Harbinger of doom emerged from the sea off the California coast days before earthquakes

Allan Rose Hill

image: Michael Wang/The Scripps Institute of Oceanography

Snorkelers and kayakers were astonished when a 12-foot sea serpent emerged off the coast of La Jolla, California a few days ago. Known as a "doomsday fish," this rarely-seen denizen of the deep sea is only the 20th of its kind to be found on the California shore in more than a century. This partic…