Real fish or Hoax?

[vdc]

Hi received an email talking bout this weirdo freaky looking fish. Anyone seen it before or is it just a hoax? Check out this website, click at ocean sunfish. MAny pictures. Freaked me out!!! IT just looks like a seriously mutated pufferfish to me. Worthwhile checking the webpages man...

http://www.earthwindow.com/mola.html

[bum]

its real

[stinger]

Yeah, it's for real. This had been bought up in SRC before.

[ozy]

Definitely real. Read about this fish before in a general knowledge book and there was a docu on NGC mentioning about this fish too. The meat of this fish is a delicacy enjoyed in Japan and Taiwan.

Never ceased to be amazed by Mama Nature.

[Achilles Tang]

It's called a Sunfish or Mola Mola.

One of a diver's most hope-to-see fishes!

Text taken off this very nice site here!: Do check out the amazing videos of this beautiful fish (or weird depending on how you look at it!)

The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is the world’s largest known bony fish (sharks and rays are cartilaginous, not bony). At least one estimate over 3000 lb. has been recorded and individuals reaching 11 ft. (3 m.) from fin tip to fin tip have been seen. It is found in all oceans in tropical and temperate climes, and is known to eat gelatinous zooplankton (jellyfish) and probably small fishes and algae. In the eastern Pacific, Mola mola is normally found from British Columbia to South America, although in El Nino events it has been recorded as far north as Alaska.

Molas can be quite inquisitive of divers.

Molas are sometimes observed breaching the ocean surface and landing with a splash, perhaps attempting to dislodge parasites. Ocean sunfish are occasionally mauled by California sea lions, especially near the Monterey Peninsula, reportedly because the sea lions eat the mola’s internal organs and perhaps just for “sport.” The nearest relative to Mola mola is Ranzania laevis, the slender mola. Found in the tropical and subtropical Pacific, Ranzania is rarely seen north of Mexico. Up to 2 feet (.6m) in size, its aspect ratio is “longer” than is the nearly circular Mola mola. Neither species of mola is to be confused with the tiny, freshwater “sunfish”, a completely different animal.

[yazid]

Molas can be quite inquisitive of divers.

That sounds scary. What if the Mola think what does a diver taste like?

I won't want to be close to any inquisitive giant fish.

I saw that fish in the documentary. Really huge. Fascinating.

[ozy]

Besides the usual surgeon fishes that get rid of its parasites, it has another secret weapon when the fishes are not able to get the tough ones: it swims to the surface, lays flat against the water surface and let the sea gulls have a go at the parasites. Cute.

[KingFish]

If you're ever in San Francisco, take a drive down to Monterey Bay Aquarium, there is a resident Mola-Mola which you can see up close.

Pebble Beach's there too ...

[vdc]

Freeaaaky!! Freaky!!

Must be evoluting from some fishes that used to look pretty... Yucks!!

[Terryz_]

i feel tat it is quite cute... like to see it in real life...

[[d]3v|L]

looks abit like a torpedo..