An
oarfish can easily be mistaken for a sea serpent, but they are really
the longest bony fish in the sea, growing to fifty feet or more
in length. Oarfish are rare but found worldwide in tropical and
temperate waters at depths from the surface to 3,000 feet. Not much
is known about their habits and life cycles, but they probably only
come to the surface when injured or dying. They feed on very small
fish, shrimp, and other invertebrates that they filter through their
toothless mouths. Oarfish have shiny, silvery bodies, bright red
crests on their heads, and are also known as ribbon fish. In 2001,
divers inspecting a navy buoy in the Bahamas were the first to videotape
a five-foot oarfish in the water.