SPECIES
Ocean sunfish
Mola mola Pending authority citation
A gigantic, flattened fish appears like a floating disc in open water.
Sunfish move between deeper feeding waters and the surface.
They eat jelly-like marine animals and other small prey.
Temperate and tropical oceans around the world.
Where does an ocean sunfish live?
Temperate and tropical oceans around the world.
Worth knowing
- Adaptation Sunfish move between deeper feeding waters and the surface.
- Ecological role They eat jelly-like marine animals and other small prey.
- Home Temperate and tropical oceans around the world.
How it survives
Sunfish move between deeper feeding waters and the surface.
A gigantic, flattened fish appears like a floating disc in open water.
Why relationships matter
They eat jelly-like marine animals and other small prey.
Where it lives
Temperate and tropical oceans around the world.
Pressures and responses
Fishing bycatch, floating plastic and collisions.
Limit fishing mortality and ocean debris.
Sources
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Animal Diversity Web, Mola mola
- GBIF — Mola mola accepted taxon
- Monterey Bay Aquarium — Plastic can resemble prey
- Smithsonian Ocean — Record sunfish sizes
- Australian Museum — Why do sunfish bask?
Records of where it has been seen come live from GBIF; observed interactions from GloBI. Draft — not yet reviewed by a person.