As a kid, we had subscriptions to Ranger Rick and Zoobooks magazines.
I hid old copies so my mother wouldn’t throw
them out, each an edition to be savored. I’d occasionally pile them on my bed and
pour over them again, as though I hadn’t already read every article about
wolves 12 times already.
Since I no longer receive Ranger Rick subscriptions and my
travels mostly take me to the concrete wilds of north Texas suburbs where the wildest
animals seen are escaped house cats, I forget how varied and unique wildlife can
be. While the variety of wildlife is just
fantastic, perhaps the best part is that it often veers toward the
bizarre; creatures with outlandish forms and habits, totally shrouded in mystery. Some of this stuff is otherworldly. It’s like real life X-Files.
Recently, I was drawn into a creepy fact-sharing spiral on
facebook about lampreys. As mind-blowing
fact after horrifying mind-blowing fact was exchanged about these disgusting,
freakishly adaptive bottom dwellers, I was reminded of the wonder of nature. Even when – or especially when – it’s gross or
scary, it’s just fantastic.
Thus I’ve decided to begin a series on wildlife to pay
tribute to the fascinating variety found in nature and to remind myself of the
natural world that has become so far removed from our modern lives.
This week:
The King of Herrings – aka the Giant Oarfish
Back when I hatched the idea for this series, this was one
of the first creatures I looked into because of it’s terrific name – King of
Herrings (how has this not been a character in Spongebob yet?) Then I saw a
picture of it, and, not to be dramatic, it took my breath away.
HOW IS THIS THING REAL??
Then, a snorkeler came face
to face with a dead one off the coast of California, and the mighty King of
Herrings swam right out of a fantasy novel and into the news.
Though thought to be quite common, very little is known
about the giant oarfish as they are very, very rarely seen in their natural
habitat. In fact, only one video of them exists. Most
of what is known about them comes from dead specimen washing up on shore. They inhabit
depths of around 1,000 - 3,000 feet.
For those of you who like your sea monsters displayed against the backdrop of Navy Seals
These bad boys usually top out the charts at a Shaquille O’Neil crushing length
of 16-26 ft, while the longest recorded was FIFTY SIX FEET. That’s a 600 pound, five story building of
scaleless, silvery flesh. That’s right, these fish don’t have scales and the
unlucky few who have tried feasting on their gelatinous flesh found it to be “flabby
and gooey,” which is probably why these fish have no natural predators,
because, ew, gross.
And it gets better. These giant fish swim vertically. But they’re not good
swimmers, as their giant bodies don’t really move, only the flimsy dorsal fin
along the length of their backs moves, so they mostly just passively float. They can also jettison parts of their tails in an effort to conserve when
pickings are slim and to make swimming more efficient. They may also have the
ability to gender switch. Queen of Herrings, anyone?
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| Where are your parents, children?! |
The King of Herrings name comes from the red crown-like crest
on top of their heads. In Japanese
folklore, slender oarfish, which are a smaller version of the King of Herrings,
were known as the “messengers from the sea god’s palace” because they washed up
on shore prior to earthquakes - the King’s portenders of danger. This has been observed with the large
earthquakes over the past few years, and though it hasn’t been verified,
scientists speculate this phenomenon could be due to a heightened sensitivity to
seismic shifts.
So, chalk this creature up to another reason swimming in the
ocean is incredibly spooky. Can you
imagine their king crest tickling your toes as it comes to the surface?
This was a good read. MORE!
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