Slender sunfish
| Slender sunfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Molidae |
| Genus: | Ranzania Nardo, 1840 |
| Species: | R. laevis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ranzania laevis (Pennant, 1776) | |
The slender sunfish (Ranzania laevis) is a mola of the family Molidae, the only member of the genus Ranzania,[1] found globally in tropical and temperate seas. Its length is up to 1 m (3.3 ft). Several stranding and mass stranding events have been discovered on beaches near Albany, Western Australia.[2][3]
The body of this fish gives the appearance of the side view of a larger shark (an optical illusion underwater). This is most likely to ward off any would be predators.
Gallery
Close-up of the head of a slender sunfish
Slender sunfish in Napili Bay, Maui, Hawaii
References
- ↑ Matsuura, K. (2014): Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. Ichthyological Research, 62 (1): 72-113.
- ↑ "A Marine Rarity. Shoal of Stranded Sunfish". The West Australian. 1928.
- ↑ "Albany Sunfish. Rare Fish Found Locally". Albany Advertiser. 1941.
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