Remarkably rare 7-foot fish discovered on Oregon's northern coast

A fascinating event has captured the attention of people worldwide as a remarkably rare 7-foot fish was discovered on Oregon's northern coast, SSP writes. Enthusiastic crowds have gathered to witness this extraordinary sight, particularly intrigued by the unusual occurrence of spotting a fish typically found in temperate waters of the southern hemisphere.

According to a media release from the Seaside Aquarium, the remarkable 7.3-foot (2.2 meter) hoodwinker sunfish was first observed on Gearhart Beach on Monday. Insterestingly, the fish remained stranded on the beach as of Friday and is anticipated to stay there for several weeks, primarily due to its tough skin that makes it challenging for scavengers to puncture.

The aquarium provided striking photos that depicted the flat, round, and gray fish resting on its side in the sand. Capturing its sheer size, additional pictures featured a person kneeling beside the majestic creature and showcased a pickup truck parked alongside it.

Social media platforms ignited with buzz surrounding the sunfish, leading a New Zealand-based researcher, Marianne Nyegaard, who has extensively studied sunfish, to reach out to the aquarium. After studying photographs of the fish, Nyegaard confirmed that it was, in fact, a hoodwinker sunfish—a remarkable discovery considering this particular breed is less common than the ocean sunfish. Nyegaard even suggested that this specimen may be the largest hoodwinker sunfish ever sampled.

In a groundbreaking study published in 2017, Nyegaard made a remarkable revelation through genetic sampling and observation, uncovering that the hoodwinker sunfish, scientifically known as Mola tecta, is a distinct species from the more ubiquitous ocean sunfish, Mola mola. The Latin term "Tecta," meaning hidden or disguised, was aptly chosen to reflect how this newfound species has remained undiscovered despite its presence, quietly "hiding in plain sight."

This recent occurrence in Oregon isn't the only moment the hoodwinker sunfish has graced the Pacific coasts. It washed ashore on the California coast in 2019 and has since reemerged in California and Alaska, defying the theory that it exclusively dwells in the southern hemisphere. The aquarium suspects that this magnificent fish may have previously washed up in various parts of the Pacific Northwest, inadvertently mistaken for the more prevalent ocean sunfish at the time.