Very rare Giant Oarfish Washes up on a beach in Englewood, FL, Gulf of Mexico

A juvenile, and very rarely seen Giant Oarfish washed up on the shore of Englewood Beach in the Gulf of Mexico. This was a small juvenile Giant Oarfish but they can grow up to 26’. This little guy was missing his tail. Oarfish frequently practice autotomy, self-amputating the tail, presumably as an anti-predator adaptation. The break can occur near the tip of the tail so that only a part of the caudal fin is lost, or it may involve a few caudal vertebrae; in extreme cases the entire tail is lost. The wound heals but the tail does not regenerate.