A gigantic sunfish has set a new world record for the heaviest bony fish – and weighs the same as a Hummer vehicle.
The bump-head sunfish – known as Mola Alexandrini – was found dead off the Portuguese island, Faial Island, in the Azores, North Atlantic Ocean in December 2021, but confirmation of its record-breaking size has only surfaced now due to a recent study.
It’s believed local authorities scooped up the hefty carcass, before taking it back to port so it could be properly assessed by researchers.
Details of the report were released in the Journal of Fish Biology on 11 October (Tuesday), where it was confirmed the mammoth fish measured 12ft wide and 11ft long.
Using a crane, the marine biologists from Atlantic Naturalist Association weighed the three-eyed sea creature at 432-stone – more than 62-stone heavier than the previous world record.
The previous record holder, according to Guinness World Records, for the world’s heaviest bony fish, was also a southern sunfish, found in Kamogawa, Japan, in 1996, weighing 362-stone and was 272cm long.
It is not known what killed the fish, but workers found a large semi-cylindrical depression near its head marked with red paint – which are typically seen on the keel of boats.
It is not clear whether this mark happened before or after the fish died. Giant sunfish can be found across the globe, but their exact numbers are unknown.
