Species Spotlight · 20 Aug 2024
Sunfish develop their distinctive shape because the back fin they are born with simply never grows. Instead, it folds into itself as the enormous creature matures, creating a rounded rudder called a clavus. These creatures, scientifically known as Mola, inhabit temperate and tropical oceans worldwide. They frequently appear near the surface basking in sunlight and are often misidentified as sharks when their massive dorsal fins break the water's surface.
Sunfish move in an awkward manner, wriggling their massive anal and dorsal fins and using their clavus for steering. While they consume small fish, zooplankton, and algae, jellyfish are their preferred diet. Though harmless to humans, they frequently approach divers out of curiosity.
The population faces real vulnerability, with declining numbers. Sunfish are often entangled in drift gill nets and may choke on marine debris, such as plastic bags, which mimic the appearance of jellyfish.
Mola fish are the largest bony fish species, with specimens reaching approximately 4 metres tall and 3 metres wide, and weighing nearly 2.5 tons. Their skin can measure 15 centimetres thick. These fish frequently become heavily infested with parasites, attracting cleaner fish and birds, and may leap up to 3 metres above the water and splash down to rid themselves of them. Most of their time is spent between 300 and 1,000 metres deep, though they regularly surface to bask.