Beachgoers have been left stunned after 12ft-long unique fish washed up on their shores.
An oarfish washed up on Aramoana Beach, in Dunedin, New Zealand, on Monday afternoon and it is estimated that it was a whopping 12ft long.
However this is not the first time that the sea creature had been spotted in Dunedin.
It was spotted in the region back in 2015 and back then it was 10ft long.
Oarfish are a unique species and they can grow up to an impressive 26ft long.
They are also known for hanging in a vertical position.
32 year-old Isaac Williams found the fish on the beach and the fisherman said he has never seen anything like it before.
He said: "I initially thought it was a surfboard, but was surprised to see it was actually a giant fish."
"I knew it was something different. I've never seen one of those in my life. Sea snakes and things wash up on the beach but I've never seen anything like that. It blew me away."
When Isaac got to the fish it was alive however when he tried to get the fish back into the sea where it belonged it sadly died. The body of the fish has now been washed away it is believed.
A preserved oarfish has been displayed in the Otago Museum for decades in a deep-water creatures diorama.
Emma Burns who is a Natural Science curator has admitted that it is very rare to see these types of fish up in locations like Dunedin.
In the past 150 years there have only been nine occasions where this type of fish has washed up near the city.
Back in 2015 a dead oarfish washed up at Aramoana Beach but somehow vanished a day later.
Now the museum is encouraging anyone who comes across these rare events to contact themselves or the Department of Conservation.
This is to give researchers the chance to learn more about the species.
