Talk about a fish out of water!

An odd-looking fish spotted on Vancouver Island lit up social media this week.

On Tuesday, Campbell River area resident Rachel Bell posted images of the shark-like creature sa国际传媒� which has since been identified as a ratfish, a glowing and boneless specimen normally found deep under the sea sa国际传媒� to social media.

sa国际传媒淐an anyone tell me wtf this thing is?sa国际传媒� Bell said in the Facebook post.

In the photos, the two-foot long fish appears to be writhing around in shallow water on a sandy beach. It has bulging turquoise-coloured eyes and white spots covering its long, slender rat-like tail.

More than 70 people from the Facebook community soon responded, most of them in agreement that it was a ratfish or spotted ratfish, known among scientists as Hydrolagus colliei.

Some also suggested sa国际传媒渘uclear fish,sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒淕odzilla babysa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒渁lien fish thatsa国际传媒檚 supposed to be in the dark deep depths of the ocean.sa国际传媒�

Dr. Jim Powell, a fish expert and CEO of the Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences in Campbell River, examined the photos for the Mirror and confirmed what dozens of online observers already knew: itsa国际传媒檚 a ratfish.

sa国际传媒淗ydrolagus colliei,sa国际传媒� said Powell after viewing the images on Wednesday.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a male,sa国际传媒� he said, pointing to a set sa国际传媒渃lasperssa国际传媒� protruding from its underside.

The ratfish, a relative to the shark, has a skeleton made of cartilage sa国际传媒� it sa国际传媒渄oesnsa国际传媒檛 have a bone in its body,sa国际传媒� he said. Itsa国际传媒檚 not a very common sight on the shore, because itsa国际传媒檚 a deep-water fish.

The species doesnsa国际传媒檛 have a swim bladder, so if it doesnsa国际传媒檛 swim, it sinks, he said.

He declined to speculate on how it ended up on the beach, but said it might have something to do with its health or age.

Powell, a scuba diver, said the glowing fish are often spotted underwater at night.

sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e beautiful, to see them underwater and see them swimming,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e just gorgeous because of their iridescence and that large eye, and they really do glow.sa国际传媒�

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Bell told Black Press that she snapped the photos around noon on Jan. 14 while walking her dogs at Saratoga Beach, near Campbell River.

The fish was about two feet long, she said, and it appeared to have washed up on the shore alive. Someone tried to roll it back into the sea, and Bell pushed it into deeper water.

To avoid a spike on its top dorsal fin, she used her gumboots and the plastic handle of a retractable leash to move the fish, she said.

sa国际传媒淚 believe it fully regained strength and swam away,sa国际传媒� Bell said in a Facebook message. sa国际传媒淢ade me feel pretty good.sa国际传媒�

The spotted ratfish, which has a venomous spine, occurs throughout the northeast coastal sections of the Pacific Ocean, from southern Alaska to Baja California, at .

Its numbers are increasing, and itsa国际传媒檚 considered a , according to the International Union for Conservation of Naturesa国际传媒檚 Red List of Threatened Species.

Itsa国际传媒檚 from a group of fish known as chimaera or chimera sa国际传媒� a name about a creature that resembles a .

The spotted ratfish is the only type of chimaera in Canadian Pacific fisheries waters, according to a published by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2007.

sa国际传媒淩atfish are a common bycatch (about 700 tonnes per year) within the commercial trawl fishery for skates,sa国际传媒� a type of ray, according to the document. sa国际传媒淪ince ratfish are of no commercial value, they are discarded at sea.sa国际传媒�

The are also called ghost sharks. The earliest chimaera fossil specimen, a skull, is dated to about 280 million years ago, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

The ancient lineage of the ratfish shows, Powell said.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 definitely prehistoric looking, isnsa国际传媒檛 it?sa国际传媒�

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