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When you hear the name “ocean sunfish,” you might not think of a creature that can weigh as much as two tonnes and is covered in parasites — even on its eyeballs.
In The Nature of Things 101, host Sarika Cullis-Suzuki takes a deep dive into what may be the world’s weirdest fish.
“What I love about this fish is that it’s basically the opposite of what we think a fish should look like,” she says. “It has this huge circle body, no tail, these gigantic fins.”
Using a life-size model, Cullis-Suzuki shows co-host Anthony Morgan everything that makes the Mola mola — a type of ocean sunfish and one of the largest fish in the sea — so underrated.
These fish are known to travel long distances, swimming hundreds of meters deep, several times a day, to find food. But, Cullis-Suzuki adds, because they move slowly, have such a large surface area, and pass through different zones in the water column, they’re attractive to parasites.
“This fish has parasites everywhere: on the skin, in the gills, on the fins, on the eyeball, in the mouth, in the intestine,” she says. “You get the picture — they are everywhere.…
“Scientists have discovered 73 different species of parasite [on the Mola mola and other types of ocean sunfish]. They even have parasites with parasites on them.”
So how does the sunfish get rid of these parasites?
“One of the things they do is they breach — meaning they jump out of the water and then slam back down,” Cullis-Suzuki says. “People think this might be to remove parasites.”
They will also allow smaller fish and birds to feed on the parasites.
But even with all we know about the ocean sunfish, it’s a species that needs more study.
“There is still so much more to learn,” says Cullis-Suzuki.
Watch The Nature of Things 101 on CBC Gem and The Nature of Things YouTube channel.
