Video: Sea serpent, known as ‘doomsday fish,’ discovered off the coast of California

Kayakers and snorkelers having fun in the water last week discovered what appeared to be a dead sea serpent floating off La Jolla Cove near San Diego.

In Japanese folklore, this particular deep-sea dweller has been given the nickname “doomsday fish.”

Video footage shows the people who found the ominous serpent inspecting the the 12-foot-long creature and attempting to bring it to shore on a paddle board.

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography confirmed in a Facebook post that the creature was not a sea monster, but an oarfish. It was taken by marine life authorities who will work to determine the cause of death.

“After the necropsy, the specimen will find a home in the Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection — one of the largest collections of deep-sea fish in the world — where scientists will be able to further study this mysterious species,” Scripps said.

Oarfish are rarely seen, as they typically inhabit deep waters. Only 20 specimens have been found in California since 1901, per Scripps.

According to the Ocean Conservancy , oarfish can grow up to 30 feet in length and may have inspired ancient tales of sea monsters. Their long, ribbon-like bodies allow them to navigate the ocean with ease, while their large eyes and red spines give them a foreboding appearance.

“They are deep-sea dwellers, thriving most often in the zone least explored by scientists to date: the mesopelagic zone (waters down to 1,000 meters),” the Ocean Conservancy states on its website.

Finding an oarfish in shallow waters often indicates that the fish was sick or dying.

The nickname “doomsday fish” comes from Japanese folklore, where the appearance of an oarfish is believed to be a harbinger of disaster. Per the Ocean Conservancy, this belief gained popularity after Japan’s catastrophic 2011 earthquake, when numerous reports claimed that 20 oarfish had washed ashore beforehand.