Giant Frostfish
© Leroy BullMonster: The giant frostfish lies along the beach at Rabbit Island.
A long, silver, unpleasant-looking fish with sharp teeth which washed up at Rabbit Island was dubbed a monster fish by beach visitors.

However, it was likely to be a frostfish, said Nelson-based University of Otago marine educator Richard de Hamel.

Frostfish got their name because they tended to be found on frosty mornings when the temperature dropped and they came to shore, he said.

He recalled that one was found at Ruby Bay four years ago, and another at Mapua. Beach walkers were not the only ones to discover the frostfish at Rabbit Island - seagulls found it to be a large snack.

Source: Fairfax NZ News