---
title: "Bizarre Footballfish Fish Washes Ashore on California Beach"
description: "Anglerfish like this bizarre Pacific footballfish live in the depths of the ocean. To find one in good condition on the shore is rare."
date: "2021-05-12"
modified: "2021-05-12"
authors:
  - name: "Bob McNally"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/bob-mcnally/"
url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/footballfish-washes-ashore/"
categories:
  - "Fishing"
  - "Saltwater Fishing"
---

# Bizarre Footballfish Fish Washes Ashore on California Beach

![Pacific footballfish washes ashore on California beach.](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/12/Screen-Shot-2021-05-12-at-9.13.57-AM.png>)
*The Pacific footballfish is a member of the anglerfish family. Ben Estes*

Ben Estes was walking southern California’s Newport Beach when he noticed a small, dark, and very unusual fish that had washed ashore, according to a Facebook post on the [Davey’s Locker Sportfishing page.](<https://www.facebook.com/DaveysLockerSportfishing/posts/10158370414247989>)

He alerted lifeguards and park rangers at nearby Crystal Cove State Park about the bizarre 18-inch black-colored fish on the sand. Then someone called the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The mysterious sea creature has been identified as a Pacific footballfish, a type of anglerfish that inhabits the ocean’s extreme depths, living some 3,000 feet below the surface. More than 300 varieties of anglerfish are known worldwide. While they're not uncommon, it is extremely rare to find such an unusual deep-water species in such good condition on a beach.

![The Pacific footballfish is a member of the anglerfish family.](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/11/S.-Cal.-Footfallfish.jpg>)
*A rare footballfish is found on a California beach. via Facebook*

The strange-looking footballfish has an unusually-long dorsal fin—known as an illicium—that can extendin front of the fish’s mouth. A phosphorescent bulb-like tip on the forward end of the dorsal fin attracts smaller prey to the footballfish. At the extreme depths where anglerfish reside, even the faintest light can be easily seen, making it easier for anglerfish to reel in prey.

**Read Next**: [10 of the Nastiest Freshwater Fish on the Planet](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/fishing/node-1006047801/>)

Interestingly, male football fish are 10 times smaller than females, and sometimes attach to the larger fish to make themselves more readily available for mating.

## Author
Bob McNally has been an outdoor writer since shortly after the earth’s crust cooled. He has written 12 outdoor books, more than 5,000 outdoor magazine stories (including many for Outdoor Life) and more newspaper outdoor columns and features than there are hairs on a grizzly bear.