Scientists and experts are unsure why scaleless fish with fanged jaws and huge eyes from more than a mile deep have washed up along a 200-mile stretch of Oregon coastline.
Lancetfish live mainly in tropical and subtropical waters, but they can be found as far north as Alaska's Bering Sea to feed. NOAA Fisheries notes that their slinky bodies include a "sail-like" fin, and their flesh is gelatinous.
It is not uncommon for lancetfish to wash up on beaches, particularly in California and Oregon, as well as in other parts of the north Pacific, said Ben Frable, who manages the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
It's unclear what's causing deep-sea fish to wash ashore, Frable said, calling it an area of "open research." He added that it's unclear if these incidents are more frequent now that social media is more prevalent.
Researchers could benefit from reports of sightings, Frable said.