World's heaviest bony fish weighs in at a whopping 2744 kilograms

2 years ago 127

A confederate sunfish (Mola alexandrini) recovered dormant disconnected the seashore of Faial Island successful the Azores has breached the grounds for the world's heaviest bony food - though determination are boneless food that measurement more

Life 14 October 2022

By Alex Wilkins

A dormant confederate sunfish (Mola alexandrini) discovered adjacent the Azores successful the Atlantic has taken the grounds for the world’s heaviest bony fish, weighing successful astatine 2744 kilograms.

While determination are heavier food without bones, similar the cartilage-filled whale shark (Rhincodon typus) which tin measurement much than 20 tonnes, the erstwhile grounds holder for the world’s heaviest bony food was besides a confederate sunfish, recovered successful Kamogawa successful Japan successful 1996, which weighed 2300 kilograms and was 272-centimetres long.

In December 2021, José Nuno Gomes-Pereira astatine the Atlantic Naturalist Association successful Portugal and his colleagues recovered a large, dormant sunfish floating disconnected the seashore of Faial Island. Gomes-Pereira and his squad managed to propulsion the carcass to enactment to weigh, measurement and illustration DNA from the fish.

Using a crane, they weighed it astatine 2744 kilograms – much than 400 kilograms heavier than the erstwhile heaviest – and measuring 325 cm successful length.

While they don’t cognize what killed the fish, they recovered a ample semi-cylindrical slump adjacent its caput marked with reddish paint, typically seen connected the keel of boats. It isn’t clear, however, whether this people happened earlier oregon aft the food died.

Journal reference: Journal of Fish Biology, DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15244

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