대재앙 전조 현상?..."일본에서 길이 4m짜리 괴물 갈치 발견" VIDEO: Sightings of rare fish in Japan spark fears of natural disasters

Sightings of rare fish in Japan spark fears of natural disasters

Sightings of a rare, serpent-like sea creature thought to be a harbinger of natural disasters in Japan has got residents worried.


Chris Perez

New York PostFEBRUARY 4, 201912:13PM



 

Japanese social media users think the fish is a harbinger of environmental catastrophe.Source:Supplied




 

대재앙 전조 현상?..."일본에서 길이 4m짜리 괴물 갈치 발견"


   일본에서 몸 길이가 4m에 이르는 거대 갈치가 발견돼 대재앙 발생 가능성에 대한 우려가 SNS를 통해 확산하고 있다. 

  

1일 홍콩 사우스차이나모닝포스트(SCMP)에 따르면 이 대왕 갈치는 지난 1월 28일 도야마(富山)현 이미즈(射水)시 해안가에서 잡혔다. 어망에 걸린 갈치는 이미 죽은 상태였다.   

  

앞선 지난 1월 19일에도 도야마에서는 이런 종류의 거대한 갈치 두 마리가 더 잡혔으며, 2015년에는 대왕 갈치 4마리가 발견되기도 했다.   

  

일본에서는 심해에 사는 어종이 해수면이나 해안가에서 발견되면 대재앙이 일어난다는 통념이 있다. 심해어들은 해저 지층 움직임에 민감해 지진 발생 전 평상시와 다르게 행동할 수 있다는 이유에서다.    


 


실제 2011년 3월 동일본대지진 발생 전 2010년, 일본 동북부 지역에서 이런 거대한 갈치 10여 마리가 발견된 바 있다. 

  

모토무라 히로유키(本村浩之) 가고시마(鹿児島)대학 종합연구박물관 교수는 "도야마 해안가에서 대왕 갈치가 발견되는 건 드문일이 아니며, 대재앙 전조와 관련이 없다"는 입장을 밝혔다.   

  

이어 "지금까지 거대한 갈치 20여 마리를 수집했는데, 몸 상태가 좋지 않을 때 해수면으로 올라오는 경향이 있는 것 같다"며 "그래서 죽은 채로 발견되는 경우가 많다"고 설명했다. 

  

이 초대형 갈치는 '산갈치'라는 어종으로, 태평양, 인도양, 대서양 등 전 세계 해양에 폭넓게 분포한다. 주로 바다 깊은 곳에 서식하며 몸 길이는 일반적으로 3m에 이른다. 과거에는 몸 길이 11m, 무게 272㎏에 달하는 산갈치가 잡힌 기록도 있다.  

권혜림 기자 kwon.hyerim@joongang.co.kr  중앙일보


edited by kocntents





Recent sightings of a rare, serpent-like sea creature — which in Japanese lore, is thought to be a harbinger of natural disasters — have sent Japan’s social media into a frenzy.


“This is no doubt evidence of a precursor to an earthquake,” wrote one Twitter user following two separate discoveries of “oarfish” off the north-coast prefecture of Toyama last week.


New York Post

edited by kcontents


“And if it is in the Nankai Trough, it might be a huge quake,” they said.


Photos posted on Instagram showed one of the two deep-sea dwellers — which reportedly measured three and four metres, respectively. One was found on the shore of Toyama Bay and the other got caught in a fishing net near the port of Imizu.


According to Japanese legend, the fish will purposely rise to the surface and beach themselves whenever they believe trouble’s on the way. Residents have reported their presence before the arrivals of tsunamis and earthquakes in the past — including the 2011 Fukushima quake.




Japanese social media users think the fish is a harbinger of environmental catastrophe.

Japanese social media users think the fish is a harbinger of environmental catastrophe.Source:Supplied


However, experts have said not to worry.


“The link to reports of seismic activity goes back many, many years, but there is no scientific evidence of a connection so I don’t think people need to worry,” explained Hiroyuki Motomura, a professor of ichthyology at Kagoshima University who spoke to the South China Morning Post.


“I believe these fish tend to rise to the surface when their physical condition is poor, rising on water currents, which is why they are so often dead when they are found,” he said.


Still, the sightings weren’t sitting so well with social media users this week.


“What is going on under Toyama Bay?” tweeted one concerned Japanese resident.

“Is something happening deep in the sea?” another asked.


Fox News

edited by kcontents


Many on Japan’s 5-Channel chat site were reportedly referring to the oarfish — which translates to “Messenger from the Sea God’s Palace” — as a “warning” sign.


“There is no scientific evidence at all for the theory that oarfish appear around big quakes. But we cannot 100 per cent deny the possibility,” said Uozu Aquarium keeper Kazusa Saiba, speaking to CNN on the weekend.


“It could be that global warming might have an impact on the appearance of oarfish or a reason we’re just not aware of.”


This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission.


A 3.2-meter-long giant oarfish, found at Wakamatsu beach is displayed at the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History on March 19, 2014 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. Picture: Asahi Shimbun

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/sightings-of-rare-fish-in-japan-spark-fears-of-natural-disasters/news-story/0b26cd1c1c4bfafeb8a4f7bed2356274




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