Futurismo Biologists TeamSunfish are magical animals characterized by their bizarre shape and colossal dimensions. It is the largest existing bony fish in the world, to date, reaching more than 4m from a fin to the other.
It lives in tropical to subtropical environments, hence the notable presence of sunfish in the Azores, with the largest animal recorded in the world weighing about 3 tons.
On December 10th, a sunfish weighing almost 3 tons (2,740Kg) was found dead, near the harbor of Horta, on Faial island. Marine biologists from the University of the Azores will study the causes of death.
Sunfish are often found near the surface horizontally, thought to be in an attempt for seabirds, for example, to capture the various parasites on their skin. Specimens with 50 different species of parasites have already been found! However, these magnificent animals can frequent mesopelagic environments, with data that support them, as there is a record of reaching 600m in depth.
There is a direct correlation between their diet and the depths they reach, and the sunfish have a very diverse menu such as squid, small fish, tunicates and jellyfish. They are also the most prolific known species, in which a single female can, in a single laying, release 300 million eggs!
It is the richness of our biodiversity inherent in this species and in this finding on the island of Faial.
During our whale watching trips, we see sunfish from time to time. August 2019 was one of the last record we had, as well as January 28th of 2022.
Written by Maria Inês Pavão
azwhales
Futurismo Biologists Team
Sandrina Rodrigues
