Five-Foot-Long Ocean Sunfish Washes Ashore in Oregon, a ‘Relatively Small’ Size for Its Species

A rare ocean sunfish has washed up on a beach in Oregon. But even at five feet long, the animal is still “relatively small” compared to other members of its species.

That’s according to the Seaside Aquarium in Seaside, Oregon, which shared photos of the unusual creature in a Facebook post on Sunday. The carcass showed up around the nearby Sunset Beach, located roughly 90 miles west of Portland.

The recently discovered ocean sunfish (Mola mola) may seem big. But these fish can grow up to ten feet long and weigh upwards of 5,000 pounds, according to the aquarium. In this case, the animal might not have been fully grown, as Tiffany Boothe, assistant manager of the Seaside Aquarium, says to KATU News’ Allison Gutleber.

“We usually get one or two a year,” Boothe tells the television station. The sunfish is “a really cool fish, because they get so big.”

It’s not clear what killed the large fish, nor how it ended up on the sand. But the ocean sunfish is just one of several unusual-looking, out-of-place creatures that have made appearances on beaches in a small region of northwestern Oregon so far this summer.

In May, the body of a rare, deep-sea anglerfish called the Pacific footballfish showed up near Cannon Beach, roughly 17 miles south of the latest discovery. In June, a different type of sunfish—the recently discovered hoodwinker sunfish (Mola tecta)—was found dead on nearby Gearhart Beach.

Scientists have identified three species of sunfish: Mola mola, Mola tecta and Mola alexandrini (known as the giant sunfish or bump-head sunfish). They live in oceans around the world, except for the polar regions, according to the aquarium.

Ocean sunfish—like the one that washed up in Oregon this month—dive deep to forage for food, primarily jellyfish, squid, algae and crustaceans, per the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They also spend time near the surface, where they warm up in the sun and opportunistically feed on passing aquatic creatures. When these behemoth fish are spotted “sunbathing” at the top of the water, they can look similar to sharks—but, in reality, they’re relatively harmless gentle giants (unless you’re a jellyfish).

Sunfish are the heaviest bony fish on the planet. The distinctive appearance of ocean sunfish makes them seem like “the invention of a mad scientist,” per the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Ocean sunfish have huge, flat, “tank-like” bodies with large eyes, a tiny mouth and a short tail, the aquarium notes.

Hoodwinker sunfish, as their name implies, are often mistaken for ocean sunfish. And for nearly three centuries, hoodwinkers hid in plain sight, until researchers realized they were a separate species in 2017.

To the untrained eye, these two kinds of sunfish may look similar. But hoodwinkers generally don’t grow as large as ocean sunfish do. Hoodwinkers also have a T-shaped pattern on the clavus, the thick, rudder-like structure at the back of a sunfish’s body that helps it steer through the water, per the Seaside Aquarium. And while hoodwinker sunfish have smooth skin, ocean sunfish tend to be more wrinkly.

When the hoodwinker sunfish washed ashore earlier this summer, researchers were thrilled because “only a few specimens have been examined and even fewer sampled,” per the Seaside Aquarium’s Facebook post.

“So, when the Mola tecta washed ashore it caused quite a stir,” the post continues.

The hoodwinker sunfish was left on the beach to decay naturally, offering visitors a chance to see the rare fish and giving scavenger feeders a hefty source of nutrients. This time, the Mola mola will be similarly left on the shore, and the aquarium urges locals to try and catch a glimpse.

“Their skin is pretty tough, so it makes it hard for the scavengers to kinda get in there, so these guys usually stay on the beach intact for quite some time,” Boothe tells KATU News. “It is cool. I would recommend going and seeing it.”

Sarah Kuta | READ MORE

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.