The largest fish (from the bony class) in the world. Moon fish Indian ocean moon fish how to cook

A whale is not a whale, a shark is not a shark... a sunfish. Photo, description and Interesting Facts“I and the World” suggests reading about this fish in today’s article.

Unusual appearance

What does a sunfish (Mola Mola) look like? Huge size And unusual look make her completely different from others. Belongs to the moon-shaped family (Molidae) a prominent representative which is. It is almost round in shape, which is why it is sometimes called the Sun.

Luna has no fin on her tail, as if it had been cut off. In fact, these fish have an atrophied back part of the spine, so there is no tail. In this place they have a cartilaginous growth that acts as a paddle-fin. Because of this round shape, it received a fourth name - Head.

The large body is strongly flattened on the sides and looks like a disk. The upper and lower fins are much larger than the pectoral fins. The eyes are large enough for a fish, and the mouth is small and resembles a parrot's beak. The color depends on the habitat: it varies from dark brown to light silver. There are no scales, but the skin is quite thick and rough, and two gill slits are visible on the sides. All these “lunar” features can be seen in the photograph.

Interestingly, at a time of danger, the Moon can change its color. Flounder also has this feature. And thanks to its thick skin, fishermen’s harpoons even bounce off it.

The size and weight of the Luna fish are impressive, because it grows more than three meters and about a ton. At the beginning of the 20th century, a fish was caught near the city of Sydney with a length of 310 cm, from the upper fin to the tip of the lower one - 425 cm, and a weight of more than two tons.

Behavior and nutrition

Due to its low speed, the fish cannot catch up with its prey, so it simply sucks in everything that gets in its way. These are jellyfish, ctenophores, plankton, sometimes they swallow starfish, crustaceans, algae, small fish OK.

Prefers comfort

Where does the common sunfish live? Lives in tropical and temperate waters of all oceans except the Arctic. Sometimes they swim into the Black and Baltic seas and to the Scandinavian shores. It gives preference to the lower layers of habitat at a depth of up to 850 m. Older individuals do not try to descend below 200 m.

The water temperature that is comfortable for life should not be below 10 degrees, otherwise they freeze and lose orientation, eventually dying. Sometimes they can be seen lying on the surface. Scientists believe that they warm up in this way before immersing themselves in cold layers of water.

Interaction with people

When meeting a person, the Moon is not able to cause him any harm. But in some African countries, where it is found closer to the coast, local residents They consider it a harbinger of trouble and try to return to the shore, closer to home. And it’s easy to explain: fish come closer to the shore when they sense the onset of a storm, so people associate the appearance of the Moon with danger.

Although in Taiwan it is considered edible and even a delicacy, the fish has flabby and rather tasteless meat. It is also used in Chinese medicine. Sometimes they are kept in aquariums for public viewing.

But in nature, Moons often die due to unscrupulous people who throw away plastic bags and other debris into the water. Plastic reminds fish of jellyfish and, after swallowing garbage, they die from suffocation or from starvation when the bags clog their stomachs.

How many on our planet amazing creatures– understandable or completely unknown. The Moonfish or Sun is an unusual and strange creature that does not harm anyone.

“In a distant warm sea, where there are no ice floes, there lives a sad sunfish. It is big and round, and only swims straight, and cannot dodge the shark fish's teeth. That’s why it’s sad.” Animated film "Umka".

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Did you know that the sun and moon are not only in the sky? Don't believe me? Look into undersea world– they also have their own “luminaries”. Deep underwater, in the seas and oceans, there lives a fish called “moon”. Its appearance gave it its name. Take a look at the photo of the moon fish - an underwater star, and that’s all - it’s almost completely round!

But the unique appearance is not the only “achievement” of this fish. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the sunfish is the largest bony fish on planet Earth! About the size of the record holder a little later, but first - scientific classification. The sunfish belongs to the order of pufferfish of the class of ray-finned fish. The family and genus that this fish belongs to bear the same name, “moon fish.”

Photo of the moon fish - an underwater star

What does the Guinness Book record holder look like?

The largest specimen ever caught in the world reached a length of 4 meters 26 centimeters and weighed 2235 kilograms!

The flat disc-shaped body does not allow the sunfish to swim like all ordinary fish - vertically. Most This representative of the ray-finned class spends time lying on its side, but not on the bottom, but closer to the surface of the water.

The sunfish has very thick skin, and with such “armor” this sea creature is not afraid of external blows.

And this record holder also has a very small brain, out of the entire multi-ton body mass, it accounts for only 4 grams. It was for this “flaw” that the sunfish received from scientists offensive nickname"A complete fool."

Where does the sunfish live?

Its habitat is considered temperate and tropical waters Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. This huge underwater resident is found off the coast of Iceland, Great Britain, and Norway. In addition, there are fish in the Baltic Sea and near Kola Peninsula. It can also be found in the Sea of ​​Japan, as well as near the Kuril Islands.

Underwater moon lifestyle

The round, large fish prefers a solitary lifestyle. It is very rare to come across pairs of these marine inhabitants.

As already mentioned, this fish swims poorly; nevertheless, the large heavy body makes itself felt. Therefore, often, the moonfish simply swims, caught by the current, but it doesn’t know where!

The depth of habitat of the moon fish does not exceed 600 meters from the surface of the water. But often it can be seen right on the surface. This fish doesn’t seem to care about anything, it would like to just lie there, as long as no one touches it!

There is one interesting belief among people: if you see a moonfish close to the shore, this means the imminent onset of a natural disaster. So the unsuspecting moonfish, rocking on the waves, doesn’t even know what is a bad omen.

What does a giant fish eat?

Its main food is squid, salps, eel larvae, jellyfish and ctenophores.

How does the moonfish reproduce?

Among the fish “kingdom”, the moon fish also holds another record - it is the most prolific. Each time during spawning, this underwater inhabitant lays about 300 million eggs! But such a large amount of caviar does not indicate the numerous offspring of the fish - most of the fry do not have time to grow to adulthood, becoming prey for lovers of young meat. Spawning takes place in tropical zones.

When a small "baby" moon fish is born, it smaller size their parents 60 million times! On his body you can find outgrowths like thorns, which disappear with age.

Natural enemies of the moon fish, who are they?

Due to the slowness of the fish, even despite its size, it is constantly hunted by other large aquatic predators. They swim up to the clumsy fish and literally bite off a piece of it.

Moon Pisces are amazing and little-studied creatures, striking in their size, appearance and colossal fertility. They belong to a tiny family of only three species: the common sunfish, the sharp-tailed moonfish and the sunfish. This family belongs to the order Pufferfish and is related to species such as triggerfish, puffer fish and pufferfish.

Common sunfish (Mola mola).

The moon fish owes its name to its unusual body shape. In the most famous ordinary moonfish it is almost round; in the ransania and sharp-tailed moonfish it is slightly elongated and resembles a melon or torpedo. At the same time, the body is flattened from the sides, but does not differ in grace. The edges of the body appear torn and resemble a failed pancake. All languages ​​of the world in one way or another contain a reference to this unusual feature. In the majority European languages these creatures are called moon fish or sun fish, Latin name vida is translated as “millstone”, and in Polish language this fish is called "self-head" because it seems as if it consists of only one giant head. The body of the moon fish is indeed greatly shortened, but the most surprising thing is that it lacks main body movements - tail! It is replaced by a blade, devoid of its own muscular system. The body of moonfish appears high due to the highly developed oval-pointed dorsal and anal fins. The pectoral fins, on the contrary, are very small. The eyes are relatively large with a good-natured, stupid expression. The mouth of these fish is also relatively small; sharp teeth form something like jaws, but are not suitable for chewing hard objects. The skin is very thick, rough to the touch due to the bony plates that dot it, but at the same time elastic.

Although Moon Pisces does not shine with beauty and grace, they cannot fail to inspire admiration. The fact is that these are the largest of all bony fish, second in size only whale shark(cartilaginous fish). The usual size of an adult is 2-3 m in height (since they are longer vertically than horizontally), weight is about 1 ton. The Guinness Book of Records records a sunfish measuring 4.2 m and weighing 2.3 tons! The only “dwarf” in this family is the knapsack, only 80 cm long. The coloring of these creatures also emphasizes their resemblance to the moon or millstones. It is gray, sometimes with whitish spots on the sides. Interestingly, moon fish are able to change color slightly: from slate gray to almost white. These fish do not have sexual dimorphism, so males and females do not differ from each other in appearance.

The sunfish's mouth appears tiny in proportion to its huge body.

Due to the lack of a tail, moonfish are forced to move with the help of fins (in most fish they serve only as rudders), but this method of movement is very ineffective. Making leisurely strokes of their fins, these creatures can swim very slowly, and often prefer to drift with the current. Sometimes sunfish swim on their sides, but these are probably sick or dying individuals. Despite their colossal size, these fish are very peaceful, phlegmatic and defenseless. They are completely unable to resist the attack of predators, and when attacked, they only passively watch as the aggressor tears their body.

Moonfish feed on small prey, which are as sedentary as they themselves. Their food includes jellyfish, ctenophores, salps, small crustaceans and squids. Moreover, they search for food both on the surface of the water and in the depths. They can tear into pieces an animal that does not fit into their small mouth, and grind solid food with their pharyngeal teeth. According to some evidence, sunfish meat can be poisonous, probably due to eating poisonous jellyfish and the accumulation of toxins in fish muscles.

The tiny baby sunfish is armed with spines.

Moonfish do not have special spawning grounds, so they spawn in the same areas where they feed. In terms of fertility, the females of these species have no equal: each can lay up to 300 million eggs! This absolute record in the world of fish. Sunfish eggs are extremely small and float in the water column (such eggs are called pelagic eggs). Thanks to this, it can be carried by currents over long distances, contributing to the spread of these slow-moving creatures across the oceans. Tiny fry, hatched from eggs, initially have big thorns, protecting them from predators. However, the young grow very quickly and by 15 months reach a size of 1.8 m. According to observations in captivity, sunfish can live up to 10 years; life expectancy in nature has not been precisely established.

Despite their large size, moonfish have many enemies. Young individuals can be attacked by tuna, while killer whales and sharks like to hunt adults. There are known cases when sea ​​lions They played with these fish, biting off their fins and throwing their bodies above the water. Men in different parts The world treats moon fish differently. In Taiwan and Japan they are considered the greatest delicacy (along with related species puffer fish) and eat all parts of the body. IN European countries Fishing for these species is prohibited. And in the tropics, sunfish are not eaten, but they are not protected either. Here they are considered pests that steal bait from hooks, so fishermen cut off the fins of caught individuals and condemn them to slow fishing. painful death in the depths of the ocean.

Common sunfish in the Barcelona Aquarium.

In captivity, these fish are extremely rare, since they require large and deep aquariums, and they are often injured on the walls of containers. Now the aquariums of Osaka, Monterey, Barcelona, ​​Lisbon and Valencia can boast of having these fish in their collections. Sunfish need protection as amazing and still little-studied representatives of the aquatic fauna.

How many interesting things are hidden in the depths of the seas and oceans. And it also has its own Moon.

Moonfish- one of the most amazing sea creatures.

This fish entered into the Guinness Book of Records. Fish moon is YOURSELF:

A little about the name.

Appearance of the moon fish.

The skin is unusually thick, strong and elastic, covered with small bony tubercles. They say that even the skin of the ship cannot withstand a collision with a “crumb” fish and the paint peels off.

The tail is short, wide and truncated.

The dorsal and ventral fins of the sunfish are narrow and long, opposed to each other and moved far back.

The body gradually tapers towards the front and ends in an elongated round mouth full of teeth fused into a solid plate.

The color of the sunfish can be very different - from brown to gray and even white.

The 200-kilogram fish had a brain weight of only 4 grams, from which we can conclude that the moon fish is absolutely stupid. She hardly reacts to the approach of people and can often be caught with a hook. It is to hook, and not to catch, because under the scaleless skin there is a very thick and hard fibrous layer. Even the sharp end of a harpoon is not able to pierce him. The harpoon bounces off such armor and the moon fish continues its leisurely swimming.

Features of behavior.

Young individuals of this species swim like ordinary fish, and adults spend a significant part of their time lying on their sides, near the surface, lazily moving their fins, alternately exposing them from the water.

“Luna” is a very poor swimmer, unable to overcome strong currents. Therefore, the moon fish looks extremely apathetic... Sometimes sailors from a ship can watch how this harmless “monster” sways sluggishly on the surface of the water.

Moon Pisces prefers to be alone, but sometimes they are seen in pairs. Despite the fact that even large moon fish cannot cause any harm to humans, in some places off the coast South Africa fishermen experience superstitious fear when meeting this fish, considering it a harbinger of trouble, and hastily return to the shore. This is apparently explained by the fact that the “moon” approaches the shores only before bad weather, and fishermen associate its appearance with an approaching storm.

Nutritional features.

Sunfish feed on zooplankton.

Moonfish do not need to actively hunt to feed. Living, as a rule, in an environment rich in plankton, it is limited to sucking prey that swims within its reach. This is confirmed by studies of fish stomachs, in which crustaceans, small squids, leptocephali, ctenophores, fry, larvae and even jellyfish were found. The moonfish also does not disdain plant foods.

Where do they live?

The sunfish most often stays near the surface of the water, but has also been found at a depth of 300 meters. Scientists suggest that the sunfish can reach quite great depths.

These heavyweights live in all tropical and temperate zones. Sometimes they are carried to the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, to the shores of Scandinavia and Newfoundland. These beauties can also be found off the coast of Russia - in the northern part Sea of ​​Japan and area southern islands Great Kuril ridge.

The best place in Asian waters where divers can see this miracle fish is the island of Bali in Indonesia. From July to October, a deep-sea encounter with a marvelous ocean inhabitant is almost one hundred percent guaranteed.

The sunfish is not particularly shy, and with some skill you can swim almost close to it. But keep in mind that any careless movement will turn her into a swift flight, amazing for such a heavyweight.

Dangers to the sunfish.

They suffer from attacks by predators - sharks, killer whales, sea lions.

Humans also pose a serious danger to this sea ​​creature. In some East Asian countries, where sunfish is considered a delicacy, it is specially caught, but in other places thousands of individuals die simply from industrial fishing for other fish.

Used in Chinese medicine as a medicine. Like the related fugu and abunawa, the sunfish's tissues contain toxins.

It has no commercial significance.

In captivity, sunfish adapt poorly and often die.

Common moonfish, or sun fish, or fish head(lat. Mola mola) - a species of the genus of moon fish of the family of the same name. These are the heaviest of modern bony fishes. They reach a length of three meters. The Guinness Book of Records provides data on an individual caught on September 18, 1908 near Sydney, which was 3.1 m long, 4.26 m high, and weighed 2235 kg.

Common sunfish live in tropical and temperate waters of all oceans. They are found in the pelagic zone at depths of up to 844 m. They have a laterally compressed, disc-shaped body. The dorsal and anal fins are moved back and form a tail plate. The skin is devoid of scales. The teeth are fused into a “beak”. Pelvic fins are absent. The color is bluish or grayish-brown. They feed mainly on jellyfish and other pelagic invertebrates. It is the most prolific species of vertebrates, females common sunfish produce up to 300,000,000 eggs at a time. The fry of this species resemble miniature pufferfish; they have large pectoral fins, there is a caudal fin and spines that disappear in adulthood. Adult sunfish are quite vulnerable. They are preyed upon by sea lions, killer whales and sharks. In some countries, such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan, their meat is considered a delicacy. In EU countries there is a ban on the sale of sunfish products. Common sunfish are often caught in gill nets.

Taxonomy

The name of the genus and the specific epithet come from the Latin word. mola - “millstone”. The species was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Tetraodon mola. Subsequently, various generic and species names.

Range and habitat

Sunfish are found in tropical and temperate waters of all oceans. In the eastern part Pacific Ocean these fish are distributed from Canada (British Columbia) to southern Peru and Chile, in the Indo-Pacific region - throughout the Indian Ocean, including the Red Sea, and further from Russia and Japan to Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands. In the eastern Atlantic they are found from Scandinavia to South Africa, and occasionally enter the Baltic, North and Mediterranean seas. In the western part Atlantic Ocean Sunfish can be found from the coast of Newfoundland to southern Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Genetic differences between individuals living in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are minimal.

During the spring and summer, the population of common moonfish in the northwest Atlantic is estimated at 18,000 individuals. In coastal waters, large concentrations of small fish up to 1 m in length are observed. In the Irish and Celtic Seas in 2003-2005, 68 individuals of this species were recorded, the estimated population density was 0.98 individuals per 100 km².

Usually these fish are caught at temperatures above 10 °C. Long stay at temperatures of 12 °C and below can cause them to become disorientated and suddenly die. Common moonfish are often found in the surface layers open ocean; There was an opinion that this fish swims on its side, but there is a version that this method of movement is typical for sick individuals. It is also possible that in this way the fish warm up their bodies before immersing themselves in cold water layers.

Description

Antique image of a common sunfish (1838) as Orthragoriscus mola

Common moonfish have a laterally compressed, high and short body, which gives the fish an extremely unusual appearance for fish. The shape of the body approaches that of a disk, and its length is approximately equal to its height. The pelvic girdle is reduced. In the process of evolution, the tail fin of moon fish disappeared. It was replaced by a tuberous pseudotail - lat. clavus. This elastic cartilaginous plate is formed by dorsal and anal fins moved back and devoid of spiny rays. It is supported by their branched soft rays. This tail plate acts like an oar. It consists of 12 fin rays and ends in rounded bones.

The gill slits are oval-shaped, the eyes and mouth are small, and there are no pronounced ventral or caudal fins. The pectoral fins, located on the sides of the body, are small and fan-shaped.

The common sunfish has a very short spine relative to body length, the smallest number of vertebrae among fish - only 16-18, the spinal cord is shorter than the brain (in a fish weighing 1.5 tons and 2.5 m long spinal cord only 15 mm). The bones of the caudal fin are completely absent, and the skeleton consists mainly of cartilaginous tissue. There is no swim bladder or lateral line.

Moonfish swim using their dorsal and anal fins, with their pectoral fins acting as stabilizers. To perform the turn, they release a strong stream of water from their mouth or gills. In addition, they are able to maneuver a little by changing the position of the anal and dorsal fins, similar to how birds use their wings for maneuvers.

It is believed that moon fish are capable of making grinding sounds with the help of their pharyngeal teeth. The mouth ends in a well-developed beak, characteristic of representatives of the order Pufferfish, formed by fused teeth. The “beak” prevents them from closing their mouth tightly.

Skeleton of a common moonfish

The thick and rather rough skin is devoid of scales and covered with bony projections and mucus. The skin of the tail plate is comparatively softer. Under the skin there is a cartilaginous layer 5-7.5 cm thick, so it is difficult to pierce it the first time even with a harpoon. The color of adults varies from brown to silver-gray with a mottled pattern, which in some cases is characteristic of their habitats. The dorsal surface of the body is colored slightly darker than the ventral one, which is a type of contrasting protective coloring characteristic of pelagic fish. In addition, Pisces moons are capable of changing color, especially in times of danger.

Some sources indicate that internal organs fish of this species contain the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, like other representatives of pufferfish, but other authors refute this information.

Body size and weight

Adult common moonfish reach an average length of 1.8 m, and the height distance between the tips of the fins is about 2.5 m. The average weight ranges from 247-1000 kg. There are also larger specimens: the maximum recorded length is 3.3 m, and the height, including fins, is 4.2 m.

Biology

Moonfish larva 2.7 mm long

Reproduction and life cycle

The sunfish is the most prolific fish: one female can lay up to 300 million eggs, but its total number is small. The diameter of the eggs is about 1 mm, the hatched larvae of the moon fish have a length of about 2 mm and a mass of less than 0.01 g. During individual development Like other representatives of their family, ordinary moon fish go through a complex metamorphosis. The newly hatched larvae look like puffer fish. Upon reaching a length of 6-8 mm, the body stage begins - wide bone plates with large triangular protrusions appear, which are then crushed into small denticles with triangular protrusions, forming long spines, then completely disappearing. At this stage there is still a larval caudal fin, which is absent in adult fish. The potentially achievable size of adult moonfish is 60 million times their size at birth, the largest ratio among vertebrates.

In captivity, common sunfish live up to 10 years, but their lifespan in natural conditions has not been established. Presumably in males and females it can be up to 16 and 23 years, respectively. In captivity, weight gain ranges from 0.02-0.49 kg per day, and length gain averages 0.1 cm per day. The weight of a young individual living in the Monterey Bay Aquarium increased from 26 kg to 399 in 15 months, while the fish reached a length of 1.8 m. Their large size and thick skin make adult sunfish invulnerable to small predators However, the fry can become prey for tuna and corifena. Large fish are attacked by sea lions, killer whales and sharks. In Monterey Bay, sea lions have been observed biting off the fins of moonfish and pushing them to the surface of the water. Probably, with the help of such actions, mammals manage to bite through the thick skin of fish. Sometimes, after throwing the moonfish several times, the sea lions abandoned their prey, and it helplessly sank to the bottom, where it was eaten by starfish.

Nutrition

Despite the hard “beak”, the diet of common sunfishes is based on soft food, although they sometimes eat small fish and crustaceans. The sunfish's main diet consists of plankton, as well as salps, ctenophores and jellyfish. In addition, larvae of eels, sponges, starfish, squid, crustaceans, algae and small fish were found in their digestive tract, which suggests that they feed both on the surface and in the depths. Sunfish food is generally poor nutrients, so they have to absorb it in large quantities.

Moonfish swims on its side near the surface of the water

Ordinary moonfish lead, as a rule, a solitary lifestyle, but sometimes they are found in pairs, and in places where cleaning animals gather they can gather in groups.

The sunfish can often be seen lying on its side on the surface of the water. From time to time, its fins appear on the surface - sometimes they are mistaken for shark dorsal fins. They can be distinguished by the nature of the movement of their fins. Sharks, like most fish, swim by flapping their tail fin from side to side. In this case, the dorsal fin remains motionless. Moonfish move their dorsal and anal fins like oars