Sunfish Size report
Countless species live in the vast ocean, but there are always some large and strange-looking creatures that will attract people's attention. Arguably one of the largest and most exotic fish globally, sunfish are oval and flat like a giant plate, with a huge head and short tail. The sunfish is a large oceanic fish that inhabits various tropical and subtropical oceans and is also found in temperate or frigid seas.
The scientific name of the sunfish is Mola mola. "Mola" means "millstone" in Latin, the large, round, gray, and rough object. It is not the most creative name for the sunfish, but it fits its image the most. They are often called the ocean sunfish because it likes to bask on the sea's surface so the seabirds can rip the parasites off their skin. Their large size makes them sluggish and often lie on their sides on the sea.
The sunfish's odd shape belies its true claim to fame: It is the world's largest and heaviest bony fish. If you say whale sharks are bigger, you are right, but whale sharks are not bony fish; the skeletons of sharks and rays are made of cartilage. If you are interested in this giant fish, please continue reading the following article.
Sunfish General Descriptions
When a giant sunfish collides with a boat, the damage to the boat is beyond your imagination. In 1998, a cement boat pierced the front of a 1400kg sunfish. The giant fish caused the boat's cruising speed to drop from 14 knots to 11 knots, and its rough skin even scratched off the ship's paint, exposing the metal. On record, the heaviest Mola came from Japan, was 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) long, and weighed 2.3 metric tons (5,071 pounds).
Appearance
Many people think that the appearance of adult sunfish is already a bit special, so that juvenile sunfish will scare you. The bullet-shaped molar has a distinct appearance. The body shape of the sunfish is oval and flat, and the head and mouth of the sunfish are tiny. Their caudal fins have long since degenerated, but their dorsal and anal fins are very developed, and the whole is like two hugely spread wings up and down. Ocean fish are taupe with a silvery-grey belly and are often mistaken for sharks.
Diet and Haibits
Smaller sunfish consume a mixed diet of benthic and pelagic prey. These juvenile sunfishes often school together and consume nearshore prey taxa, including fishes, squids, crustaceans, and jellies. As sunfish grow larger, they may become more solitary and shift towards consuming pelagic gelatinous zooplankton. The sunfish is good at diving and often dives to 600 meters to catch deep-sea fish and shrimp for food.
Ocean fish lives in the tropical ocean, and many luminous animals are attached to its body. When it swims, the luminous animals will emit light, which looks like a bright moon from a distance, so it is also called "moonfish."
Growth And Reproduction
Scientists have observed that an adult female sunfish lays 300 million eggs at a time, the highest number of eggs laid among all vertebrates found by humans, but its survival rate is not high. The eggs and juveniles of sunfish are very popular among marine predators, and they take at least 20 years from infancy to adulthood. There have been crises everywhere during 20 years, and surviving is very low.
Newly hatched ocean sunfish weigh less than a gram, and this species is noted for one of the most impressive transformations in size in the animal kingdom. The biggest adult ocean sunfish are 60 million times larger than when they hatched.
Accurately estimating and measuring the age of wild mola is still hard work for humans. Biologists estimated the lifespan of individuals is about 23 years for females and 16 years for males.
Sunfish Average Size
- The average length of mature ocean sunfish is 1.8 m (6 ft), and the length from the tips to the dorsal and anal fins is 2.5 m (8.2 ft).
- Mature samples can weigh from 247 to 1000 kilograms (545 to 2,205 lbs).
Quick Facts of The Sunfish
Scientific Name | Mola mola |
Average Body Length | 1.8 m (6 ft) |
Average Weight | 247 to 1000 kg (545 to 2,205 lbs) |
Life Span | 23 years for females; 16 years for males |
Laying Eggs | 300 million eggs at a time |
For centuries, the Mola mola’s huge size and bizarre shape have shocked everyone who was encountered one, from sailors to biologists. Nevertheless, the ocean sunfish has long gone misunderstood and is one of the most gentle fish in the sea.