A big multicolored fish washed up on the Oregon coast this week in an unusual event, according to aquarium authorities.
The opah fish, also known as a moonfish, weighed 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and was spotted on Sunset Beach in Seaside, a community in the state's northwest corner.
The fish is "unique to the Oregon Coast," according to Seaside Aquarium, which shared numerous photos of the three-and-a-half-foot-long fish on Facebook.
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Chandler believes the fish had only been on the shore for less than an hour when the aquarium's staff received a notification for it, based on its condition.
"Unfortunately, it washed ashore dead," he added, "but we got there before the birds."
According to Chandler, the opah is kept in a huge freezer.
The aquarium intends to dissect the fish in collaboration with a local group, the Columbia River Maritime Museum. One lucky school group will be chosen to participate in the dissection, according to the aquarium.
The aquarium intends to "collect all the data" available from the dissection in order to learn more about the species, according to Chandler.