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Large, odd-looking fish washes ashore in California: ‘So weird and gorgeous’

September 12, 2025
in News
Large, odd-looking fish washes ashore in California: ‘So weird and gorgeous’
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Could be fishing for compliments.

Two rare, large and odd-looking fish washed up on a beach in California this past weekend — with lucky witnesses reveling in the “gorgeous” otherworldly sighting.

Mola tecta sunfish on a beach.
The large and strange-looking fish initially were reported as sharks. Sonoma County Regional Parks

The eye-popping sea fauna were discovered along the shore of Doran Regional Park, in Bodega Bay, Calif., with nature lovers initially reporting sharks swimming near a jetty, Sonoma County Regional Parks said in a Facebook post.

Experts identified the creature as a rare Mola tecta — a little known subspecies of sunfish which are known to grow to over 9 feet tall and as much as 4,400 pounds.

“It’s sad that it’s been washed to shore,” Stefan Kiesbye, a novelist and English professor at Sonoma State University, told The Press Democrat.

“But it was so enormous and so weird and gorgeous. It’s like suddenly you’re on another planet,” he added.

Unfortunately, only one of the two of the sightly fish survived, but officials assured human intervention did not cause the death.

Photos show the massive Mola lying flat on the sands as a dirty seagull stands nearby, offering perspective on the fish’s size.

Mola tecta sunfish on a beach.
Experts identified the rare fauna as Mola tect, which is a subspeciesof sunfish. Sonoma County Regional Parks

Also called the “hoodwinker sunfish,” the first specimen of the majestic creature was discovered in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2017, according to the Museum of New Zealand.

Scientists expressed surprise at the finding as hoodwinkers have mostly been spotted in the Southern Hemisphere.

People on a beach observing a Mola tecta sunfish near a jetty.
Mola tecta was first discovered in New Zealand back in 2017. Sonoma County Regional Parks

“We know Mola tecta occurs in the Humboldt current off South America, as far north as Peru,” Dr. Marianne Nyegaard told The Press Democrat. “But we did not think they would cross the warm equatorial belt — at least not very often.”

“But they definitely cross — probably by diving deep and swimming underneath the warmer equatorial surface waters,” the doctor stated.

The post Large, odd-looking fish washes ashore in California: ‘So weird and gorgeous’ appeared first on New York Post.

Tags: AnimalsCaliforniafishnature
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