Ocean sunfish
Mola mola
Sighting evidence at Secca di Colombara, Ustica Island
Photo: Randy Puckett · CC BY-NC
The ocean sunfish is the world's largest bony fish by weight, reaching over 2 tonnes, and is an occasional summer visitor to Ustica's offshore waters as thermoclines bring jellyfish blooms close to the surface. They are pelagic grazers of jellyfish and salps, consuming enormous volumes to compensate for the low caloric density of their prey. Ustica's proximity to the open Tyrrhenian gives divers a realistic chance of open-water sunfish encounters between July and September.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Ocean sunfish is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.