Last week, two rare oarfish washed up (or in the case of the first was dragged up) on the shores of Southern California.  Yesterday, Japan was stuck by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake.  A coincidence?  It seems that there is Japanese folklore that says that sighting of oarfish portends a coming earthquake.   Oarfish are the longest bony fish in the ocean and can grow up to around 17 meters or 56 feet long.   The two that washed up in California were only 18′ and 14′ long, which is still very impressive. Oarfish, which tend to stay in deep water, are rarely seen on the surface. When they do make an appearance they are understandably often referred to as “sea serpents,” given their long snake-like bodies.  It is easy to understand how they might be useful in folklore as a predictor of ill-tidings. If sea serpents start appearing, something bad must be coming. In Japan, the oarfish is traditionally known as the “Messenger from the Sea God’s Palace.”  (If the Sea God is sending you a message, it is better sent by a sea serpent rather than a sea bass.)

But does the appearance of oarfish really predict an earthquake?   Continue reading →

On Thursday October 24th, at 9PM E.T. in the United States, CNN will broadcast the documentary, Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.  Blackfish looks at the almost 40 year history of orcas in captivity, leading up to the killing of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau  in 2010 by the 12,000-pound orca, Tilikum, a whale previously associated with the death of two other people. (See our previous post.)

Blackfish

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