Swedish Fisherman Finds Rare 12-foot Oarfish

When 73-year old Swedish fisherman Kurt Ove Eriksson first saw it he thought it was a large piece of plastic floating near the shoreline. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the dead fish as a super-rare 12-foot long Giant Oarfish.

Eriksson took his find to The House of the Sea, an aquarium in Lysekil where Roger Jansson, a marine expert, positively identified the find. A Giant Oarfish was last seen in Sweden in 1879.

The Giant Oarfish, also known as the "King of Herrings" despite the fact they are not true herrings. Because of the immense size and serpent-like shape of the fish, it is believed that the Giant Oarfish possibly inspired tales of sea serpents. They can grow to a length of 39 feet and weigh up to 600 pounds and are the world's largest bony fish.

To read more and see an undated photo of the Giant Oarfish you can read the MSNBC.com article