📷 (c) Brook, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
📷 (c) Lythronax246, some rights reserved (CC BY)
📷 (c) Lythronax246, some rights reserved (CC BY)
IUCN: Vulnerable
Ocean Sunfish
Mola mola
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassActinopterygii›OrderTetraodontiformes›FamilyMolidae›GenusMola
About
The ocean sunfish is the heaviest bony fish and has a strange disk-shaped body with tall dorsal and anal fins. It often basks near the surface, where seabirds and cleaner fish remove parasites. Sunfish produce enormous numbers of eggs, but they are vulnerable to bycatch and plastic pollution.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Temperate and tropical open oceans, often near the surface
🍃Diet Jellyfish, salps, squid, small fish, crustaceans, and algae
📏Size & Weight Body length up to 3.3 m; height with fins over 4 m
•weight Up to 2,300 kg
⏳Lifespan Estimated 20 years or more
🗺Range Temperate and tropical oceans worldwide
Fish
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Temperate and tropical open oceans, often near the surface
🍃Diet Jellyfish, salps, squid, small fish, crustaceans, and algae
📏Size & Weight Body length up to 3.3 m; height with fins over 4 m
•weight Up to 2,300 kg
⏳Lifespan Estimated 20 years or more
🗺Range Temperate and tropical oceans worldwide
Photo Credits
#1(c) Brook, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
#2(c) Lythronax246, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
#3(c) Lythronax246, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
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