They're gonna need a bigger boat: Rarely-seen 14-foot, 800lb deep-sea 'dinosaur' skate caught off Florida coast

  • The 800-pound Dactylobatus clarkii, a deep sea species also called ‘hookskate’ or ‘fingerskate’, was so old it had barnacles on it
  • Florida fisherman, Captain Mark Quartiano, caught it off the coast of Miami Beach
  • He says the rarely-seen monster, which is the same family as the stingray, was like 'a dinosaur'
  • Last month two rare sea serpents washed ashore beaches on the Southern California coast
  • The giant oarfish measured 18 and 14 feet, respectively

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: | Updated:

A Florida fisherman has caught an enormous 14-foot deep-sea creature so old it has barnacles on it.

The 800-pound rarely-seen beast was caught in the waters off Miami Beach and the fish was so rare it was like ‘a dinosaur’.

Captain Mark Quartiano, a charter boat operator who also goes by ‘Mark the Shark’, posted a picture of the Dactylobatus clarkii, a deep sea species also referred to as ‘hookskate’ or ‘fingerskate’, in an Instagram photo over the weekend.

Catch of a lifetime: The 800-pound rarely-seen stingray-like skate fish was caught in the waters off Miami Beach. The fishermen said it was so rare it was like 'a dinosaur'

Catch of a lifetime: The 800-pound rarely-seen stingray-like skate fish was caught in the waters off Miami Beach. The fishermen said it was so rare it was like 'a dinosaur'

Ancient animal: The skate fish, which lives in muddy waters as deep as 1,000 feet, was so old it had barnacles all over it, say the fishermen who caught it

Ancient animal: The skate fish, which lives in muddy waters as deep as 1,000 feet, was so old it had barnacles all over it, say the fishermen who caught it

The monster inhabits muddy sea depths of up to 1,000 feet – this one was caught in waters of about 500 feet deep, Quartiano said.

‘I’ve caught one like it before, but never that size, not in the last 30 years I’ve been doing this,’ Quartiano told ABC News. ‘It’s a very rare fish. It’s like a big gigantic whipping stingray. It’s a dinosaur.’

Not much is known about the deep-sea creature, which the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies as ‘data deficient’.

‘It was very old. It had barnacles all over it,’ said Quartiano, who caught the skate while shooting a series of TV shows for a Japanese network.

'Very rare': Captain Mark 'Mark the Shark' Quartiano, a charter boat operator, said he's never caught a skate fish that size before in the 30 years he's been fishing

'Very rare': Captain Mark 'Mark the Shark' Quartiano, a charter boat operator, said he's never caught a skate fish that size before in the 30 years he's been fishing

Mysterious: Not much is known about the deep-sea creature other than that it inhabits muddy sea depths of up to 1,000 feet

Mysterious: Not much is known about the deep-sea creature other than that it inhabits muddy sea depths of up to 1,000 feet

He released the fish back into the ocean shortly after tagging it.

Last month, the appearance of two rare sea serpents washing ashore beaches on the Southern California coast prompted fears it could be a sign that a natural catastrophe is coming.

The giant oarfish were dead when they washed up on land, and some scientists believe they come ashore to die because they are ‘in distress’.

The first sea monster, measuring 18 feet, was discovered by a woman snorkelling off the coast of Catalina Island on October 13. It took 16 people to drag it up onto the beach.

Mega monster: An 18-foot oarfish was discovered by a woman snorkelling off the coast of Catalina Island, California, on October 13. It took 16 people to drag it ashore

Mega monster: An 18-foot oarfish was discovered by a woman snorkelling off the coast of Catalina Island, California, on October 13. It took 16 people to drag it ashore

Earthquake warning? The two oarfish sightings prompted fears that an earthquake was coming as the bottom-dwelling fish are more sensitive to seismic shifts, according to scientists

Earthquake warning? The two oarfish sightings prompted fears that an earthquake was coming as the bottom-dwelling fish are more sensitive to seismic shifts, according to scientists

The second silvery creature, measuring almost 14 feet, came just a few days later on October 18 in Oceanside, California.

Oarfish, which can grow to more than 50 feet in length, are considered the longest bony fish in the world.

They typically dive more than 3,000 feet deep, which makes sightings rare and has fueled various serpent legends throughout history.

According to traditional Japanese folklore, oarfish rise to the water’s surface before an impending earthquake. Scientists speculate it is because the bottom-dwelling fish are more sensitive to seismic shifts.

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