A rare sunfish discovered on the west coast of the United States

The species was only known a few years ago, and now a 2.2-meter-long specimen of the sunfish has appeared on the Oregon coast. Researchers are puzzled how the fish got there.

A huge, rare sunfish washed up on a beach in the northwestern state of Oregon. The large specimen, about 2.2 meters long, of this deep-sea fish was apparently a Mola tecta, the Seaside Aquarium announced.

This genus was only discovered in 2017 and described by a researcher who has now confirmed that the specimen found is Mola tecta. Hot: The fish species actually lives thousands of kilometers away, on the other side of the equator. How the animal got here is currently a mystery.

Fish can weigh a ton

Sunfish form a family that includes several species. Mola tecta is thought to be distributed primarily in the more temperate and tropical seas of the Southern Hemisphere. The head and body of the animal form a flat, lateral disc on which large muscular fins are located opposite each other. The skeleton of the fish, which can weigh several tons, is largely cartilaginous. (APA/dpa/red.)