Ocean sunfish
Mola mola
- Scientific name
- Mola mola
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Epic
- Where to see it
- Mediterranean, Temperate Atlantic / English Channel
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Vulnerable
Did you know?
The ocean sunfish is the heaviest bony fish in the world, weighing up to 2 tons; it sometimes basks on its side at the surface to let seabirds pick off its parasites.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.
Other species in this group
- Ocellaris clownfish
- Blue tang
- Red lionfish
- Spot-fin porcupinefish
- Mediterranean moray
- Clark's anemonefish