Facts About Sunfish

Image credit: earthwindow.com

• The sunfish has many names, including "ocean sunfish" and "mola mola". Mola mola is the scientific name for ocean sunfish. My 3 year old niece knows this very well.
  

The mola are the heaviest of all the bony fish, with large specimens reaching 14 feet (4.2 meters) vertically and 10 feet (3.1 meters) horizontally and weighing nearly 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms). Sharks and rays can be heavier, but they're cartilaginous fish.

Fast Facts about Ocean Sunfish or Mola Mola

• Type: Fish
• Diet: Omnivore
• Average lifespan in captivity: Up to 10 years
• Size: 11 ft (3.3 m)
• Weight: Up to 5,000 lbs (2,250 kg)
• Group name: School
• sunfish can become so infested with skin parasites, they will often invite small fish or even birds to feast on the pesky critters.
• Size relative to a 6ft (2m) man:

source: nationalgeographic.com