An eight-foot-long, rarely observed "oarfish" has been seen by a remote vessel off the coast of Mexico, according to a report published June 5 in the Journal of Fish and Biology.
Its scientific name is Regalecus glesne and it is the longest known bony fish in the world. Scientists estimate this one to be 2.55 meters (~8 feet), and said the creature's blunt tail appeared to have lost some flesh.
Some estimates claim that it can grow to 15 meters (~49 ft), but the longest recorded specimens are only 7 to 8 meters long (a piddly 26 feet!).
Scientists know little about the fish, which is thought to live in relatively deep water (between 300 and 1000 feet below the surface). Most of what they do know comes from sick or dead specimens found floating near the surface of the ocean or washed up on beaches.
A rather unexpected partnership with offshore oil drillers has allowed ocean scientists to pilot remote vehicles in waters normally too deep or far from shore for most divers or explorers.
Here is a video from the paper (the good views start around the five minute mark):
Here's another image of an oarfish, taken of US servicemen holding a 23-foot (7.0 m) Giant Oarfish, found washed up on the shore near San Diego, California in 1996:
