Ocean sunfish
Species of fish / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The ocean sunfish or common mola (Mola mola) is one of the largest bony fish in the world. It was misidentified as the heaviest bony fish, which was actually a different species, Mola alexandrini.[5] Adults typically weigh between 247 and 1,000 kg (545 and 2,205 lb). The species belongs to the Mola genus, one of three in the Molidae family.[6] It is native to tropical and temperate waters around the world. It resembles a fish head without a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally. Sunfish can be as tall as they are long when their dorsal and ventral fins are extended.
Ocean sunfish Temporal range: Middle Holocene–present (5,941–0 YBP)[1] | |
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Nordsøen Oceanarium, Denmark | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
Family: | Molidae |
Genus: | Mola |
Species: | M. mola |
Binomial name | |
Mola mola | |
IUCN distribution of the Ocean sunfish
Extant (resident) | |
Synonyms | |
Orthragoriscus elegans Ranzani, 1839 |
Adult sunfish are vulnerable to few natural predators, but sea lions, killer whales, and sharks will consume them. Sunfish are considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, including Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. In the European Union, regulations ban the sale of fish and fishery products derived from the family Molidae.[7] Sunfish are frequently caught in gillnets.
The sunfish is a member of the order Tetraodontiformes, which also includes pufferfish, porcupinefish, and filefish, it shares many traits common to members of this order. It is the type species of the genus.[8]