centimetres standard length. It is probable that this

little-known species can regularly reach a maximum length of at least 15.2 metres (50 ft).[citation needed]

[edit]Distribution

The members of the family are known to have a worldwide range. However, specific encounters with live

individualsin situare rare and distribution information is collated from records of oarfishes caught or washed

ashore.[4]

[edit]Ecology and life history

Rare encounters with divers and accidental catches have supplied what little is known of

oarfishbehaviourandecology. Apparently solitary animals, oarfish may frequent significant depths up to 1,000

metres (3,300 ft). An oarfish measuring 3.3 metres (11 ft 4 in) and 63.5 kg (140 lb) was reported to have been

caught on 17 February 2003 by Ms Val Fletcher using afishing rodbaitedwithsquid, atSkinningrove,United

Kingdom.[5]

A photograph on display in bars, restaurants, guesthouses and markets aroundLaosandThailandthat is

captioned, "Queen ofNgasseized by American Army at Mekhong River, Laos Military Base on June 27, 1973

with the length of 7.80 metres," is ahoax. The photograph was taken by Dr. Leo Smith of The Field Museum, of

an oarfish found in late 1996 byUS Navy SEALtrainees on the coast ofCoronado, California,USA.[6][7]

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orniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_SEALshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoaxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81gahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oarfish#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinningrovehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait_(luring_substance)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_rodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oarfish&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oarfish#cite_note-EoF-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_situhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oarfish&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Regalecus_russelii&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gill_rakerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_bladderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Streamer_fish&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Streamer_fish&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanine#Other_useshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_(zoology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oarfish#cite_note-EoF-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spine_(zoology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudal_finhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anal_finhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoral_finhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsal_fin

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[edit]Behaviour

In 2001 an oarfish was filmed alive and in situ: the 1.5 metre (5 ft) fish was spotted by a group of U.S. Navy

personnel during the inspection of a buoy in theBahamas.[8]

The oarfish was observed to propel itself via

anamiiformmode of swimming; that is, rhythmically undulating the dorsal fin whilst keeping the body itself

straight. Perhaps indicating a feeding posture, oarfish have been observed swimming in a vertical orientation,

with their long axis perpendicular to the ocean surface. In this posture the downstreaming light would silhouette

the oarfishes' prey, making them easier to spot.

In July 2008, scientists captured footage of the rare fish swimming in its natural habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. It

is the first ever confirmed sighting of an oarfish at depth, as most specimens are discovered dying at the sea

surface or washed ashore. The fish was estimated to be between 5 m (16.5 ft) and 10 m (33 ft) in length .[9]

From December 2009 to March 2010, unusual numbers of the slender oarfish Regalecus

russelii[10](Ryg-No-Tsukai,) known inJapanesefolkloreas the Messenger from theSea God's

Palace, appeared in the waters and on the beaches of Japan; the appearance of which is said to

portendearthquakes.[11]

[edit]Feeding ecology

Oarfish feed primarily onzooplankton, selectively straining tinyeuphausiids,shrimpand othercrustaceansfrom

the water. Small fish,jellyfishandsquidare also taken. Large open-ocean carnivores are all likely predators of

oarfish, and include theOceanic whitetip shark.

[edit]Life history

TheoceanodromousRegalecus glesneis recorded asspawningoffMexicofrom July to December; all species

are presumed to be non-guarders and release brightly coloured, buoyanteggs, up to 6 millimetres (0.24 in)

across, which are incorporated into the zooplankton. The eggs hatch after about three weeks into highly

activelarvae, that feed on other zooplankton. The larvae have little resemblance to the adults, with long dorsal

and pelvic fins and extensible mouths.[4]

Larvae and juveniles have been observed drifting just below the

surface. In contrast, adult oarfish are rarely seen at the surface when not sick or injured.

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