What is an oarfish?
Q: What is an oarfish?
A: An oarfish is a kind of very long, flat fish in the Regalecidae family.
Q: How many species of oarfish are there?
A: There are four species of oarfish in the world.
Q: What is the giant oarfish, and how long can it grow?
A: The giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is the longest bony fish alive in the world today, and it can grow up to 17 metres (56 ft) long.
Q: Where do oarfish live?
A: Oarfish live in the pelagic zone, which means that they live in water that is not near the shore and not near the bottom of the ocean. They live in all temperate and tropical oceans.
Q: Why are oarfish very rare?
A: Oarfish are very rare because they are usually only seen when a dead one washes onto the shore. They are also sick or dying when they swim up near the surface of the water, which means that they are difficult to observe in their natural habitat.
Q: Why are oarfish probably the "sea serpents" in legends?
A: Oarfish are probably the "sea serpents" in legends because when they are sick or dying, they swim up near the surface of the water, which can make them appear like serpents or sea monsters.
Q: Why are oarfish called "oarfish"?
A: There are two ideas about why oarfish are called "oarfish." One idea is that their bodies look like oars because they are very long and flat. The other idea is that some people used to think that oarfish swam by moving their fins like the oars of a row boat. We now know that this "rowing" idea is wrong.
