A huge, flat, and round fish washed ashore far from its usual habitat in the temperate waters of the southern hemisphere. The 7.3-foot hoodwinker sunfish appeared on Gearhart Beach on Oregon’s northern coast on Monday, according to the Seaside Aquarium.
“Initially, this large, strange-looking fish created quite a stir on social media, and despite the stormy weather, people flocked to the beach to see this unusual fish,” stated the aquarium on Facebook on Thursday.
While the unusual gray fish has captured the curiosity of people worldwide, it holds particular significance for New Zealand-based researcher Mariann Nyegaard. Nyegaard suspected the fish was not a common ocean sunfish, also known as Mola mola. She had described and published research on the hoodwinker sunfish, or Mola tecta, in 2017.
“Through photographs, Mariann confirmed that it was a hoodwinker and that this might be the largest specimen ever sampled,” wrote the aquarium.
Hoodwinker sunfish were believed to only reside in temperate waters, but several have recently washed ashore from California to Alaska, where the waters are much colder.
“This fish, hiding in plain sight, has most likely been seen or washed ashore in the Pacific Northwest before but was mistaken for the more common Mola mola,” stated the aquarium. Aquarium staff heeded Nyegaard’s request to take tissue samples, measurements, and photos of the creature, confirming her suspicion about its identity. The hoodwinker sunfish will likely remain on the beach just north of Seaside for several more days or weeks.
“Their tough skin makes it hard for scavengers to puncture,” stated the aquarium. “It is a remarkable fish, and the aquarium encourages people to go see it for themselves.”
The rare fish washed up shortly after another peculiar aquatic animal was seen in Missouri. In late May, an angler reeled in a northern snakehead, an invasive, air-breathing fish with a head resembling that of a snake.
PHOTO, AP
