Another mola mola washes ashore in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Yet another mola mola has washed up on the Oregon Coast.
The Seaside Aquarium announced on Aug. 18 that a somewhat small mola mola was found on Sunset Beach a half mile south of Seaside. It’s unclear at this time what killed the fish.
“While this fish is only a little over five feet, mola molas or ocean sunfish can get up to 10 feet and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds,” the Seaside Aquarium posted on social media.
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In June, a new species of mola mola discovered in 2017 washed up on Gearhart Beach. Few of the new species, known as mola tecta, have been examined since its discovery.
“Some of you may remember the Mola tecta, the Hoodwinker sunfish, that washed ashore just north of the Gearhart Beach approach back in June,” the Seaside Aquarium stated. “… There are three different species of sunfish in the genus Mola: Mola mola, Mola tecta, and Mola alexandrini. All three can be found all over the globe and are widely distributed throughout the world’s oceans, except for the polar regions.”
The mola mola (right) compared to the mola tecta (left). (Photos courtesy of the Seaside aquarium) A dead mola mola beached near Seaside, Ore.
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The most noticeable difference between the mola mola washed on Sunset Beach and the newer species documented at Gearhart Beach is the T-shared pattern near the tailfin of the mola tecta.
“Visually the difference includes a T-shaped pattern on the clavus, the thick rudder-like structure at the rear of the fish also known as its steering fin on the mola tecta,” the aquarium said. “Mola tectas also do not get quite as big as the mola mola, reaching only 7.9 feet and weighing 4,000 pounds.”
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