The Fascinating Yet Ugly Ocean Sunfish

[FamTimes reporter Park Joo-hye] Fascinating and ugly. These two words describe the ocean sunfish perfectly.

The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is known as one of the world's heaviest fish. A fully grown ocean sunfish generally weighs about 900 kilograms, while the largest and heaviest ever found measured 4 meters from one fin to the other and weighed as much as 2 tons.

The ocean sunfish is not only enormous; its origins also stretch far back in time.

Fossil discoveries have confirmed that ocean sunfish existed as far back as 50 million years ago. They also rise to the ocean's surface to bask in sunlight and rid themselves of parasites. That is why they are called “sunfish” in English.

Willy Bemis, curator of fish biology at Cornell University's Museum of Vertebrates in New York, said that although the ocean sunfish has a highly unusual appearance, this marine animal is actually very common and poses no harm to humans.

Bemis, a fish enthusiast, added that ocean sunfish lay millions of eggs and that young sunfish “look like Christmas ornaments and are about the size of a pea.”

The ocean sunfish's skin resembles a plastic shell and is about 4 centimeters thick. It also has teeth and a parrot-like mouth, and feeds mainly on jellyfish. However, people are advised not to eat ocean sunfish.

Despite having a short tail fin, this fish can swim gracefully beneath the surface. It uses its long fins to glide through the water and occasionally ventures as far as the coast.

Reporter Park Joo-hye, fam1@pcss.co.kr