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Ichthyology:
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FISH OF THE WEEK
--dedicated to bringing you the best in ichthyology online--
09/06/02
Meet Mola mola, the ocean sunfish. The Latin name means "millstone." I guess Linnaeus thought they looked like big, smooth rocks.
This bizarre creature is huge and ungainly, yet perfectly suited for a life of basking near the surface and eating jellyfish. Growing up to 10 feet long and weighing more than a ton, they are mostly head, with two fins jutting out dorsally and ventrally and no real tail.
Instead of flat, interlocking scales, the ocean sunfish sports denticles--rough, toothlike scales that feel like sandpaper. The denticles and their thick, leathery skin protect the fish from jelly stings.
Larval ocean sunfish look surprisingly normal, with perhaps a shade too much head:
MORE MOLAS
National Geographic News boasts the Cadillac of Mola mola sites, with fun facts, details of a satellite tracking program, and a historical non sequitur.
The Australian Museum has an excellent mola story online, along with some gruesome photos of a dead one.
Photographer Phillip Colla has a lovely collection of mola pictures on his website.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium, naturally, has a great mola page.
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