By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
Published: 18:57 BST, 26 August 2026 | Updated: 19:17 BST, 26 August 2026
A giant deep-sea creature steeped in doomsday folklore washed up dead on an Indonesian beach on Tuesday.
The ribbon-like fish, known as an oarfish and measuring more than 13 feet, was discovered on Pink Beach along the southeastern coast of Komodo Island at around 7:30am Tuesday.
Beachgoers lifted the carcass from the sand and carried it inland, causing a stir among locals.
In Japanese folklore, oarfish are known as 'doomsday fish' and are believed to be messengers from the sea god's palace.
The legend claims that one washing ashore can foreshadow a deadly earthquake, tsunami or other catastrophe.
Sahlan, head of Telone Hamlet in Sekaroh Village, told local outlet detikBali that the creature alarmed beachgoers because of its association with natural disasters.
There is no scientific evidence linking the oarfish to natural disasters, and marine authorities dismissed the omen as a myth.
However, some researchers have suggested that environmental factors surrounding its appearance warrant further investigation.
The ribbon-like fish, known as an oarfish and measuring more than 13 feet, was discovered on Pink Beach along the southeastern coast of Komodo Island at around 7:30am Tuesday
Sahlan told detikBali that a group of children and an adult man carried the fish off the beach on Tuesday.
'It was discovered this morning. It wasn't one of our residents who found it, but rather an outsider who had been camping since last night, a visitor,' explained Sahlan.
The oarfish's appearance quickly fueled ominous claims online that it was a warning of an impending natural disaster or other catastrophe.
But Sahlan insisted residents along the coast remained calm despite the frenzy.
