Kategorie: News
Florida police officers rescue beached sunfish
On 5 February 2025, a rare sunfish (Mola mola) was discovered on a beach in Florida, stranded near the shore. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office released a video showing officers gently guiding the massive fish back into the open sea.
Sunsfish are the heaviest bony fish in the world, and can reach a weight of up to two tonnes and a length of 3.30 metres. They are known for their characteristic flattened body shape and impressive size. Their main food source is jellyfish, which is why they are often found in temperate and tropical oceans.
The body of the sunfish is disc-shaped and rather short, with a special tail fin that is transformed into a wavy skin hem, known as a clavus, during development. This tail shape is unique to sunsfish. The scaleless skin is thick, leathery and elastic. The dorsal and anal fins are located far back and play a central role in the fish's propulsion. The fins are stiff and cannot be folded. The mouth is small and usually open, with teeth that have grown together to form a parrot-like beak.
The sunfish lives mainly in the open ocean, from the surface to depths of 500 metres. Its behaviour of often swimming vertically or lying on its side at the surface ‘sunbathing’ has not yet been conclusively explained. One theory is that this serves to regulate the temperature after hunting prey at colder depths. Another hypothesis is that this is how they allow themselves to be cleaned of parasites by cleaner fish or seabirds.
Sunsfish do not often strand, but it is not unheard of. In June 2024, for example, a 2.2-metre-long sunfish washed up on the coast of Oregon, causing quite a stir. We have linked a few videos for more impressions of the rescue operation:
Videos: Rescue of beached sunfish in Florida
youTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1lKycOKdMA
CNN.com: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/05/...sunfish-freed-florida-digvid