In November of 2021, a famous deep-sea creature from the film Finding Nemo was spotted on Black's Beach in San Diego, California. Jay Beiler, a Torrey Pines resident, was walking on the shore beneath the Glider Port when he came across the uncommon and unique deep-sea monster.
It appeared to be a jellyfish at first glance, but when viewed up close, it was the "stuff of nightmares—mouth almost looked bloody!" and was around a foot long, according to Beiler.
He decided to share the photos he had taken to NBC 7 San Diego a few days after seeing the fish. NBC 7 moved quickly and sought the expertise of scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The fish that washed up on the beach, according to Ben Frable, collection manager of Scripps' marine vertebrate collection, was a Pacific footballfish, one of the larger species of anglerfish that is mostly found in the deep oceans of the Pacific Ocean.
One of the lessons we've learned from this recent experience is that only two footballfish have been discovered in the area. The most recent one, as well as one discovered in 2001.
Photo by: Jay Beiler