The giant sunfish, scientific name Mola alexandrini, is the heaviest bony fish of all those that live in the ocean and are known to man. They are distinguished from all other fish thanks to their almost circular shape, as if it were a flattened disk. Specimens have been found so large that they exceed two tons in weight, however, now the record has been surpassed by a majestic sunfish weighing 3 tons, found off the coast of Portugal.
The Mola alexandrini, which is also called ‘giant sunfish’ or ‘airhead sunfish’, is often confused with the sunfish with the scientific name Mola mola. However, there is a difference in sizes between the two, with alexandrini being the largest of them.
Credit: Atlantic Naturalist
Largest giant sunfish found so far
A Mola alexandrini was recently found near the island of Faial, in the Azores, which are a group of Portuguese islands located in the North Atlantic. The body of the gigantic fish was seen floating lifeless near the beach, so the authorities deployed to the scene to analyze the specimen. It was removed from the ship and transported to the port so that it could be properly studied.
The giant sunfish was determined to be around 3.6 meters tall and 3.5 meters wide, as well as weighing 2,744 kilograms, making it the largest giant sunfish found. The previous record was held by a giant sunfish caught in Japan in 1996 that weighed 2,300 kilograms.
Credit: Atlantic Naturalist
It is a common idea to think that sunfish receive their name thanks to the shape of their body and although it is true that it looks like a lunar disk, the truth is that they are called this way because they spend a lot of time sunbathing in the sun. marine surface, to recover the heat they lose with the long hours of immersion in cold waters to obtain food.
Giant sunfish live in all the world’s oceans, although there is still not much information about them, so an approximate number of specimens that swim in the depths is unknown.
The specimen recently found in Portugal is now the Guinness Record for the largest giant sunfish ever seen. For now, the causes of his death are unknown, however, local investigators are trying to find out, through DNA analysis in his stomach, what led to his death. It is also expected to yield new results that will allow marine biologists to learn more about these extremely beautiful bony fish.