Ocean sunfish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ocean sunfish | |
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| Sunfish, Nordsøen Oceanarium, Hirtshals, Denmark | |
| Conservation status | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Molidae |
| Genus: | Mola |
| Species: | M. mola |
| Binomial name | |
| Mola mola (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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The Ocean sunfish (Mola mola, also called the mola or sun fish) is a large ocean fish found in warm and temperate oceans. It has an almost circular, flattened body. This unusual fish swims by flapping its long pectoral and dorsal fins; the caudal fin is used as a rudder (for steering). Some sunfish have been seen floating on their sides at the top of the sea; they may be using the sun to heat themselves up. They eat crustaceans, starfish, jellyfish, sponges, mollusks, algae, plankton, squid, and small fish. The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally.
