Fisherman, 19, reels in ‘weird, dinosaur-like creature’ off the Norwegian coast from the bottom of the sea 2,600ft down

A fisherman has reeled a ‘weird’ and ‘dinosaur-like’ creature with large bulbous eyes completely out of proportion to its tiny body.

Oscar Lundahl, 19, was trying to catch blue halibut when he found the unusual fish on the end of his line off the coast of Andoya in Norway.

He had four hooks on one line in around 2,600 feet of water when he felt a tug on his line and spent 30 minutes reeling in the fish.

Lundahl explained that he ‘felt something quite big’ but was surprised by the catch.

‘I have never seen anything like it before. It just looked weird, a bit dinosaur-like. I didn’t know what it was but my colleague did,’ Lundahl told The Sun.

Oscar Lundahl (above), 19, caught the unusual creature with bulbous eyes and a small body off the coast of Andoya, in Norway, after a 30 minute struggle to reel the fish in

Lundahl (left) described the catch as ‘weird’ and ‘dinosaur-like’ but was later told by a colleague that it could be a ‘ratfish’ (right). They are believed to be descendants of sharks and dwell on the deep oceanfloor

Lundahl, a fishing guide, had all four hooks on one line when he claims to have reeled the fish in from 2,600ft of water

The fishing guide for Nordic Sea Angling claims the weird-looking creature is a ratfish, a relative of the shark that dates back 300 million years.

Their Latin name Chimaeras Monstrosa Linnaeus is derived from a Greek mythical monster with the head of a lion and tail of a dragon.

The fish is very rarely caught by anglers and lives in very deep water. It’s large eyes allow it to see in the depths of the ocean.

Lundahl claimed the fish died due to the extreme change in pressure it faced while being brought to the surface.

Not wanting to waste the catch, he took it home and fried the fish.

‘Despite its ugly appearance, it was really tasty. It is a bit like cod but tastier,’ Lundahl added.

Not only is he believed to have caught a ratfish but also two halibut too.

Lundahl said: ‘I was really happy about that and then I saw there was something else. It was pretty amazing.’

Despite its odd appearance ratfish cause no harm to humans, mainly feeding on crustaceans including crabs, sea snails and clams, Monterey Bay Aquarium wrote.

They are believed to be the ‘missing link’ between fish with bones and those with a skeleton of cartilage.

Ratfish dwell on the seafloor up to 3,300-foot beneath the surface where they search for food.

Related Posts

A man who started a website that tracks orca incidents with boats near Spain and Portugal said that encounters happen at least every day now

Rui Alves launched a website last year, orcas.pt, that tracks orca encounters with boats — both sightings and attacks off the coast of Portugal and near the Strait…

Ancient whale found in Peru may be heaviest animal in world

Archaeologists in Peru may have unearthed the world’s heaviest animal ever, the Perucetus colossus, a colossal whale that could rival the blue whale’s weight, according to a…

Upside-down, Dead Whale Wedged In Leonardo State Marina

A dead whale was found wedged upside-down between a breakwater and bulkhead in Middletown, authorities said. The 20-foot-long Minke whale was confirmed to be dead at Leonardo…

Humpback whale nearly knocks paddler off board near Whittier

Kevin Williams of Anchorage was paddle boarding last Thursday on the glassy waters of Passage Canal near Whittier when a large, silvery fin appeared just a few…

Likely culprit found for recent gray whale die-off

Over the past four years, hundreds of gray whales have washed up dead on the beaches of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, most of them skinny and…

The dolphin who turns PINK when he’s angry or sad: Mammal baffles scientists by blushing when he gets emotional

Stunning images have surfaced of an elusive albino dolphin that can change colour from white to pink when it’s emotional. The rare mammal has been making waves…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *