A massive alien-like sunfish was found Wednesday on a North Carolina beach and the carcass was so heavy that scientists required a horse scale to obtain its weight.
The sharptail mola, similar in appearance to the more common Mola mola (ocean sunfish), weighed 450 pounds and is being kept at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
Lily Hughes, Curator of Ichthyology at the museum, tweeted about the rare discovery Saturday.
“Fishmas came early to the Natural Sciences Ichthyology Unit this year!” Hughes boasted. “We are adding this beautiful 450 pound sharptail mola to our collection!”
#Fishmas came early to the @naturalsciences Ichthyology Unit this year!
We are adding this beautiful 450 pound sharptail mola to our collection!
This fish beached in North Topsail, NC on Wednesday. It has been pure chaos getting it to Raleigh, but we’re so glad it’s here! pic.twitter.com/TW70APXu2K
— Lily Hughes, PhD (@fishladylily) December 3, 2022
The fish washed ashore at North Topsail Beach and, Hughes noted, “It has been pure chaos getting it to Raleigh, but we’re so glad it’s here!”
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Hughes thanked the citizens of North Topsail Beach for their help in collecting the specimen, and the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University for allowing the use of its horse scale.
Sharptail mola (Masturus lanceolatus), also referred to as sharptail sunfish, are found globally in tropical and temperate waters. But they’re rarely encountered and little is known about their biology or life history.
The oddly shaped fish can weigh more than 4,000 pounds.
