Thousands of spectators were captivated by the unexpected sight of a gigantic and rare fish that washed ashore on Oregon’s northern coast.
The fish is believed to only exist in temperate waters in the southern hemisphere, Phys.org reported.
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The 7.3-foot (2.2-metre) hoodwinker sunfish made its public debut on Gearhart’s beach on Monday, according to a press release from Seaside Aquarium.
As per reports, the fish is still on the shore, as it is difficult for scavengers to pierce through its impenetrable skin.
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Photos provided by the aquarium showed a flat, round, grey fish lying on its side in the sand.
The stir it has created on social media prompted a New Zealand-based researcher, who has studied sunfish, to contact the aquarium. After looking at photographs of the fish, Marianne Nyegaard confirmed that it was indeed a hoodwinker sunfish.
Nyegaard discovered that the hoodwinker sunfish, or Mola tecta, was a separate species from the ocean sunfish, Mola mola, by DNA sampling and observation in a 2017 paper.
According to the aquarium, the hoodwinker sunfish was also seen recently in Alaska and California, disproving the notion that it is limited to the southern hemisphere.
[…] Rare 7-foot fish washed ashore on Oregon’s coast garners worldwide attention […]