The heaviest bony fish ever weighed, a “sunfish” weighing almost 2.8 tonnes, has been found off the coast of the Azores. It belongs to a species known for its size and weight, but the specimen found is quite unusual.

The fish was discovered near the port of Horta in the Azores and was no longer alive, and further investigations revealed that it was badly injured, possibly after a collision with a vessel.

The sunfish, or common mole, is one of the heaviest bony fish known in the world, weighing up to 2,000 kg. The fish found in December 2021 weighed 2,744 kg and was 3.59 meters long. For comparison, the Hummer H2 weighs 2,900 kg.

Fishermen discovered a giant fish near an island called Fayal. The superiors were called, naturalists also arrived, the fish was pulled to the shore for measurements and weighing. Since no museum in the area could preserve such a large creature, it was decided that the fish would be buried near the hill.

It is believed that the giant fish lived for about 20 years.

The discovery shows that the ocean is still unpolluted enough to support such large creatures and shows that conservation measures are needed to prevent deterioration.

In Japan in 1996, a fish weighing 2,300 kg and 2.7 meters long was discovered.

About 90% of fish have a bony skeleton, which distinguishes them from sharks and other species with cartilaginous skeletons.

Sources: phys.org, New York Times

Photo source: Dreamstime.com