A rare deep-sea fish regarded as a harbinger of doom has washed up on a beach in the Canary Islands.

The oarfish was discovered by beachgoers in Lanzarote on 10 February, sparking fears among the superstitious.

The long, ribbon-shaped fish usually inhabit the mesopelagic zone, a region of deep water where light cannot penetrate.

They are often referred to as “doomsday fish” because of their mythical reputation as earthquake or natural disaster predictions. In the months preceding the 2011 earthquake, 20 oarfish were discovered on Japanese beaches.

A video of the moment the silvery fish with its characteristic orange fins was discovered has received more than nine million views on Instagram.

In the video, a man wearing swimwear approaches the stranded oarfish, which is referred to be the “Messenger of the Sea God” or ryūgū no tsukai in Japanese folklore.

This specific oarfish occurred on the coast of Playa Quemada, although it is difficult to examine because it prefers deep-sea habitats.

When two oarfish washed up onto Californian beaches in 2013, scientists said they may have died as a result of seismic activity under the seabed that occurs days or weeks before an earthquake.

Another possibility is that before an earthquake there is a release of large quantities of carbon monoxide gas, which could also affect oarfish and other deep-sea creatures.

One user commented on the video of the fish on the coast of Playa Quemada: “Something bad is going to happen.”

Another commented: “They show up before natural disasters.”

A third user agreed: “Usually, it means that an earthquake is coming when it appears on the surface of the water.”

Oarfish can grow longer than six metres, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

When one washed up on the shores of California last year, Rachel Grant, a lecturer in animal biology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said at the time that there might be some truth in the ancient Japanese legend that the appearance of oarfish precedes an earthquake.

“It’s theoretically possible because when an earthquake occurs there can be a build-up of pressure in the rocks which can lead to electrostatic charges that cause electrically-charged ions to be released into the water,” Dr Grant said.

“This can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is a toxic compound. The charged ions can also oxidise organic matter which could either kill the fish or force them to leave the deep ocean and rise to the surface.”