(Updated) - A 20-FOOT long oarfish was found in Barangay Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City, around 4 p.m., Saturday, February 18, three days after the fifth sea creature was seen off the coast of Agusan del Norte.
According to Marlo Tabac, Gusa barangay chairman, the elongated fish was still alive when found by residents but later died.
Netizen Clark Ian Richardson, meanwhile, posted a video of oarfish, barely breathing, being surrounded by people.
Jude Cyril Roque Viernes also posted on Facebook a photo of the dead fish.
Tabac said the fish had numerous cuts in its body when found .
Oarfishes are large, elongated fishes which dwell at a depth of 200 to 1000 meters (660 to 3300 feet). It is the longest bony fish alive, growing to up to 11 meters (36 feet) in length.
This is the sixth oarfish found dead in the Philippines from January this year.
On February 15, a 10-foot long dead sea-serpent washed off the shore of Barangay Rojales, Agusan del Norte.
The first oarfish, which was 10-foot long, was found on February 8, two days before the 6.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Surigao City.
It said that in Japan, the oarfish is known as a "messenger from the Sea God's Palace."
Photos of dead oarfishes have sparked debates over the internet, as some said the fish have been known to forecast earthquakes.
Renato Solidum Jr., director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told SunStar Philippines that the probability of another strong earthquake is low but the agency is not disregarding it. (Pia Noreen Bilar/Pamela Jay F. Orias/SunStar Philippines)
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