Not Just a Big Fish, but Perhaps the Biggest Bony Fish Ever

It was easy for scientists to have doubts when they were told that a huge fish had washed up on the coast of Faial Island in Portugal. When it comes to the size of fish, people exaggerate. Their skepticism was lifted when they looked at the fish. They had never seen a fish bigger than this one. It may have been the largest anyone had ever seen.

Scientists say the supersize southern sunfish, a species of mola, is the largest fish ever recorded.

The vast majority of fish have skeletons that are smilng. They are different from sharks, rays and some fish that have skeletons. The sunfish found in the Azores is the largest cartilaginous fish in the world.

Kory Evans was not involved in the discovery of the S.U.V.-size sunfish.

A female of the same species caught in Japan in 1996 weighed around 5,070 pounds and was nearly 9 feet across.

The massive southern sunfish found in the Azores is not an abnormal individual whose extreme size is due to a genetic abnormality, according to a study published earlier this month. The species can reach this size. We weighed and measured one. More monsters are out there.

Molas are known for their clumsy swimming styles. Molas use their anal fins to propel their huge, hulking bodies through the water, which they do slowly and erratically. The open- ocean fish are often seen floating on their sides at the sea's surface, which scientists think is to warm up or to make it easy for seabirds to eat parasites on their skin.

After local fishermen and boaters found the southern sunfish floating near the Azores, a group of scientists from the research nonprofit Atlantic Naturalist and the local marine wildlife authorities towed it into the harbor and hoisted it onto land.

The length, weight and stomach contents of the fish were measured by Dr. Gomes-Pereira. The mola's thick skin made it difficult to cut it. The fish was too large to be preserved in a local museum.

The scientists were unable to determine the age of the fish, but Dr. Gomes-Pereira thinks it was at least two decades old. Estimates suggest that there is a limit to the life span of these animals.

The fish may have died. There was a large contusion on the side of the animal's head. There is a chance that the fish was hit by a boat. The boaters in the Azores need to be more aware of their impact on ocean wildlife, according to the scientists.

The discovery of this fish shows people that the ocean is still healthy enough to support the largest animals on the planet, as well as inspire them to do more to protect it. He said that it was a warning for further measures to be taken.