Mysterious sea creature washes up on remote coastline

Mysterious sea creature washes up on remote coastline

• READ: Stunning beach is urgently shut down due to surprise invasion

A peculiar marine creature, known as a Mola mola or ocean sunfish, has been discovered on an Oregon beach.

This 'relatively small' specimen, measuring just over five feet, was found less than a mile south of Sunset Beach approach on Sunday, according to a Facebookpost from the Seaside Aquarium.

While they may seem small, Mola molas can grow up to 10-feet long and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds, making them the heaviest bony fish on Earth.

They are often seen sunbathing at the ocean's surface, hence their nickname 'the ocean sunfish.'

Monterey Bay Aquarium liken the creature to the invention of a mad scientist thanks to its 'tiny mouth,' 'big eyes,' and unusual shape.'

According to the Australian museum, they can be found worldwide in 'tropical and temperate seas,' where they roam the oceans in search of their favorite food: jellyfish.

The distinctive shape of the ocean sunfish is due to its back fin, which 'simply never grows,' according to National Geographic.

'Instead, it folds into itself as the enormous creature matures, creating a rounded rudder called a clavus.'

There are three distinct species of sunfish in the Mola genus: Mola mola, Mola tecta, and Mola alexandrini. All three species can be found in oceans around the world, except for the polar regions.

In recent years, the Seaside Aquarium has made several discoveries of the unusual creatures.

A Mola tecta, or Hoodwinker Sunfish, was found north of Gearhart beach approach in 2017. This species is relatively rare, and its discovery 'caused quite a stir,' the aquarium said.

Despite stormy weather, people flocked to the beach to catch a glimpse of the strange-looking fish.

While the Mola tecta may resemble the Mola mola, there are subtle differences, such as a T-shaped pattern on the clavus and a smaller maximum size 'reaching only 7.9 feet and weighing 4,000 pounds,' according to the aquarium.