Fun fact: thanks to their cartilaginous endoskeleton, sunfish grow exceptionally fast, requiring an increase in mass of 60 million times to reach adult size. In one case, a sunfish maintained nearly 1 kg per day growth for 15 months https://t.co/2zMTCUb2I3
Fun fact: when it comes to reproduction, sunfish don't hold back. they squirt a (figurative) tonne of eggs where ever they are, making them the most fecund fish we know of https://t.co/2zMTCUb2I3 https://t.co/wPVJwYaWZy https://t.co/OnFWpCU4lU https://
Fun fact: sunfish get their name as theyre often found basking near the ocean surface. This is thought to be a way to increase their body temp & some suggest it may help with parasite removal by birds/fish https://t.co/jf2tdIQ3Gc https://t.co/2zMTCUb2I
Fun fact: most fish have a swim bladder. This helps maintain buoyancy so they stay within safe depths without using lots of energy. Sunfish don't have a swimbladder; cue the need for their neutral buoyancy https://t.co/2zMTCUb2I3 https://t.co/HsunI4sIrp ht
@Tibblewinkles @ausar_the @EDGEinthewild @TheNightLizard @FishInTheNews https://t.co/mAenhza2f5 you need a subscription to read though. The main reason there is so little research is because they are relatively scarce, I would guess.
@AudibertDevon https://t.co/0CQNimyBnw a cool article about the Mola sunfish if you want to learn more! #KSCBio #KSCMarineBio
@GrettaPecl @JanStrugnell @RedmapMarine this paper from 2010 shows plenty of northern sightings, we also regularly get leatherback turtles and other "exotic" species, many of which are following the gulf stream https://t.co/E9XK5DyIxw https://t.co/qdXh4y
@LizMarchio Apparently adult Mola aggregate for spawning sometimes, though. http://t.co/B3oe8BSPQE
@LizMarchio Apparently adult Mola do aggregate sometimes, though it doesn't say why. http://t.co/B3oe8BSPQE