Naga fish found by us service men 1968

[walker 0]

Hi all

I first saw this beast on a Discovery program yesterday.

http://www.pantawee.dk/paja.asp

the photo of this 20ft plus eel like creature is part way down the page and the soldiers holding it up may be SEALS

but I can find little more than this web page does any one know who the three remaining soldiers in the picture are or where the data on this beast is.

The webpage states that the beast was taken to the US if so where and where is its clasification etc.

If any one knows more or finds other web pages let me know.

Kind Regards Walker

[ralphwiggum 6]

there was something like this captured in video some years ago. haven't heard anything about it thereafter.....maybe some gov't conspricay to keep something alien away from us?

[Major Fubar 0]

I bet Hellfish6 will love this topic! (Elasmophile, lol).

The only Naga I knew of was the one from Indian mythology and D&D...

[walker 0]

Hi all

The TV program had the same picture but it was in close up. The head was quite ugly but made it look as though the beast hunted prey that was in the water above it (eye and jaw placement tilted up) but this may have been the angle it was held at.

I could see what I thought were red lines of gills so I dont think it was a snake; there was a snake of roughly these dimmensions until 10,000 years ago. The remains of one were found in Australia and dated to that period. This was one of the possible identifications given in the film.

There were several peices of video footage in the film suposedley of Nagas in the river. Though similar to Loch Ness films they were better detailed and more believable. The films also included the giant stingray shown in a picture in the site and the giant catfish (about 8 foot long and 1 and a half to two foot long)

Was the US suposed to be Laos in 1968 if not it might be why the info is scarce.

The Mekong is one of the deepest rivers in the world and has many species that are only just being discovered. Any one want to fund an expedition to find study the Naga? Veteran of many expeditions here I could organise it all.

Kind Regards Walker

[Renagade 0]

Hopefully we might find a megaldon sometime in the future

Interesting site too

[Schoeler 0]

The U.S. was not supposed to be in Laos at any time. The war there was covert, mostly specops and C.I.A. stuff. Air America flew in there a lot with SEALs and S.O.G. troops.

[theavonlady 2]

We've already had a thread about this fish sometime way back in the OFP forum's history.

[hellfish6 7]

Believe it or not, I've actually had dreams about this fish. I'm not kidding!

Unfortunately, it's name escapes me right now... lemme run a quick google search with some names or terms that are coming to me and see if I can dig anything up...

30 mins later...

It is the "Oarfish". And I'm a "BIG GEEK".

Quote[/b] ]The oarfish is the longest bony fish in the sea. Also known as the ribbon fish, it can grow up to 50 feet in length and weigh as much as 100 pounds. The oarfish is easily distinguished by its shiny, silvery body and its bright red crest that runs the entire length of its body. Oarfish live in the deep ocean at depths down to 3000 feet. They have only been known to come up to the surface when sick or dying and have rarely ever been seen alive. Oarfish have a small mouth and no teeth. They strain crustaceans from the gill rakers in their mouth. It is believed that an oarfish can survive with only half of its body intact. It is believed that the oarfish may have been responsible for the many sightings of sea serpents reported by ancient mariners. It is indeed one of the strangest looking fish in the sea. Oarfish are found throughout the deep seas of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean sea.

From Seasky.org

Edit: a link of interest:

A larger version of the US Navy SEAL pic

here

And as for the relation to the Naga - it's not impossible. Certainly, if it was an oarfish, it wouldn't be the first sea creature to make it's way into fresh water. In Nicaragua, Bull Sharks regularly swim fifty miles upriver and make their homes in Lake Nicaragua, along with several other fish that were not thought to exist anywhere but the ocean. Bull Sharks have made it up the Mississippi River as far north as Alton, Illinois, and have even been found to have swam some 3000 miles up the Amazon River (imagine the horror of the Peruvian fisherman in the Andes foothills... "No es bueno!" )

As for your snake... is it "Wonambi naracoortensis"?

Quote[/b] ]a large, non-venomous snake grew to a length of five to six metres and killed its prey by constriction. Wonambi is an Aboriginal word for the rainbow serpent. The species name naracoortensis reflects the fact it was first described from fossils found at Naracoorte.

(South Australia Museum)

If you find funds for your expedition, let me know. I know photography, am good with automatic weapons and explosives when cornered, and I like animals. You know, the Naga myth has a lot of similarities to Norse myth about the Midgard Serpent. And the Caanan Lotan. Or biblical Leviathan. Think about it. It's not unheard of for large long-lost or undiscovered species to suddenly turn up. Take the Okapi, for example. Or the megamouth shark.

[hellfish6 7]

We've already had a thread about this fish sometime way back in the OFP forum's history.

I believe that was that mass of gelatinous flesh that washed up on Chile's beaches, no?

It turns out that it was just rotting whale. No new mysteries uncovered today.

I did dig up something else, though, which may be a new sea creature (I hope - I'd give up a month's pay to see a megalodon, or anything freakishly huge for that matter).

BLOOP!

The Bloop itself

CNN, proving that I'm not making this up

[theavonlady 2]

We've already had a thread about this fish sometime way back in the OFP forum's history.

I believe that was that mass of gelatinous flesh that washed up on Chile's beaches, no?

No, no, about the oarfish. It was a very long time ago, not earlier this year.

[theavonlady 2]

We've already had a thread about this fish sometime way back in the OFP forum's history.

I believe that was that mass of gelatinous flesh that washed up on Chile's beaches, no?

No, no, about the oarfish. It was a very long time ago, not earlier this year.

Bingo!

[walker 0]

Hi all

Puzzle for you why is the US army picture (only copy of same listed so far) covered in SE Asian writing?

Anyone got the original picture? The atribution at the jump site says:

Quote[/b] ]Here is a picture of Giant Oarfish caught at the US Navy SEAL training center on Coronado Island, just off the coast of San Diego, California. The photo was taken in 1996!

The photograph is a photograph of a photograph and as such the atribution is suspect it being plagurised.

Original sources please.

The picture shown at the Jump site is plagurised but the photo I saw on the TV was the original on the wall of somewhere and in more detail. The red wall colouring on the plagurised picture may indicate that it is on a wall in SE Asian influenced house. That deep red being a lucky colour in SE Asia. My guess is the original is in SE Asia at a location on the site I gave in the original post.

So far the evidence points to the picture of the big fish being a SE Asian River species not the Atlantic or Mediterainian Oarfish as stated in the Seasky.org site or as contradicted in the Jump site as being a Pacific species.

Other photos and the video are of a smaller thinner fish than the one in the original post. Also the photo I saw in the film which was much clearer, I am prety sure I saw teeth. That does not gel with the description of the Oarfish as a filter feeder.

Who is Charley Hallman the atribution for the more original looking photo on the hotel site? (Photo on hotel site is direct on, possibly scanned the Jump site one is at an angle.) Time to email him me thinks. Maybe the original photographer or one of the suposed SEALS in the picture. All right you US Mil types who occaisionaly visit here Fes Up who what where when?

You experts on US uniforms etc date and unit for the uniforms, is it allowed to say the people are SEALS?

Is that location a US facility if so where?

Is the picture 1996 or 1968?

Anyone remember the incident?

Kind Regards Walker

[Bluesman 0]

Cool. This sounds like movie material.

Maybe...

THE THING 2

BM

[walker 0]

We've already had a thread about this fish sometime way back in the OFP forum's history.

I believe that was that mass of gelatinous flesh that washed up on Chile's beaches, no?

No, no, about the oarfish. It was a very long time ago, not earlier this year.

Bingo!

Hi avon

Thanks for your efforts with your bingo you have made it clear the fish in US army pic and the Oarfish are plainly different species note the lack of stripes and general colouring in the US army pic compared to all the pics of the much less stocky Oarfish. Also note the Downward facing jaw of the Oarfish the jaw on the US army pic faced up as I said right at the start of the post.

So its not an Oarfish what is it then? And why the big mystery about the original picture? We need sources Charley Halman will help emailing him now.

Kind Regards Walker

[theavonlady 2]

Thanks for your efforts with your bingo you have made it clear the fish in US army pic and the Oarfish are plainly different species note the lack of stripes and general colouring in the US army pic compared to all the pics of the much less stocky Oarfish.

Note the lack of clarity and some overexposure in the US army pic.

Quote[/b] ]Also note the Downward facing jaw of the Oarfish the jaw on the US army pic faced up as I said right at the start of the post.

I can't make heads or tails of this detail from the US army pic. Pardon the pun.

[waffendennis 0]

now I am to scared to swim in the sea

[-TU--33ker 0]

I've heard that they've found that thing somewhere at the Canadian coast too...

Hello Nessie...

[walker 0]

Thanks for your efforts with your bingo you have made it clear the fish in US army pic and the Oarfish are plainly different species note the lack of stripes and general colouring in the US army pic compared to all the pics of the much less stocky Oarfish.

Note the lack of clarity and some overexposure in the US army pic.

Quote[/b] ]Also note the Downward facing jaw of the Oarfish the jaw on the US army pic faced up as I said right at the start of the post.

I can't make heads or tails of this detail from the US army pic. Pardon the pun.

Hi Avon

On the fish view I saw the close up on the TV picture I did not see stripes. Also as I said the Jaw and head was different but I admit that could be down to the way it is held. I think the program is to be re-transmited I will try to record the section.

I just had a PM from someone aparently in a book called "Very Crazy G.I" there is reference to "SEALs in the Mekong delta, while laying close to the shore on the river bank, saw a "dragon type" fish in the water, that had long hair-like fins and was colorful" That fits with your Oarfish but does place it in freshwater not salt but the delta is tidal at that point I am guessing, so salwater might be correct.

The person who PMed me is going to look up the exact story. If true the fish seems to be a freshwater fish or to at least frequent the Mekong.

Spawning ground possibly? It would explain size of the eel older adults being larger and the smaller being the sea going young shown in your pictures in the bingo post. Salmon go through a body morphology at spawn time the Jaw changes as does colouring. That might be an explanation for the different colouring and Jaw shape. The fatter size than the pictures you posted in your bingo post might be a female with eggs. This is all supposition though. I would say it was worth an expedition any one a TV producer out there who wants to search for it I can get hold of some divers with experience of these kind of waters. Such a TV program would probably make Millions.

The film mentions the recently discovered giant Mekong Sting Ray and has film of the giant Mekong Catfish and shows video of both; the catfish being dragged to shore by several men it could easily swallow one of the men and the sting ray in detail from the exhibit in the museum the same one pictured in the original post that started this thread.

All in all the evidence still points to this being a species of fish captured in SE Asian possibly as the original post link said transfered to the US during the time the US was engaged in covert activity in the Mekong.

Thought comes to mind the other post says 1996, could it be that the SEALS were still engaged in covert activity in the Mekong then!   That would explain their reticence on the matter. It would be somewhat embaressing as the US was by then egaged in improving relations with Hanoi but lets be real we know these things happen.

I think we need the original sources so we can clear it up.

Kind Regards Walker

[ralphwiggum 6]

I highly doubt if the SEAL on covert operations would wear just their standard T-shirt and have picture taken.

There is a SEAL training facility in Southern Califronia near Catalina Island.(South of the island to be more precise.)

[walker 0]

I highly doubt if the SEAL on covert operations would wear just their standard T-shirt and have picture taken.

There is a SEAL training facility in Southern Califronia near Catalina Island.(South of the island to be more precise.)

Hi Ralph

Are you saying they are wearing standard SEAL T shirts?

If as is aluded to in the page link in the original it was taken to the US from SE Asia, would it be likely that such a beast would be transported to that base?

I can see it happening during the Vietnam war period of 1968  but by 1996 I would have thought it would end up at a sea aquarium or scientific institute. At the very least the body would have ended up at a Museum.

I think if it was just any old US Army base they would have made more of a media event of it. It is after all over twice the size of the Oarfish shown in other pictures. Also if was an Oarfish according to info shown earlier it is an Atlantic and Mediterainian Species how come it ends up in the Pacific?

The facts dont fit the explanations. Like I said we need the original sources.

Kind Regards Walker

[ralphwiggum 6]

i wouldn't say there are standard SEAL t-shirts, but the fact that the guys on covert operation would just readily take their camos off stand in front of camera doesn't seem correct to me.

another point you brought up about trasportation can happen, and the picture would have been taken at the base away form the operation. however, it still lingers in my mind that SEALs would have better things to do than transport a fish.(personal opinion)

Quote[/b] ]I can see it happening during the Vietnam war period of 1968 but by 1996 I would have thought it would end up at a sea aquarium or scientific institute. At the very least the body would have ended up at a Museum.

the one that showed up at 1996 was sent to a research place AFAIK.

Quote[/b] ]I think if it was just any old US Army base they would have made more of a media event of it. It is after all over twice the size of the Oarfish shown in other pictures. Also if was an Oarfish according to info shown earlier it is an Atlantic and Mediterainian Species how come it ends up in the Pacific?

the oarfish can grow upto 50 feet in length? than i think the fish in the picture might be about that long (or even shorter). Also, although we have a lot of info about animal world, there are still more that we need to look at. maybe this Naga fish was from same ancestor of Mediterainian oarfish a long itme ago?

[walker 0]

Hi all

OK the fish was just on again I have the video recorded. A Dicovery Science program called Asian Enigma

The zoomed in picture shows it not to have stripes but I was wrong about the Jaw it is downward facing but not the same shape as an Oarfish. The head apears more muscular and massive the eye is larger and green in color.

If it is an Oarfish it is deformed. Decompresion?

Quote[/b] ]the one that showed up at 1996 was sent to a research place AFAIK.

Please state your source for this statement we need such original sources.

Kind Regards Walker

[hellfish6 7]

Anytime you remove a fish, especially a large one, from water, it tends to break down and/or swell fairly fast. The oarfish, for example, is more of a deepwater species. When you take it out of the ocean, place it in broad daylight, the physical body won't be able to cope with the pressure differences, it's body won't be able to support it's weight, it's flesh will start falling off of the bone and/or it will start to balloon up with gas. It's very possible that an oarfish could look very different than it normal one would within an hour of it being caught.

As for it being found in freshwater - in the Mekong Delta, it's considered to be brackish water, where fresh and saltwater mix. These waters are often used as spawning grounds for oceanic fishes and arthropods. I don't think the oarfish, being an open-ocean deepwater creature would make it into coastal areas very often, but it can and does happen.

As for the oarfish being found in the Pacific -I think it exists there normally. One of the pics I posted was an oarshish caught off of Baja Mexico, which is in the eastern pacific. It might be worth your while to send an email to someone at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California - in my experiences with them, they are immensely knowledgeable and friendly. They also have specialists in deep water and open ocean fish. http://www.mbayaq.org/

I used to volunteer at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium in the Amazon exhibit. We had all kinds of freshwater creatures there that you'd only normally be able to find in saltwater - including rays and dolphins. In fact, just before I left we had received a very rare, fairly large knifefish that was absoutely white and almost totally blind because it lived in the very deepest channels of the Amazon and never came to the surface. It's not unheard of, therefore, to see either large and/or otherwise oceanic creatures in the deeper parts of the large rivers. IIRC, there is even a freshwater dolphin in the Yangtzee River in China, providing evidence that this strange morphology is not limited to South America.

The writing in the pic you see is Thai, I'm pretty sure. If you know someone who speaks Thai, they could probably translate it for you.

[ralphwiggum 6]

.

www.bajadestinations.com/fishid/oarfish/oarfish.htm seems to have some info about the photo.

http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/AAO/local/www/jbh/weird.html

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/allhands/ah0497/apr-pg20.html

[hellfish6 7]

Nice "catch", Ralph.