If you believe in local Taiwanese legend, an earthquake is imminent.
That’s because last week, divers off the coast of New Taipei’s Ruifang District came face-to-face with a giant “doomsday fish,” also known as the king of herrings, or giant oarfish. Measuring up to 36-feet-long, the massive beasts are rumored to surface before earthquakes, even to the point of beaching themselves. That said, there is little scientific evidence to actually support that theory.
Off Taiwan's coast, divers found a "Doomsday fish" — a giant Herring king associated with earthquake predictions. Its size and shape resembling a sea serpent, locals consider it an ominous sign in Japanese mythology pic.twitter.com/ipZXG8v6XO
— Tansu YEĞEN (@TansuYegen) July 17, 2023
This fish was caught on camera by a diving instructor named Wang Cheng-ru, who shared the footage on Instagram. “Many amazing animals can be found off Taiwan’s northeast coast,” he said, “but it was my first encounter with a giant oarfish.”
The fish had two gaping holes on its body, possibly the result of an encounter with a cookie-cutter shark. “It must have been dying, so it swam into shallower waters,” Wang theorized.
Because of its long, slithering shape, many experts believe the giant oarfish is responsible for “sea-monster” sightings throughout history. In reality, though, it’s harmless — both as a sea monster and earthquake predictor — and like Wang pointed out, is thought to only surface before death.
So if you see a doomsday fish, it’s not your doom you need to worry about — it’s theirs.
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