Video has surfaced showing a fairly large marlin beaching itself at Rincon, Puerto Rico, and then thrashing around in the surf for the next several minutes.
This is rare behavior for marlin, which reside in pelagic waters and are almost never spotted close to shore. It's not known whether the marlin had previously been hooked, or whether it was sick.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Xkwa5X2NE?feature=player_detailpage]
“What kind of shark is that?” someone close to the videographer asks, when the billfish first comes into view. “Oh… whoa! Holy crap! Is that a shark?… That’s crazy. It’s a marlin!”
It was identified as a blue marlin in the footage, which is shaky at times, but shows the marlin apparently trying to feed in shallow water.
“What’s he doing? He’s chasing fish. He’s chasing ballyhoo!” the video commentator says.
The video description reads, “Blue marlin kills Itself at Rincon, Puerto Rico,” but the footage does not show the marlin actually stranding.
