Lifestyle - Rare, enormous fish species washes up on Australian shore: ‘It looks like an alien’

Dillon Thompson
In The Know August 7, 2020, 7:22 PM

A massive, ultra-rare fish has washed up on the shores of a popular Australian beach.

The large animal was first discovered on July 25, near Point Hawdon in the country’s Victoria province.

Cath Rampton and her husband Tom were some of the first visitors to find the “alien-like” creature. The couple told the Daily Mail that, despite being veterinarians, they’d never seen anything like it.

Unfortunately, the animal wasn’t an alien, but rather an ocean sunfish. The species, which is considered vulnerable, can grow up to 14 feet long and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds.

The Ramptons’ discovery was a bit smaller than that. Their fish, which was dead when they found it, measured at around two meters (or roughly six and a half feet). Still, the animal was big enough to make a child look tiny.

Size aside, tourists seemed pretty blown away by the discovery. Tim Rothman, who encountered the fish a few days later, told the Geelong Advertiser that he hadn’t ever seen an animal that looked similar.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before. It looked like an alien from a distance,” Rothman said.

Rothman added that he’s been visiting the area for decades, but he doubts he’ll ever see something like it again.

The Ramptons, meanwhile, drew plenty of interest after sharing their finding on Instagram. Commenters poured in amazement for the “incredible” fish.

“What a find ….what a day,” one user wrote. “The kids will NOT forget!”

“Oh my god, it’s very small,” another joked..

Source: yahoo.com/lifestyle