An oarfish, also known as a ‘doomsday’ fish, was found by paddle-boarders on the California coastline on 10 August.
The name comes from the belief that the fish are harbingers of imminent natural disasters, according to the Ocean Conservancy.
The fish was found two days before a 4.4 earthquake struck Los Angeles.
The fish was transported to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) facility, where scientists are investigating its cause of death.
