Mola mola are one of the most unusual fish species in the ocean. Often referred to as the "the fish that shouldn't be" or "nature's mistake", they are seemingly constructed in a way that makes them look like they should…
Mola mola are one of the most unusual fish species in the ocean. Often referred to as the "the fish that shouldn't be" or "nature's mistake", they are seemingly constructed in a way that makes them look like they should not be able to swim. They grow to gigantic proportions and they can reach a diameter of nearly 5m (15 feet). They reach an unbelievable 2200kg (almost 5,000lbs). Shaped like a giant disk with no head and no tail, it is a wonder that they can propel themselves through the ocean.
The mola mola eats jellyfish, along with other fish, but their slow speed and clumsy construction make it difficult for them to eat anything but the slowest moving prey. Once believed to eat primarily jellyfish, scientists are now understanding that this is actually only a small portion of their diet. Their mouths are perpetually open as they lack the ability to close them. This contributes to the notion that they are slow witted fish. They are able to swim quickly for short distances with rapid flapping of the two fins on the top and bottom of their body, but the mola mola is not designed for escape from any determined predator. They dive to extreme depths t evade sharks and other animals. They spend much of their time at more than 200m (600 feet) below the surface.
The mola mola prefers to spend a lot of time in deeper and colder water, often where visibility is poor. This makes them difficult for scuba divers to see and the close sighting of one, even for a few moments is very exciting for underwater adventurers.
The mola mola is known for being a prolific breeder, with the female laying up to 300 million eggs at one time. This is more young than any other vertebrate in the world. Scientists are studying the mola mola and their migration habits, only recently learning that they often move as much as 26km (16 miles) in a day. They drift on ocean currents but they are also capable of cruising speeds of 3.2km (2 miles) per hour.
These scuba divers in the Galapagos Islands have descended to a depth of 30m (90 feet) to look for these shy and elusive animals. They were rewarded with a face to face meeting with several, although the murky water and low light at this depth made it difficult to film perfect video footage of the encounter.
