A giant sunfish has washed ashore in the United States, probably the largest of its species ever found.
This was reported by livescience.
Thus, a giant fish with a round body, huge fins, and bulging eyes was found by local residents on June 3 while walking along the Oregon coast, on the beach in Gearhart. It is noted that the 2.2-meter-long fish is probably the largest of all known species.
The sunfish is one of three species of sunfish in the genus Mola. The other two are the ocean sunfish (Mola mola), the most abundant of the three species, and the bump-head sunfish (Mola alexandrini). According to the American Museum of Natural History, all three species can reach a length of about 3.3 meters and a weight of up to 2.3 tons (2,300 kilograms).
The sunfish feeds at a depth of 200 to 600 meters, consuming jellyfish, small fish, and crustaceans. When hunting, the water temperature can drop below 10 degrees Celsius. According to a 2015 study, they can sometimes be seen on the surface of the sea, where they bask in the sun to restore their body temperature after deep dives for hunting.
Unlike other species of the genus Mola, which have ridges and grooves along their bodies, the hoodwinker sunfish has a smooth body and clavus — the thick, skinned lobe at the back of its body that acts as a rudder to steer while swimming.
Earlier, we wrote that the Ukrainian caught a giant carp.