Mexico's has the Heaviest Known Bony Fish

The Ocean Sunfish in Mexican Caribbean

The ocean sunfish, or otherwise known as the Mola mola or common mola. The sunfish is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). The species is native to tropical and warm waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally. Sunfish can be as tall as they are long when their dorsal and fins are extended.

Sunfish live on a diet that consists mostly of jellyfish, but because this diet is nutritionally poor, they consume large amounts in order to develop and maintain their great bulk. Females of the species can produce more eggs than any other known vertebrate. Sunfish resemble miniature puffer fish, with large pectoral fins, a tail fin and body spines uncharacteristic of adult sunfish.

Adult sunfish are vulnerable to few natural predators, but sealions, Orcas, and sharks will consume them. Among humans, sunfish are considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, including Asia. In the EU, regulations ban the sale of fish and fishery products derived of the Molidae family. Sunfish are frequently, though accidentally, caught in nets.

Although early research suggested that sunfish moved around mainly by drifting with ocean currents, individuals have been recorded swimming 26 km in a day, at a top speed of 3.2 km/h. Sunfish also swim at depths of up to 600 m (2,000 ft). Contrary to the general perception that sunfish spend much of their time basking at the surface, research suggests that adult Sunfish actually spend a large portion of their lives submerged at depths greater than 200 m (660 ft).

These fascinating fish are often seen in the warm waters of Mexico. They are extremely large with unusual characteristics making it breath-taking to swim with. We are glad that these gentle fish have made the Mexican Caribbean one of their favorite places to stop by.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_sunfish