They’re the second largest bony fish in the world
15:25, 18 Aug 2025Updated 16:31, 18 Aug 2025
This odd looking fish was spotted off the coast of Ilfracombe while a local company was out on a sea safari.
The ocean Sunfish, also known as Mola Mola, is a huge, flat and circular fish that is often spotted swimming on its side to bask in the sun.
Experts suggest that they do this to raise their temperature after diving down to cooler waters to feed. Their fin can be mistaken for a shark as it sticks out the water.
They’re pretty common in the UK but often stay away from the shore.
The Ilfracombe Sea Safari spotted the creature far off the North Devon coast last Friday.
They feed mostly on jellyfish and species that live on the sea floor like crustaceans and molluscs.
They’re mostly seen in the summer months in the UK and are considered the second largest bony fish in the world after the southern sunfish, which is slightly larger.
Nancy Hutchings at Ilfracombe Sea Safari said that they see them almost every day whilst out on their trips.
“They’re really peculiar things, we’ve seen quite big ones and more frequently over the last 2 to 3 weeks,” Nancy said.
“When it is sunny, funnily enough, when we have calm days we see them daily, they’re around quite a lot.”
“They do stay off the coast, they don’t tend to come into the harbour. They’re fascinating, the way that they swim. The ones we’ve seen this year have been bigger than the ones we’ve seen in the past.”