A rare deep-sea ribbonfish was caught off northern Japan today.

The creature usually inhabits waters several hundred meters beneath the surface.

Little is known about its behavior patterns.

But the ribbonfish is sometimes called the “earthquake fish” because it can appear after disturbances to the ocean floor caused by quakes or typhoons.

The man who caught the 1.8-meter-long animal says it was in a weakened state.

A local fisheries expert says it may have approached the shore out of hunger.