Giant Ocean Sunfish, A Rare One in Dinagat!

Last two years ago November 2010 to be exact, a rare fish called Giant Ocean Sunfish was caught by fishermen of Dona Helene, Basilisa, Province of Dinagat Islands in Philippines. 


They had mistaken the fish as a shark, and in their fear that they might be attacked, they stabbed the fish to death. While fishing, they spotted the fish at the Melgar Bay of Basilisa which is a fishing ground and the ideal area of relaxation of fishes coming from the Pacific Ocean spreading through the waters of Leyte and other parts of the Visayas area.

The dead body of the Giant Ocean Sunfish which measures about 6X8 feet was brought to the province capital municipality, San Jose and was buried by the local agencies and organizations. 

This was already featured in youscoop.tv and allvoices.com. The following article from http://oceansunfish.org describes the life of Ocean Sunfish:


Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Osteichthyses (the bony fishes)
Order: Tetraodoniformes (trigger fish, boxfish, porcupine fish, puffers)
Family: Molidae
Genus, Species: Mola mola, Masturus lanceolatus, Ranzania laevis

Presently, three distinct species are recognized within the family Molidae including: the common mola, Mola mola Linnaeus 1758, the sharp-tailed mola, Masturus lanceolatus Lienard 1840, and the slender mola, Ranzania laevis Pennant 1776. (Our on-going genetic work may increase that number, so stay tuned!)

Throughout the world, a number of other intriguing common names exist for ocean sunfishes including:

    Poisson lune (France) (meaning "moon fish")
    Schwimmender kopf (German) (meaning "swimming head")
    Putol (Philippines) (Bisaya dialect for "cut short")
    Manbo マンボウ (Japan)
    Toppled car fish (Taiwan)
    Bezador (Spain)
    Makua (Hawaii)

Photo courtesy of PENRO-LGU of Dinagat Islands thru: Mr. Jay-r Baldo.

More readings about this specie here.