he discovery of this strange creature that looked like it belonged to another planet sᴛᴀʀᴛʟᴇd the fishermen. When Oscar Lundahl first noticed the strange-looking species with bulbous eyes, he nearly leaped out of his fishing boat.

Chimaeras Monstrosa Linnaeus is the latin name of the ratfish, and it started from the Greek mythological creature with a dragon’s tail and a lion’s head. Given that they reside in deep water, strange species are rarely captured. Their large eyes may have grown to aid them in seeing in such dark, deep spaces.

Off the coast of northern Nᴏʀᴡᴀʏ, Oscar, a 19-year-old fishing guide with Nordic Sea Angling, unintentionally snagged the tiny species. He said that they had been fishing for blue halibut, a rare species around five kilometers off the coast.

He had four hooks on a single line, and near the end, he found soᴍᴇᴛʜing giant. It was 800 meters deep, and it took him about 30 minutes to reel it in. Two halibuts were on two of the hooks, which made him happy, but then he noticed an unexpected development. It was fantastic and unlike anything he’d ever seen. Simply put, it seemed strange—almost like a dinosaur. He had no idea what it was, but his coworker knew.

The fish have been there for 300 million years and are safe for humans to be near. They prefer to consume crabs and marine snails. The ratfish ᴅɪᴇᴅ when it was being taken up from the sea due to the sudden change in pressure after that.