Ocean sunfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 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 | |
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| Phylum: | |
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| Family: |
Molidae
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| Genus: |
Mola
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| Species: |
M. mola
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| 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.
Images for kids
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The ocean sunfish is the heaviest of all bony fishes. It has a flattened body and is as tall as it is long.
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A sunfish fry, which still possesses spines that will later disappear
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A skeleton, showing the structure of the fins
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A sunfish caught in 1910, with an estimated weight of 1600 kg (3500 lb)
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A tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium provides a size comparison between an ocean sunfish and humans.
See also
In Spanish: Pez luna para niños
