LOS ANGELES - Two huge fish washed up on California beaches last week. The creatures are called oarfish. They are shaped like a long, thick, silver ribbons. Their strange looks have inspired tales of sea serpents.

Scientists are puzzled why the fish washed up on the beaches. But they are excited to have the chance to study the rare animals.

Oarfish are a mystery to scientists. They live very deep in the sea. Only a handful have been spotted underwater. What little scientists do know has come from the few dead ones that have washed up on beaches.

"If all you knew about deer was roadkill ... how much would you actually know about deer?" said Milton Love, a scientist who studies the ocean. "That's kind of where we are with oarfish."

Looks Scary, But It's Harmless

The 18-foot giant found on Oct. 13 was among the largest oarfish reported in nearly 20 years. A 14-foot fish beached on Friday. It was cut open and examined by scientists on Monday.

Love said he thinks that the deaths of the two fish are probably linked. An ocean current may have carried the fish from calm waters into a rough area near the shore. Oarfish are weak swimmers. They are not adapted to surviving in rough water.

Oarfish may look scary, but they are rather harmless. They have no teeth. Their muscles are weak and flabby. It glows slightly underwater. It sucks down plankton and jellyfish as it hangs in the water, said Russ Vetter, a biologist. Vetter was one of the scientists who examined the 14-foot fish as it was cut open.

Samples of the fish will be sent to laboratories around the world. Scientists will examine them to look for clues about the creature. They will study its eyes, gills, heart and liver. Its ear bones will tell how old it was.

It could take years get the results of the studies, scientists said.

The dead 18-foot oarfish was too large to refrigerate. The Catalina Island Marine Institute considered burying it. But experts at the Natural History Museum said the bones are too delicate. They would be crushed by the weight of the sand, said Jeff Chace, of the Marine Institute. The fish was divided among different laboratories because there was so much interest, he said.

Strange Fish Posted On Internet

The institute hopes to keep the skeleton on display, he said. Forty thousand children visit the institute each year for field trips.

"One of the neat things for kids is the unknown factor," he said. "These discoveries are happening all the time, and it gets kids excited about science."

Cellphones and the Internet are leading to new discoveries in ocean life. Scientists can find out about rare events when people post photos and videos of "strange fish and fish doing strange things," said Philip Hastings. Hastings is a professor at the University of California. He is in charge of a collection of marine plants, animals and minerals.

"Everyone has a cellphone with a camera on it," Hastings said. Facebook, YouTube and other networks can help scientists get information about rare species.

Many people have theories about why the huge fish died. One claim is that the dead oarfish is a sign that an earthquake may happen soon.

However, experts said they have not found a cause of death yet.

"With a rare event like this, it is a bit troubling, but it's a total mystery," Vetter said.]]>