World's largest bony fish, weighing 3 tonnes and 3 metres, discovered by scientists

This discovery will delight fans of mythological monsters! No, unfortunately, it's not the Loch Ness monster or the Leviathan, but the size (and especially the weight) of this sunfish is enough to classify it as the biggest in the world!

A huge fish

3 metres high and 3 metres wide. Not bad for a fish! This giant humpback sunfish has broken the record for the largest fish in the world. Discovered on 9 December 2021, the record holder was found, unfortunately lifeless, off the Azores, in the Atlantic Ocean, more precisely near the Portuguese island of Faial. It is assumed that it collided with a boat and died on the impact.

The results, published in the Journal of Fish Biology, a reference on the subject, are clear: it is indeed the 'heaviest bony fish in the world', according to the scientists. And indeed, with its 2,744 kg, or nearly 3 tonnes, it fully deserves its title.

The previous record was also a sunfish

Humpback sunfish are no strangers to this. The previous record for the world's largest bony fish was also held by the same species, this time discovered in the Sea of Japan. The difference is that this one far exceeds its predecessor: 2,750 kg compared to 2,300. The popular belief is that the biggest fish in the world are whale sharks.

By comparison, the record-breaking sunfish weighs as much as an African forest elephant. One wonders how it managed to float. To find out what might be inside this sea monster, researchers analysed its DNA by taking samples from its remains. José Nuno Gomes-Pereira, lead author of the study and a marine biologist with the Atlantic Naturalist Association for Live Science said:

The photos of its corpse do not do justice to the incredible appearance it must have had in the water, it was a majestic specimen.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

-Journal of fish biology: The heaviest bony fish in the world: a 2 744 kg giant sunfish Mola alexandrini (Ranzani, 1 839) from the North Atlantic

-GEO: Le poisson-lune de près de 3 tonnes découvert aux Açores est bien le plus gros poisson osseux du monde.

-Live Science: 'Majestic' 3-ton sunfish sets a new world record for largest bony fish ever discovered