A specimen of Remus fish (Regalecus glesne) was sighted on the beaches of the Baja California In Mexico on February 19, 2025, arousing curiosity and speculation. This inhabitant of the abysses of large size, also known as the “king of the herring”, is the longest sea bone fish in the world, also reaching 17 meters in length, is extremely rare to be observed on the surface, since it lives at depths between the 200 he is 1000 meters in tropical and temperate waters. His appearance fueled suggestions related to an ancient Japanese beliefaccording to which the remote fish would be an omen of earthquakes And tsunami. Although there is no scientific evidence in support of this theory, the sighting of a specimen outside its natural habitat remains an unusual and worthy event, as happened in the case of the black devil off the coast of Tenerife.
Remo fish: characteristics and habitats
Remus fish is a marine bone fish belonging to the family Regalecidae of the Order Lampridiforms. The particular name of this species derives from the elongated and compressed shape of the body or from the belief that moved “removing” with pelvic fins. Nicknamed “king of herring“, It is metallic silver in color, with stained stains and signs on the body and pink or red fins. Among its most distinctive characteristics, the protruding mouth stands out and a long dorsal fin that travels the entire length of the body.
Remo fish holds the primacy of longest bone fish in the world. Although most specimens measure on average 10 footindividuals of beyond have been documented 8 meters And, according to some sightings, even 17 meters. There carnivorous diet It includes crustaceans, small fish and squid, which captures thanks to its protrusible jaws (i.e. capable of extending towards the outside) while slowly in a vertical position, with the head facing upwards. This fish lives at great depths, among the 200 he is 1000 metersin tropical and temperate marine waters around the world and is rarely sighted on the surface, if not on rare occasions.
The Japanese legend linked to earthquakes and tsunami
Sighting a Remo fish is an exceptional event to study biology and anatomy, but according to ancient Japanese beliefs fueled by past sightings it can be related to imminent unfortunate or natural disasters. In Japanfor centuries, Remo fish has been known as Ryūgū no tsukaiwhat translated means “The messenger of the Palazzo del Drago Marino“.
THE Ryūgū no tsukaiin fact, they are legendary Japanese creatures described as huge fish with human head, horns, long hair and sometimes beard. They say they can reach from 5 to the 18 meters In length and that some emanate a light visible from afar, from the descriptions they look surprisingly to the remote fish, which suggests that it was the latter that inspired the popular stories. According to tradition, these beings are messengers and servants of Ryūjinthe god of the sea, sent to warn humanity in imminent natural disasters like tsunami and earthquakes. The legends were born in the nineteenth century and spread throughout Japan, today, the term Ryūgū no tsukai is used to indicate precisely the remote fish, as specimens cunned on the Japanese beaches were exchanged for mythological creatures. A sighting in Japan in 2011, prior to the devastating earthquake and tsunami of Fukushimahas fueled and strengthened this popular belief.
But is there really a scientific foundation behind this legend? Some theories suggest that natural events such as hurricanes, red tides, variations in flows of ocean currents or phenomena such as El Niño or The Niña they can occasionally force them to emerge. Probably, Remus fish finish beached due to biological and environmental factors, such as diseases, stress or climate change.
Although this belief may seem fascinating, There is no evidence that these fish are able to perceive the movements of the busty plaques before an earthquake. In 2019, a Japanese study conducted on reports of newspapers, academic articles and archives of the Marino Museum examined whether the appearance of these fish was actually related to seismic events. However, despite attempts to fill in an exhaustive database and evaluate the effectiveness of these observations as a forecasting tool, A significant relationship was not found between the appearance of these fish and the onset of earthquakes. The conclusion of the study was that this apparent connection is more likely one superstitionthe result of an illusory correlation rather than a scientifically valid phenomenon.
