Showers
The Mola Mola: An Unlikely Internet Star
The gentle giant is getting a lot of attention this week
Facebook: Daniel Botelho
The Mola mola, or ocean sunfish, may look like a creature from outer space, but the gentle giants actually reside in the Pacific. This summer, Mola molas have been spotted in higher-than-average numbers off the coast of California, but one fish has been getting all the attention lately.
According to GrindTV, photojournalist Daniel Botelho snapped this shot in July 2010 while searching for blue whales. Botelho stumbled upon the pic again last week and put it up on his Facebook page. The social network went wild for the fish, and a week later the photo has over 2,000 shares and 3,000 likes.
Although sunfish don't appear incredibly aerodynamic, they're surprisingly quick and difficult to photograph. The photographer pictured next to the fish in the photo helps show off the creature's stunning size: Sunfish can grow up to 14 feet long and weigh 5,000 pounds.
Considering its unique look, one can hardly be surprised the fish has garnered a few fans.
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Is the fish wearing a mask ? Where is his mouth and what are those things on his side ?
August 02 2012 at 10:38 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply