Giant sea creature washes up on Oregon beach for third time in months, aquarium says

A giant sunfish, also known as a mola mola, has washed up on an Oregon beach for the third time this summer, an aquarium reported.

The fish washed ashore at Hug Point State Park in Clatsop County, the Seaside Aquarium said in a news release.

Three sunfish have washed up on beaches in the county since June, the aquarium said.

A mola tecta, or hoodwinker sunfish, washed up in June, followed by another mola mola in August, McClatchy News reported.

The newest mola mola measured almost 7 feet long, although ocean sunfish can reach up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 5,000 pounds, the aquarium said.

The mola is the heaviest bony fish on the globe, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The massive fish is more commonly referred to as the ocean sunfish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

With a “tiny mouth and big eyes,” the gray creature “looks like the invention of a mad scientist,” Monterey Bay Aquarium says.

They can be found worldwide throughout the ocean in “tropical and temperate seas,” according to the Australian Museum.

“These ocean giants roam the seas in search of their favorite food, jellyfish,” according to NOAA.

Hug Point State Park is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Portland.

This story was originally published September 22, 2024 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Giant sea creature washes up on Oregon beach for third time in months, aquarium says."