A sunfish, belonging to a rare subspecies that only inhabits temperate waters in the Southern Hemisphere, was discovered stranded on the Oregon coast. The Hoodwinker sunfish, measuring 2.2 meters in length, was first spotted on the beach in Gearhart on June 3 and remained there for several days due to its thick skin that scavengers found difficult to puncture.
The discovery of the carcass sparked interest among researchers, prompting New Zealand researcher Marianne Nyegaard to reach out to the Seaside Aquarium. After analyzing photos of the fish closely, Nyegaard confirmed that it was indeed a hoodwinker sunfish, rather than an ocean sunfish (Mola mola). She also suspects that it may be the largest sunfish ever recorded.
A study published in 2017 revealed that hoodwinker sunfish have smoother bodies than their relatives and multiple humps like other sunfish species. They are found in colder regions in the Southern Hemisphere, including New Zealand, Tasmania, southern Australia, South Africa, and southern Chile. However, recent discoveries of hoodwinker sunfish carcasses washed up on California and Alaska coasts have challenged this theory. It now appears that the species may have a wider distribution range than initially thought.
