March 12, 2010

Post date: Mar 12, 2010 6:02:52 PM

Monterey Bay Aquarium has the only ocean sunfish on display in North America. These unusual fish have fins on the top and bottom, and a stunted tail at the back. They can get up to 10 feet long and weigh over 5,000 pounds. They increase their weight by 60 million times over their lifetime! This fast growth means that each sunfish at the aquarium is only on display for about a year. At that point the huge fish is airlifted out of the tank by helicopter to its freedom in Monterey Bay.

Ocean sunfish feast on jellyfish in the deep ocean. After cold dives they like to float sideways at the surface, basking in the warmth of the sun. They are very curious and approach divers. Sunfish are most often seen in Monterey Bay in Fall. An interesting video about them is at:

http://montereybayaquarium.org/animals/AnimalDetails.aspx?legacyid=130