'Stuff of nightmares': Rare, deep-sea fish found on California beach

With its long, sharp teeth and fleshy, bioluminescent lure protruding from its head, the Pacific footballfish is the stuff nightmares are made of. But being that the species normally lives at depths between 2,000 and 3,300 feet, most humans are spared the sight of the creep predator. Until now, that is.

A Pacific footballfish has turned up on San Diego's Torrey Pines State Beach, where beachgoers gathered to take a look at the modern-day sea monster, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. ""At first I thought it was like a jellyfish or something, and then I went and looked at it a little more carefully, and some other people were gathered around it too," says resident Jay Beiler. "And then I saw that it was this very unusual fish. It’s mouth almost looked bloody! I’d say it was nearly a foot long."

The discovery has baffled ocean experts, who say Pacific footballfish rarely venture out of their deep-sea comfort zone. Sunlight doesn't reach depths of 2,000 to 3,300 feet, according to the California Academy of Sciences.

What's the weirdest thing you've found on a beach?


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