Crossword clues for oarfish
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Oarfish \Oar"fish`\ ([=o]r"f[i^]sh`), n. (Zo["o]l.) The ribbon fish.
Wiktionary
n. A large, greatly elongated, type of fish of the family Regalecidae.
WordNet
n. thin deep-water tropical fish 20 to 30 feet long having a red dorsal fin [syn: king of the herring, ribbonfish, Regalecus glesne]
[also: oarfishes (pl)]
Wikipedia
Oarfish are large, greatly elongated, pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family Regalecidae. Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains four species in two genera. One of these, the giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne), is the longest bony fish alive, growing to up to in length. That is not enough to qualify as the longest fish, however, as some of the cartilaginous fish such as the basking shark and whale shark are even longer.
The common name oarfish is thought to be in reference either to their highly compressed and elongated bodies, or to the now discredited belief that the fish "row" themselves through the water with their pelvic fins. The family name Regalecidae is derived from the Latin regalis, meaning "royal". The occasional beachings of oarfish after storms, and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying, make oarfish a probable source of many sea serpent tales.
Although the larger species are considered game fish and are fished commercially to a minor extent, oarfish are rarely caught alive; their flesh is not well regarded for eating due to its gelatinous consistency.
Usage examples of "oarfish".
Sentya, standing by the table with two bowls of steaming oarfish chowder.
It dangled into the pit below, investigated, perhaps, by the oarfish and huge-mouthed eels that frequented that depth.
If I say Bigfoot, you get the lunatic end of the spectrum, but giant squid, oarfish that bask on the surface of the water, monster turtles that walk up onto the beaches, that was my scene.