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Mola Mola - The Facts and Legends
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Read more about the spectacular life of the Mola Mola in our oceans in our marine life blog. Did you know that Mola Mola are the largest boney fish in the ocean? Click here to read some tips about safe diving practices you can use on liveaboards.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Mola Mola - Ocean Sunfish
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Ocean Sunfish can be found in temperate and tropical waters from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans to the mediterranean sea. The three top locations to dive with these distinct fish are Indonesia, The Hebrides and Spain. They are generally seen from 40m down to over 550m of depth and can travel long distances.
They are the worlds largest bony fish, they have skeletons and not cartilaginous like sharks. But they only have 16 vertebrae the least of any fish. The family of the mola mola also include puffer and filefish. All have the same trait of fused teeth that form a parrot-like beak profusion from the mouths. Meaning they can never close their mouths.
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Appearances
Sunfish are a strange looking round disc-like fish can reach from tip to tip 4.2m by 3.3m. But average as 2.5m by 3.3m and weigh from 1,000kg to 2,300kg. They have a white, or grey silver skin sometimes with speckles, the skin is 7.5cm thick and has a mucus covering.
The unique look does not end there for the Mola Mola, as their back fin never develops. Instead, it folds to become a lumpy shaped rudder called a clavis. Despite the missing tail, they are still powerful enough to leap out of the water. To move through the water they flopping their modified dorsal and anal fins to propel them forward. As they do not have swim bladders, so a layer of subcutaneous jelly keeps them neutrally buoyant in seawater.
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They are often seen sunbathing, hence the name sunfish, and can spend around half a day near the surface. This warms their body and regulates the body temperature after being in deep water hunting. This can look like they are “playing dead” as they lie close to the surface on their side sometimes flapping the dorsal fins. It is also thought this aids their digestion and recharges their oxygen stores. Plus the bonus of having the parasites removed from the skin by seabirds.
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Diet
Mola Mola feeds predominantly on jellyfish, but plankton, algae, molluscs, sponges, small fish and brittle stars are also possible meals. The mucus covering on their skin and even in their digestive tracks are thought to protect them while feeding from being stung. They do not chew the jellyfish rather they are sucked in and out of the small mouths until they can be swallowed.
Jellyfish are often are hosts to many parasites, and this is thought to be one of the reasons the Mola Mola have problems with them. They can be infested with these over their mucus-covered skin, and often they invite fish or seabirds to help remove them. Sunfish can also be seen breaching the surface by a meter and splash landing in attempts to remove them. At any one time, there can be 40 or more species of parasite on them.
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Mola Mola produce more eggs when reproducing than any other vertebrate and can have up to 300 millions eggs at any one time. The tiny eggs are fertilised and then the embryos scatter in the ocean making the survival rate very small. Embryos then hatch into larvae with spikes and a tail. They grow very quickly, up to 900g a day, the spikes and tail disappear and the baby mola mola are called fry. A lifespan for this fish is long, similar to humans with some female living up to 100 years.
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Threats
Mola Mola is on the endangered list and classed as vulnerable to extinction. Their natural predators include sharks, sea lions, orcas and killer whales, but there are human threats too.
As they are slow moving they can be either hit by boat traffic or be caught as bycatch in drift gill fishing nets. It is estimated 340,000 Mola Mola are found in bycatch per year. They also suffocate or starve after ingesting plastic bags which can resemble their favourite meal, the jellyfish.
But, they do not, however, suffer from the aquarium industry as they are very difficult to keep in captivity, with only a few surviving. The same is the case for the food industry. Due to a large number of parasites found on them and the fact they reportedly taste bad.
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Interesting Facts
A few strange fact or legends about Mola Mola are
They were accepted as payment for taxes in Japan in the 17th century.
Polynesia believes eating them is bad luck. It will devastate the mackerel population as they are considered the king of the mackerels.
There has been much debate if the Mola Mola is actually part of the plankton family. Despite their size, they show similarities to plankton in the way they drift with the current and in the water column such as planktonic creatures do.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=\"1/2\"][vc_single_image image=\"16042\" img_size=\"full\"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Images were provided by All 4 Diving Indonesia and Michael Patrick O\'Neill[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]