A rare, otherworldly-looking ribbonfish has been spotted on the coast of California.
A video has taken the r/marinebiology subreddit by storm after someone spotted an incredibly uncommon juvenile king-of-the-salmon, otherwise known as a ribbonfish, while scuba diving.
(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
The footage shows a dazzling silvery fish swimming close to the surface, its fins extraordinarily dainty and translucent. Even seeing a video of the king-of-the-salmon is a feast for the eyes, and it's no doubt seeing one in the flesh would be even more magnificent.
It's not every day you stumble across an uber-rare fish that looks at home in a sci-fi movie, but Ted Judah had that very experience on a trip to Monterey Bay.
These fish live around 3,000 feet deep, according to SFGate, which explains why seeing one is so unlikely.
"Very few humans have seen the unusual and mesmerizing fish alive," SFGate wrote.
Keeping his distance, Judah got some footage on his GoPro camera before leaving the shimmering, fairy-like creature to its own devices.
Judah told SFGate that a brief glimpse of the ribbonfish was enough.
"I thought, 'I don't want to ask any more of you. You're an amazing creature.' And I let him go."
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$200 or more 💰 Though this little fish only measured about 8 or 9 inches, the king-of-the-salmon can reach lengths of up to 6 feet.
Footage like Judah's helps to spread awareness of these incredible, rare animals and is a powerful conservation tool.
It also proved to be a major conversation starter for Redditors and Facebook users alike.
"This fish is absolutely stunning," one Reddit user commented. "The dorsal fin moving like that is really neat."
"That's absolutely rare! You're so lucky!" another added.
One Facebook user wrote, "Thanks for sharing this experience, it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime encounter!"
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