Bizarre deep-sea creatures wash up on Scottish beach

Haul includes chimaera, fangtooth and viperfish

A selection of the fish found including a Fangtooth, Black Scabbard and Viper fish (St Cyrus National Nature Reserve)

Several deep-sea fish have washed up on a beach in Scotland, sparking renewed interest in the bizarre-looking creatures.

Nearly 10 different species were found by two local conservation volunteers on St Cyrus beach in Aberdeenshire.

Jobrul Chamberlain, 15, and Bob Fitzpatrick took around 15 fish to the manager of the St Cyrus National Nature Reserve for identification.

Their haul included fangtooth, viperfish and deep-sea dragonfish, as well as chimaera or ghost sharks.

"It's a real privilege to see these fish close up," Therese Alampo, manager of St Cyrus National Nature Reserve, told The Independent.

"I think it is wonderful how so many people have shown an interest in these deep-sea creatures, and been inspired by how incredible they are."

The fish, which typically dwell in the darkness beneath the ocean's surface, had been caught by a marine scientist on a research expedition in deep water off the coast of the Shetland Islands, Ms Alampo said.

A long-nosed and short nosed Chimaera (St Cyrus National Nature Reserve)

He then brought them to the beach, where they were washed out to sea by the tide before they reemerged.

Ms Alampo said pictures of the bizarre creatures posted on the reserve's Facebook page have been seen over 30,000 times.

She added: "The marine environment fascinates people.

"People see it as a mysterious world and connecting with it by seeing the creatures that live within it, usually hidden away, can be a magical and exciting experience."

Callum Roberts, professor of marine conservation at the University of York, told The Independent the fish would look even more spectacular if they had not been "trawl caught."

"Deep-sea fish tend to have very thin skins, given that they inhabit water where there is very little movement and tough skins are not necessary. So when they roll around in a trawl net, the skin is stripped off, which is why they look blotchy."

He said the different types of fish would rarely be seen by beachgoers, as they often inhabit deep-sea channels.