Forget the oarfish. Both of them. This week, the bizarre aquatic creature that most demands your attention is a gray, unicorn-like swimmer with a mouthful of ugly teeth that is known as the "long-nosed chimera."
The Canadian news source CBC reports that this fish was recently found in an area between two islands off of the Northeast coast of that country known as the Davis Strait, where a local fishing vessel hauled in the odd water-dwelling beast. The source spoke with Ocean Tracking Network employee Nigel Hussey on the extreme rarity with which these fish are found.
"Potentially, if we fish deeper, maybe between 1,000 and 2,000 metres, we could find that's there's actually quite a lot of them there," Hussey said. "We just don't know." For the record, this translates to more than 6,500 feet underwater.
Like the beached giant fishes in California that turned heads recently, this specimen is raising questions. And as with those other instances, it's worth thinking about the sort of consequences you may see when it comes to the aftermath.
Will survey and research vessels soon be patrolling the Nunavut area? Will you need ROV insurance to prepare your exploratory equipment for deep dives and excavations? It might be impossible to know this at the moment, but it's important to think about the policies you will need to have in place if your company ever decides to venture out in pursuit of something like this.
"Sea monsters" like this can capture the public interest and spark the need for further investigations by professionals seeking answers.