The ocean sunfish is one of the largest and heaviest bony fish in the world.
The ocean sunfish or Mola mola is often confused with sharks (predators of the ocean sunfish) owing to its large body and dorsal fin.
The name Mola mola is of Latin origin, meaning ‘millstone‘, but what does ‘millstone’ mean? The word ‘millstone’ actually describes the circular body shape of this fish.
When it comes to its appearance, the ocean sunfish species also resembles a floating bob. It looks like a fish head followed by a tail.
This impression is created as the main body of the ocean sunfish has a flat shape. This fish has a silvery color and its skin has a gritty texture.
The skin of this fish is layered with thick mucus. The ocean sunfish has a relatively small mouth and its teeth are fused with a beak-like structure.
These fish species have pharyngeal teeth. This fish is born with a back fin. What makes this back fin so amusing is the fact that it never actually grows fully!
The oceansunfish mola can be casually seen on the surface above water while basking in the sun.
This fish species mostly feed on jellyfish, fish larvae, crustaceans, squid and other small fish in the ocean. The predators of the ocean sunfish mola include sea lions, sharks, and killer whales.
As a vulnerable fish species, the ocean sunfish is also endangered because of being caught in gill nets by humans other than being on the menu of its natural predators.
The giant ocean sunfish mola is vertically 14 ft (4.2 m) and horizontally 10 ft (3 m). The ocean sunfish size is much larger than a 6 ft (1.8 m) human.
The largest ocean sunfish weighs up to 2.5 tons (2268 kg). It is the heaviest of all species of bony fish.
The ocean sunfish Mola is a clumsy swimmer, mainly because of their big dorsal and anal fins. These fish have large dorsal and anal fins which make it hard for them to be fast swimmers.
An ocean sunfish’s diet mainly includes jellyfish. Apart from jellyfish, their diet also includes other small fish, zooplankton and algae.
The ocean sunfish habitat includes the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. As per scientists, some ocean sunfish ranges can also be found in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea.
Not much is known about the reproductive behavior of the vertebrate ocean sunfish in the sea. As per what is known, the ocean sunfish reproduces through broadcast spawning.
In order to reproduce, the males and females release sperm and eggs respectively in the water. This happens simultaneously. An ocean sunfish can spawn many times in its entire lifespan.
At one time, ocean sunfish eggs released can be up to 300 million eggs in number. As a fact, the females of the ocean fish can produce more eggs in comparison to other vertebrates.
In captivity, an ocean sunfish can live up to 10 years. There is not much information about the life span of an ocean sunfish in its natural habitat in the sea.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
