Oarfish discovery sparks sea serpent earthquake fears
In this BBC report the discovery of a second oarfish on a California beach reignites myths linking the fish to earthquakes.
Two rare, eel-like oarfish have been found washed ashore in Southern California this month, causing a flurry of rumours linking the sightings to impending earthquakes.
An ancient Japanese myth holds that a beached oarfish is a sign for people to prepare for an earthquake.
Philip Hastings, curator at the University of California, San Diego, spoke to the BBC's Alastair Leithead and said that although it would be useful for Californians to have a reliable earthquake warning system, he himself would rather bet on geologists' predictions than oarfish sightings.
The 4.3 metre-long carcass of the second oarfish was spotted by a man snorkelling in waters close to the city of Oceanside.
Last week 15 people managed to drag a dead 5.5 metre-long oarfish to the shore of Santa Catalina island.
Both fish died of natural causes, prompting marine biologists to believe the creatures became disorientated in shallow water.
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