A fish that looked like it swam out of Jurassic Park recently washed up on Revere Beach.
Revere resident Erik Haigh came upon the five-foot-long fish, which was completely out of the water, while walking the beach Monday afternoon.
“It was huge,” Haigh told The Boston Globe. “It had a strange snout... It looked like a dinosaur.”
Haigh said the fish was alive but stranded with a rope around its tail. So, he dragged it back into the water. Even then, the fish didn’t appear to be looking well. Haigh said the only thing moving was its gills.
Haigh then posted a photo of the fish to Reddit.com with the caption “Any idea what fish this is?” People in the comments suggested it was a sturgeon, which are among the most endangered species in the world, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.
Haigh reported his finding to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Marion E. Larson, the spokeswoman for MassWildlife, agreed that the fish appeared to be a sturgeon. Sturgeons are on the state and federal endangered species list.
Sturgeons average between six and nine feet in length, but can grow to be more than 13 feet and 800 pounds, according to this article, by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.
Unfortunately, the fish that Haigh stumbled upon did not survive. Its body was collected in order to be studied.
If you see a stranded, injured, or dead sturgeon, contact NOAA Fisheries at 978-281-9328 or 1-844-STURG 911 (1-844-788-7491) or send an email to NOAA.Sturg911@noaa.gov to report the sighting.