What in the world? Rare, deep-sea fish washes up on NC coast

A Lancetfish was found Monday in Nags Head on a beach south of Jennette’s Pier. (Photographer: Leif Rasmussen via Daryl Law)


NAGS HEAD, N.C. – It looks like something from the prehistoric era. But a rarely seen deep sea fish washed up on the beaches of North Carolina earlier this week.

According to WGHP, a Lancetfish was found in Nags Head on a beach south of Jennette’s Pier. It is an open ocean fish and rarely comes to shore.

Lancetfishes have large mouths and very sharp teeth. They grow up to 6.6 feet in length. Very little is known about their biology, though they are widely distributed in all oceans, except the polar seas.

November 2006 photo of a Lancetfish (Credit: NOAA)