California fears the worst: Cursed creature appears on its shores
It has bright red fins, silver skin, can measure up to 6 meters long and fascinates people both by with its appearance and the mystery that surrounds it. The king herring has just run aground in California.
This is a rare phenomenon. King herring live 1 kilometer below the water's surface and only exceptionally run aground. This year, however, two specimens have appeared in California, one last week on a beach in Encinitas (a coastal town in the south of the state) and the other off the coast of San Diego last August. The appearance revives old legends: the king herring is considered a harbinger of natural disasters, particularly earthquakes. In 2011, during Japan's devastating Tōhoku earthquake, which claimed over 15,000 lives, some 20 of these fish washed up on beaches in the months leading up to the tragedy, reports Sudinfo.
Despite its stubborn and gloomy reputation, no scientific link has yet been established between king herring and natural disasters. According to Ben Frable, a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, “changes in the ocean could explain these unusual appearances”. He adds that “these rare encounters allow us to learn more about the mysterious species”.
(MH with AsD - Source : Sudinfo - Illustration : Unsplash)