What's this critter?

TyBoo

TyBoo

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 23, 2003
Messages
5,330
Reaction score
6
While out on an amazingly calm Pacific Ocean today we saw something weird a ways away in the water. We thought it was a seal tail at first and as it came towards us it got bigger and stranger. We were headed toward each other so we kicked the boat out of gear to watch. It was some sort of small whale and when it came up by the boat - partially under the boat - it was a neat sight. It's head looked to be as wide as the boat and out of proportion with it's length. I got my phone to take some pics but it was moving away by then. The pics are in this album. I just posted all I took even though the quality isn't so great. I wish I had a pic of how we first saw the thing under the boat. It was awesome. I think he was either sick, injured or lazy because he moved real slowly. We didn't follow or try to bother him much and he sort of drifted and swam off.


He was a lot bigger than he looks in this pic.
IMG_2947.sized.jpg
 
I haven't gone through all the pics, but I believe you have an ocean sunfish (mola) there.

Mike, that's what it is. Your picture 10 of 12 is the best. Here's a shot off the net.

sunfish_729_600x450.jpg


http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/a ... fish/mola/
 
Used to run across those guys alot will diving in Monteray Bay when I was sttioned at Fort Ord. They would be lazily swimming on their sides close to the surface like that. I think, but am not for certain, they are just sunning themselves
 
Just showed Joe the photo of the Sunfish. He recalls that the only time he ever saw one was when he was 16 yrs old and traveling down the California coast on an old LST that had been converted into a coastal lumbership (The Coos Bay). He said that he's never seen another Sunfish since that day. So, thanks for bringing back a pleasant memory for him.

Ruth and Joe
R-MATEY
 
Wandering Sagebrush":n6z32twe said:
I haven't gone through all the pics, but I believe you have an ocean sunfish (mola) there.
Click to expand...

Yep, I think you are right. That's why he looked so huge under the boat yet no so big when upright. He must have been on his side when I first saw it. The article says they get as big as 14' tall and 10' long, which is not too far from the size of this guy. That's why he looked as wide as the boat. He really was. Thanks for the info!
 
At certain times of the year we would see these while diving in Monterey Bay - very cool. They were little ones, usually not more than 14" in length. Unfortunately, the sea lions like the taste of their fins and would nibble on them to the point the poor fish could not do anything other than flutter sideways on the sand and die. In that regard it was a sad sight. The largest one I've seen in California was while diving out at the Farallone Islands. It was several feet in length. When I see one of these I'm always looking for the rest of it - kind of like when you see a slinky toy dog. The ocean is full of such incredible life...

Rob
 
You've got him/her identified. It's a mola mola. More commonly known in the wild as HOLY MOLY!!.

Neat shots and, apparently an unusual sighting.
 
Back
Top