Oh my God, what a treat! My first wild mola mola! What a fantastic fish!!! And not just one, but three! A truly grand day, made even more special by watching a group of nine or so humpbacks and a gray seal at Stellwagen Bank.
What an awesome, wonderfully strange fish: such an unusual shape, yet the largest of all bony fishes. I knew mola mola drift, but do they actually swim? I had to check.
Despite their awkward appearance, mola mola are surprisingly efficient swimmers and active foragers. During summer, they enter Stellwagen Bank in search of prey, including jellyfish, salps, squid, and small fish. They may not be fast swimmers, but they can travel long distances and make impressive dives. They move through the water using their enormous dorsal and anal fins, a remarkable adaptation for such an extraordinary fish.
π· Common Mola · Mouldouz · Poisson-Lune (Mola mola) | © Claire O'Neill, please credit accordingly
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