Fisherman catches 'alien-like' fish with huge bulging eyes off Norway's coast

Image Credit: Twitter/@BajaExpeditions

Norway: A fisherman fishing off the coast of Norway was in for a shock of a lifetime when he accidentally caught an alien-like monster with large bulging eyes from the deep waters.

19-year-old Oscar Lundahl was trying to catch a blue halibut in the island of Andoya in northern Norway with mackerel as bait when he dragged out the bizarre-looking creature, almost jumping out of his boat in surprise.

Oscar Lundahl was trying to catch blue #halibut when he found the unusual #fish on the end of his line off the coast of #Norway. pic.twitter.com/0SCVK5n5od — Baja Expeditions (@BajaExpeditions) September 16, 2019

It took me about 30 minutes to reel it in because it was 800 metres deep”, Lundahl told The Sun.

The specimen was a ratfish, whose Latin name Chimeras Monstrosa Linnaeus is derived from a Greek mythical monster that had the head of a lion and tail of a dragon.

The fish - a relative of the shark that dates back to 300 million years - lives in deep waters and are rarely caught. Their huge eyes are believed enable them to see in the darkness of the deep. Although they do not harm humans, their eerie appearance can easily frighten off any person.

"It was pretty amazing. I have never seen anything like it before. It just looked weird, a bit dinosaur-like. "I didn't know what it was but my colleague did," Lundahl said.

He added, "Despite its ugly appearance it was really tasty. It is a bit like cod but tastier."