Strange fish, like a 'mad scientist' invention, washes up on Oregon beach

Oregon beachgoers were in for a surprise when they saw a weird creature washed up on the shore. The peculiar marine animal is known as a Mola mola or ocean sunfish. A Facebook post from the Seaside Aquarium states that the sunfish measures only over five feet.

This one is rather small considering that Mola molas can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. This makes them the heaviest bony fish on Earth. They are nicknamed "the ocean sunfish" because they can often be spotted sunbathing on the ocean's surface.

The Mola molas have a strange physical appearance. They have tiny mouths, big eyes, and an unusual shape, because of which the Monterey Bay Aquarium likens them to the invention of a mad scientist. According to National Geographic, they look weird because of their back fin which "simply never grows".

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"It folds into itself as the enormous creature matures, creating a rounded rudder called a clavus."

Mola species of sunfish

They roam in tropical and temperate seas across the world to hunt for jellyfish, which make up most of their diet. Three distinct species of sunfish in the Mola genus are found across the world - Mola mola, Mola tecta, and Mola alexandrini.

The Mola fish have been found on the shores in the past as well. In 2017, a Mola tecta, also known as Hoodwinker Sunfish, was found north of Gearhart Beach. The Seaside Aquarium says that people were quite excited to see the fish since this species is rare. People from the area reached the beach to catch a glimpse of the fish.

Mola tecta are different physically from the Mola mola. The aquarium says that they have a T-shaped pattern on the clavus and reach a maximum size of only 7.9 feet. They weigh 4,000 pounds.