Rare giant sunfish found on Oregon beach stuns visitors

Sunfish washed ashore always create a significant impression on beachgoers, but they are not always this large. A rare, enormous sunfish found on Gearhart Beach, Oregon, might be the largest specimen from which samples have been taken.

Live Science reports that Seaside Aquarium received information about an unusual, enormous fish found on the beach in Gearhart, a small town about 80 miles northwest of Portland. The discovery initially caused quite a stir on social media. Curious people gathered on the beach to see and photograph the unusual fish.

Shortly afterwards, news of the fish reached Marianne Nyegaard, a researcher in New Zealand. The photos she saw suggested that it might not be an ordinary ocean sunfish (Mola mola) but another species she was very familiar with, the hoodwinker sunfish (Mola tecta).

Marianne Nyegaard contacted Seaside Aquarium to find out if the facility would be willing to take samples for genetic research. The staff quickly responded to the request, took more photos, and sent measurements and tissue samples. The findings were surprising.

Thanks to the provided photographs, Marianne confirmed it was a giant sunfish. The specimen washed ashore was about 2 metres long, making it likely the most significant sample ever taken.

According to information from the American Museum of Natural History, all three species (Mola mola, Mola tecta, and Mola alexandrini) can grow to about 3.5 metres in length and weigh up to 2.5 tonnes (5,000 pounds). Sunfish mainly feed at depths from 200 to 600 metres, eating jellyfish, small fish, and crustaceans.

Seaside Aquarium encourages people to come and see the extraordinary find. The sunfish is still on Gearhart Beach and may remain there for several days, possibly weeks. The fish has such tough skin that other animals find it difficult to penetrate to consume the carcass.