A massive and rare fish, typically found in temperate waters in the southern hemisphere, has washed up on the northern coast of Oregon, attracting a crowd of intrigued spectators fascinated by this extraordinary sighting.
Measuring 7.3 feet (2.2 meters) in length, the hoodwinker sunfish made its debut on Gearhart beach on Monday, as reported by the Seaside Aquarium. Despite being on the beach since Friday, it is expected to remain there for weeks due to its tough skin that makes it hard for scavengers to penetrate.
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Images shared by the aquarium depict a flat, circular, gray fish resting on its side in the sand. The photos of a person kneeling beside it and a pickup truck parked nearby provide a sense of its immense scale and size.
View image in fullscreenThe 7.3-ft fish first appeared on the beach on Monday. Photograph: Tiffany Boothe/Seaside Aquarium/AP
The buzz generated on social media led a researcher from New Zealand, specializing in sunfish, to reach out to the aquarium. After reviewing photos of the fish, Marianne Nyegaard confirmed it as a hoodwinker sunfish – a rarer species compared to the more common ocean sunfish. She suggested it might be the largest of its kind ever documented, according to the aquarium.
In a study published in 2017, Nyegaard revealed that the hoodwinker sunfish, or Mola tecta, is distinct from the ocean sunfish, Mola mola, based on genetic analysis and observations. The Latin term “Tecta” translates to hidden or disguised, alluding to a previously unnoticed species.
While the hoodwinker sunfish has previously washed ashore on the California coast, recent sightings in California and Alaska challenge the belief that it only inhabits the southern hemisphere, as noted by the aquarium. It is probable that the fish has been stranded in other parts of the Pacific northwest but was misidentified as the more common ocean sunfish at the time, the aquarium added.
2024-06-07 14:51:09
Article from www.theguardian.com