Can anyone identifiy this fish...

[matrixed82]

This is one strange looking fish! I saw it in some documentary and now on the deeperblue main page. I've been googling for a few days trying with no luck.

I'm sure some of you deepsea hunters will know what it is.

Thanks

[fishspearit]

I believe that is an Ocean sunfish, or Mola Mola

[Alison]

That would be Shane trying to mate with a Sun Fish!!!

[matrixed82]

Thanks for your quick response.

I'd like to see pictures of their offspring!

[Adrian]

It is a sunfish, We get them in very close around May when the water starts to warm up. Just a few hundred yards offshore. I've never seen one this large though!

Adrian

[chris14]

Yep is is a sun fish, but you all ready new that

[Bill]

Would you believe that they grow to 2-3 times this size and weigh two tons.
Aloha
Bill

[Bluehugh]

I've seen smaller Sunfish in the Med.
It's curious but in Spain is named pez luna (Moon fish).

Edu

[Alison]

Originally Posted by Bluehugh

I've seen smaller Sunfish in the Med.
It's curious but in Spain is named pez luna (Moon fish).

Edu

Apparently, the Mediterainian Sun Fish is somewhat shyer than the Oceanic sun fish and is most often seen swimming away from the observer, hence "Moon Fish"! I have been informed

[Shadowkiller]

Edu:

Theres 4 species that belong in the Molidae family:

Masturus lanceolatus, Mola mola, Mola ramsayi and Ranzania laevis.

The Mola mola is the most commonly recognised one, but around the Eastern Atlantic my guess would be R. laevis, the Slender Sunfish. Its more elongtaed than the M. mola. Maybe it looks more like a halfmoon? Who knows, sailors used to think Dugong were women....

btw the Mola mola can reach 2.3 tonnes... phew... now wonder the maxi yachts in the Sydney to Hobart race consider them bad news...

[miles]

Hiya

Beautiful creatures!!! I've had a couple of encounters with them. Normally the first thing you see is their fin breaking the surface. You're normally scared silly, thinking GW shark!!! After getting into the boat, you see its a sunfish, then feel pretty stupid!!!

The older fisherman told me that when they see sunfish, you can be sure that bad sea conditions are approaching. Apparently, they seek refuge close to shore just before big seas are coming. Maybe somebody can verify this??

They've also picked up a bad reputation with our commercial fishing guys. By law we're required to have 2 outboard motors on any sea going vessel that operates more than 1nm from shore. The thinking behind this is that if one motor breaks, you can still get back home, albeit very slowly, with the other motor. Most people use two motors of the same kind, so that should BOTH break down, you could possible get one running with spares from the other. Highly improbable that the two will breakdown with the same part failing. Now our commercial fisherman only know one way to ride their boats.......VERY FAST!!!! Since our coastline contains many kelp beds, see peices of kelp afloat is common. HOWEVER, many of these fisherman don't see the Sunfish or mistake them for a peice of kelp. These fish are INCREDIBLY hard and BOTH gearbox's from your outboards WILL be ripped off if you hit one of them at speed!!! Quite a few of my commercial mates had this happen to them. Imagine having 2-3ton of fish on a 28' boat, with 10 crew memebers, in a choppy sea, with BOTH motors minus their gearbox's!!!! Thats why our commercial guys are VERY WARY of Sunfish!!

Regards
miles

ps. check out the inside cover of the latast Hawaii Skindiver magazine. 2nd page has a stunning picture of about 9 sunfish swimming in a school!!

A friendly sunfish comes to say hello to us!!!

[harpune1]

in german this fish is called "mondfisch" means in english moonfish

[Pastor]

Originally Posted by Alison

and is most often seen swimming away from the observer, hence "Moon Fish"! I have been informed

Classic.
Like that water skiing story you told us last summer we still laugh at that one!

[Alison]

Originally Posted by Pastor

Classic.
Like that water skiing story you told us last summer we still laugh at that one!

Yes it was a good weekend are you guys coming over again this summer?
ps Colin came home yesterday , he says Hi

[shaneshac]

Originally Posted by Alison

That would be Shane trying to mate with a Sun Fish!!!

Oi watch it HAHAHAHAHAHA

I tried but i'm too big