Mola mola

Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)

Opptil 3.3 meter
Opptil 100 år (estimert)
Sårbar
Om

Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)

The ocean sunfish is one of the heaviest bony fish in the world, with a bizarre flattened body that looks like a giant swimming head. Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, mola mola are a bucket-list encounter for divers, especially in the Azores, Bali, and Galápagos. They visit shallow cleaning stations where small fish remove parasites from their enormous bodies.

Størrelse

Opptil 3.3 meter (height including fins)

Vekt

Opptil 2,300 kg

Levetid

Opptil 100 år (estimert)

Status

Sårbar

Hvor du finner dem

Beste dykkelokasjoner

Azorene, PortugalNusa Penida, BaliGalápagosøyeneSouthern California, UsaSør-AfrikaKomodo, Indonesia

Dykketips

Mola mola are shy and easily startled. Approach slowly, avoid sudden movements and never chase them. At cleaning stations, stay low and let them come to you. They often appear at thermoclines where cold deep water meets warm surface water.

Beste sesong

July–October (Azores), July–November (Bali), June–November (Galápagos)

Habitat

Open ocean (pelagic), visiting shallow reefs for cleaning. Temperate and tropical waters worldwide.

Kosthold

Jellyfish, salps, squid, crustaceans, and small fish
Visste du?

Morsomme fakta

1

A female mola mola can produce up to 300 million eggs at once — more than any other vertebrate

2

They can dive to over 600 metres to hunt in the deep ocean

3

Baby sunfish weigh just 1 gram — they grow to 60 million times their birth weight

4

They bask on their side at the surface to warm up after deep dives

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