A dead oarfish spotted along the Southern California coast marks the state's third sighting of the so-called "doomsday fish" this year.

Considered to be the origin of the sea serpent tale, giant oarfish are a species yet to be largely researched by scientists.

A rare deep-sea oarfish has washed up in California, the third to do so in a few months and only the 22nd since 1901.

The doomsday fish got its name because it looks like a mythical sea creature, with a long, ribbon-shaped body that can grow up to 30 feet.

A member of the Scripps Oceanography team spotted the dead fish outside of San Diego, California. The fish was estimated to be 9 to 10 feet in length, which was much smaller than the one recovered in La Jolla in August.

A rare deep-sea oarfish has washed up in California, the third to do so in a few months and only the 22nd since 1901.

According to NBC News, the ominous creature lives in the depths of the ocean, making it a rare sight. There have been just 21 recorded oarfish sightings near California beaches since 1901. Two of those sightings occurred in 2024 —another oarfish washed up on a shore in La Jolla in August.

Another oarfish has made its way from the deep sea to the coast of San Diego County in Southern California. Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers stumbled upon the rare fish, considered the largest vertebrate in the world’s oceans,