In a rare sighting, a giant sunfish washed ashore at Australia’s Coorong National Park earlier this week, taking several people by surprise. A couple who was among the first to spot the marine animal near the mouth of river Murray said that they initially thought it was a shipwreck.
They found the creature 25km east of the River Murray mouth – a popular fishing and holiday destination in South Australia. Supervisor Steven Jones spotted it while out with his fishing team at of Goolwa Pipico.
The sunfish was estimated to be around 2.5m in length and weighed several hundred kilograms.
Sunfish can grow up to 3m long, 4.2m high and weigh up to 2.5 tonnes are considered vulnerable in the wild making the find even more incredible.
They are found in tropical waters around the world and are often confused for sharks due to their fin. This species of aquatic creature, also called Mola Mola, is one of the world’s largest bony fish and can weigh as much as a car. It feeds on jellyfish and gets the name because of its habit of basking in the sun to warm up before it goes back into the ocean.
The large fish is considered a delicacy in some parts of Asia including Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Fish collection manager Ralph Foster, from the South Australian Museum, explained why so many sunfish get washed up on the beach.
‘One of the big dangers would being hit by big boats at sea,’ he said.
‘They often eat plastic bags thinking they are jelly fish which can kill them.’
Sunfish wash up on South Australian shores quite frequently, Mr Foster said he received reports of several every year.
‘They are actually quite common in Australian waters but they are generally further out to sea.’
