A giant species of fish that was first discovered seven years ago washed ashore in Oregon last week, according to marine biologists who study the animal.Beachgoers in Gearhart, a small town just south of the Washington border, found the 7.3-foot-long hoodwinker sunfish, also called a mola tecta, on June 3.The species was first discovered in 2017 and has been occasionally spotted near Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest. It’s recognizable by a thick flap of skin in place of a tail, which is split in two.When Keith Chambers, the general manager at Seaside Aquarium in Oregon, first received reports of a circular, gray fish on the beach, he assumed it was a run-of-the-mill ocean sunfish.“I’ve seen a lot of them,” he said. “It wasn’t that spectacular of a moment for me.”But marine biologist Marianne Nyegaard noticed something unique in the aquarium’s Facebook photo showcasing their finding — the fish had smooth skin and a two part tail. She identified the fish as a mola tecta, a species she discovered and has been researching since.“As soon as we could, we just jumped in the car and drove down to see it,” Nyegaard, who lives in New Zealand but was fortuitously visiting Seattle that weekend, said.“It was a fantastic coincidence. It doesn’t get any better than that,” she said.“It’s like I can’t get away from them,” she added, laughing. newly discovered and rare species of sunfish (Courtesy Seaside Aquarium)The name “mola” comes from Latin and means “milestone,” which refers to the fish’s flat and circular body. The fish are known for floating along the ocean’s surface — what some scienti …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnA giant species of fish that was first discovered seven years ago washed ashore in Oregon last week, according to marine biologists who study the animal.Beachgoers in Gearhart, a small town just south of the Washington border, found the 7.3-foot-long hoodwinker sunfish, also called a mola tecta, on June 3.The species was first discovered in 2017 and has been occasionally spotted near Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest. It’s recognizable by a thick flap of skin in place of a tail, which is split in two.When Keith Chambers, the general manager at Seaside Aquarium in Oregon, first received reports of a circular, gray fish on the beach, he assumed it was a run-of-the-mill ocean sunfish.“I’ve seen a lot of them,” he said. “It wasn’t that spectacular of a moment for me.”But marine biologist Marianne Nyegaard noticed something unique in the aquarium’s Facebook photo showcasing their finding — the fish had smooth skin and a two part tail. She identified the fish as a mola tecta, a species she discovered and has been researching since.“As soon as we could, we just jumped in the car and drove down to see it,” Nyegaard, who lives in New Zealand but was fortuitously visiting Seattle that weekend, said.“It was a fantastic coincidence. It doesn’t get any better than that,” she said.“It’s like I can’t get away from them,” she added, laughing. newly discovered and rare species of sunfish (Courtesy Seaside Aquarium)The name “mola” comes from Latin and means “milestone,” which refers to the fish’s flat and circular body. The fish are known for floating along the ocean’s surface — what some scienti …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
