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Mola-Mola

by Ida Ayu Mas Amelia Kusumaningtyas | 24-09-2017 01:12 recommendations 0


Mola Mola, or also known as the Oceanic Sunfish, is a fish that is by nature spend most of its time in deep and the open ocean. Its named came from of its habit of sunning itself at the surface after a deep food-hunting dive. Because of its habits, it can be found in temperate and tropical waters around the world, such as Nusa Penida Bali, Punta Vincente Roca in the Galapagos Islands and a few spots in the northern Mediterranean.


Mola Mola has an unusual shape. It is a thick, 3 m (10-feet) long oval serving platter with two wide, blade-shaped handles positioned at one end, well off-center. Balance the platter vertically on a long edge. It has two anime eyes with a round and gaping mouth.  It can grow more than 10 feet long and weighing up to 2.200 pounds (1.000 kg) or more.  Such size requires a lot of food.


Mola Mola?s diet consist of squid, crustaceans, small fish, as well as jellyfish. It uses its beaklike teeth to gnaw at its prey, sucking it down its throat. Because its diet consists primarily of jellyfish, which are nutritionally poor, it must eat almost constantly.  It helps in keeping the jellyfish population at a balance.  


Mola-Mola also serves as a host for at least 40 different parasites, where cleaner fish will swim near Mola Mola to clean its body. This fish primarily swims in open water to cleansing up, where their presence may be used as an indicator of nutrient-rich waters where endangered species may be found.


Some 90% of the time, Mola Mola itself has been caught by fisheries.  It will often outnumber the target species caught in may hauls. What more concerning is that there are no conservative measure for this fish.  Little can be known about its diving behavior, population structure, and its distribution as well as its seasonal movements throughout the world?s ocean. Although that is so, now there is a growing recognition for this fish, where the scientific community is furthering their research to learn more about Mola Mola.

 

 

Source:

http://savenaturesavehuman.blogspot.co.id/2012/08/the-sun-fish.html

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/unraveling-the-mysteries-of-the-ocean-sunfish-115258763/

http://scubadiverlife.com/marine-species-mola-mola/


Photo by Erwin Sitohang

 

 
ourtesy : Erwin Sitohang

Ida Ayu Mas AmeliaKusumaningtyas

  • Indonesia Youth Ida Ayu Mas Amelia Kusumaningtyas
 
 
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5 Comments

  • says :
    good work man
    Posted 01-02-2018 22:18

  • says :
    rare one species have to preserve
    Posted 01-02-2018 22:17

  • says :
    Hi, Amelia! Thank you for your fascinating report on the Ocean Sunfish! I was especially excited about this topic because the Ocean Sunfish had become very well known in South Korea a few years ago, due to its unique looks and behavior. It was really fun to learn new facts about this creature. I didn't know how beneficial they were in the ocean ecosystem! I hope that there will be stronger regulation to protect this species from fisheries.
    I happened to see your profile picture, and I think it's so cool that you're a diver. :D I'll be looking forward to your future reports!
    Posted 01-10-2017 18:40

  • says :
    Thanks for sharing about this amazing creature! We should take care of creatures which have a meaningful role in the ecosystem so to preserve its community. Good work!
    Posted 27-09-2017 22:11

Eco Generation

  • Eco Generation says :
    Local name is very cute! Thanks for introducing such a wonderful species.
    Posted 26-09-2017 13:44

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