Moon Fish "Mola mola" Giant Oceans !!

aek081969 (52)in #busy • 7 years ago (edited)

Moonfish, or lampiris, is a large, round, deep silvery fish that can grow up to 2 meters in length, has small blood vessels in its gills that can carry warm blood from inside its body.
The mole, often called moonfish (Mola mola), holds the record for the heaviest bone fish in our oceans. Indeed, its average weight is one ton.
The moonfish spends most of its life on the high seas. Despite its immense size, it is a poor swimmer. This fish will be carried away by the currents that sometimes drag it away from its tropical range to temperate waters.
The largest specimens listed are just over 3 m long. However, its average length is 1.80 m.
The record weight is 2.3 tons. The recorded record is 3.10 m long.

During its evolution, the caudal fin (tail) has atrophied.
Its color varies from brown to silver through gray or white. The mole can change color depending on the brightness.
The mole is found in all the tropical and temperate seas of the world. It is a pelagic fish that searches for waters whose temperature is higher than 10 °.
Given its size, apart from the sea lion, sharks and killer whale, the moon fish has few predators. The absence of a caudal fin forces him to use the dorsal fin and the anal fin to propel himself, which gives him a sculling motion. Its epidermis is usually infested with a large number of parasites whose fish tries to get rid of by means of various stratagems: fish cleaners of the reefs or high seas, seabirds on the surface or leaps out of the water like certain cetaceans .
The moon fish feeds mainly on jellyfish. This menu is not nutritious, it must consume large quantities. It also consumes squid, crustaceans, small fish and planktonic animals.

The pier is invaded by many pests. As with other marine species, some fish act as cleaners.
The moon fish also uses seabirds to rid it of the most recalcitrant parasites.
This fish is pelagic. He enjoys temperate and tropical waters. It can dive to around 600 m deep.
Adults prefer to swim on the flank and can sometimes be found on the surface of the water. Some scientists believe that it is a way of regulating their temperature and "recharging thermally" before diving back into deeper and therefore colder waters.
With its flapping red fins, the moonfish stays warm even when the water cools. In addition, it has layers of fat around the gills, heart and muscle tissue to keep them warm.

Using sensors placed on moon fishes on the US West Coast, the researchers found that the average temperature of the muscles was "about 5 ° C higher than that of the waters in which he swims, between 45 and 300 meters underwater. the surface, "notes the study published in the journal Science.
Most of the fish are cold-blooded and therefore discovering a fish that is able to warm up its body like mammals or birds has been a big surprise to scientists.
"Before this discovery I thought it was a slow enough fish, like many fish that swim in cold environments," says the lead author of this research, Nicholas Wegner, of the American Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA).
In the end, this system of internal heating allows him to keep the brain warm, powerful, and keep his active muscles to swim faster and catch his prey.

The mole's reproductive cycle is poorly known, but it appears that the fish cluster in spawning grounds that would be located in the various oceans of both hemispheres. Females can lay up to 300 million eggs that are fertilized by the male's sperm upon ejection. The larvae are tiny and only 2.5 millimeters at birth. Growing up they become what is called fry. They are small, ringed mounds of thorns that disappear during growth and make them look like hedgehog fish. The young live in schools but lose this gregarious instinct while growing up. Their growth rate is unknown but it is extremely fast. Specimens in the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California increased from 26 to 399 kg and reached a height of 1.80 meters in 15 months.

The diet of the mole is mainly made up of jellyfish that the fish consume in large quantities given their low nutritional value. Its growth is continuous and directly related to the food it absorbs. The more she eats, the more she grows up.

Threats to the pier are diverse. The fish is most often the victim of drag nets, but it is also lured by the floating waste of the plastic bags that it confuses, like turtles, with jellyfish. Its fishing is absolutely not regulated and the mole meat is sought in Asia (Japan and Taiwan mainly). Some parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine. There is no global census of the species and the mole has no protection status.
The diet of the mole is mainly made up of jellyfish that the fish consume in large quantities given their low nutritional value. Its growth is continuous and directly related to the food it absorbs. The more she eats, the more she grows up.

Despite its size, this fish is safe for humans. Pacific, it is easily approached by divers.

Its flesh is renowned for its great finesse. This fish is especially popular in Japan and Taiwan. It is also used as an ingredient in traditional Asian medicine.
Selling is prohibited in the European Union.

Moonfish often die accidentally in fishing nets. In some areas, these accidents turn into a real hecatomb,Drifting plastic bags that look like jellyfish are another danger,the fish dies while smothered.
The world's population is not known. However, recent studies indicate a decrease in this population.