Mola mola are the gigantic fish that evolution forgot
Mola mola are enormous fish that are so bizarre and so strangely formed that people describe them as the fish that evolution forgot. They can reach a staggering weight of 2,000kg (4,400lbs) and a length of almost 3.5m (11 feet). They are the largest bony fish in the world. Whale sharks are larger but they are cartilaginous, not possessing true bones.
In the course of evolution, this fish developed to have a small tail that appears to be non existent. It is actually referred to as a pseudo tail. It propels itself through the water by flapping its pectoral and dorsal fins.
Descended from puffer fish, this bizarre creature has been called the fish that evolution forgot, or the fish that evolved into a useless form. Its structure is so perplexing that it defies logic in many ways.
The teeth of the Mola mola are fused into a beak-like structure that makes it impossible for the fish to close its mouth. It has pharyngeal teeth (teeth in its throat) to assist in feeding.
Slow moving, these fish are vulnerable to sharks, orcas, and sea lions, but few other predators can bite through the thick skin of a mature Mola mola. For short distances, these fish can put on a short burst of speed, enabling them to actually leap out of the water.
Once thought to eat primarily jellyfish, it is now understood that this makes up only 15% of its diet. Mola mola also consume small fish, fish eggs, and squid.
Survival of the species is largely dependent on their ability to produce massive numbers of eggs. The female can produce as many as 300,000,000 eggs which is the greatest number of eggs known to be produced by any vertebrate animal.
This is one of the world's most unusual fish in any ways.
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