A sixteenth-century Mughal painting of a mythologized oarfish, Regalecus russellii (Cuvier, 1816)

The body and tail of a fish attached to the head and upper body of an antelope, representing Capricorn, the tenth astrological sign of the zodiac, depicted in a sixteenth-century Mughal painting, is recognized as a cross between an oarfish, Regalecus russellii, and a blackbuck or Indian antelope, Antilope cervicapra. Attributed to the painter Mahesa of the Mughal court of northern India, details of the painting and mythology and folklore surrounding the oarfish are described.