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Unusually warm temperatures in the Bay of Fundy are attracting exotic species that rarely venture so far north -- including a several-hundred pound flat fish that is often mistaken for a shark and can grow to be thousands of pounds.
The mola mola, or ocean sunfish, was spotted and recorded earlier this week by a tour operator who runs whale watching trips out of St. Andrews, N.B.
The fish often swims near the surface of the water, and has a large, triangular fin that resembles a shark’s. In fact, that’s what Nick Hawkins thought he was seeing at first. It wasn’t until he got closer and began recording the creature, that he realized it was something different. |
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“We saw a fin come up and when we approached it was a mola mola, which is a really bizarre looking fish,” he told CTV Atlantic. “This certain one was actually a small mola mola because they can get very large. I’d put this one at about three or four hundred pounds.”
Considered the largest bony fish in the world, the mola mola is typically found in warmer waters, but with temperatures in the Bay of Fundy becoming more temperate in recent months, unusual species have begun to appear, said James Upham, a public programming interpreter at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John.
He said the mola mola is a fascinating fish to see in the wild because of its flat shape, unique swimming style and its tendency to stay close to the surface. |
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