Giant "doomsday" fish spotted in Taiwan: what it means (photos and video)

A huge fish, which is considered a sign of bad luck in Japanese mythology, was spotted by divers off the coast of Taiwan. The fish was covered with wounds inflicted by sharks.

This Regalecus glesne, also known as the oarfish, is a marine fish found in warm to moderately warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is the largest fish of its kind and can reach lengths of up to 11 meters in length and weigh 272 kilograms.

Read more: In Mexico, fishermen caught a rare deep-sea fish considered a harbinger of doomsday (video)

The oarfish has a long, narrow body resembling a belt and a small head. It has one dorsal fin located in the middle of the back and two fins located on the back of the body. The oarfish also has a long, thin tail that ends in a pointed limb.

The oarfish is a predator and feeds on squid, fish, and other marine animals. It swallows its prey whole.

It is a rare fish about which little is known. It is found in deep waters and rarely comes to the surface.

It has been nicknamed the "harbinger of doom" because it is believed to swim only at depth and only emerge during an earthquake that shakes the island.

The fish spotted off Taiwan was about two meters long.

Diving instructor Wang Cheng-Ru, who took the impressive photos of the huge fish, said: "It must have been dying, so it swam to shallow waters."

He added that this was the first time he had ever seen a fish like this.

As a reminder, off the coast of Colombia, scientists managed to film a humpback whale breastfeeding for the first time.

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