It is no ordinary fish. This special tiger-headed sunfish is 7 feet (2. 1 m) long, which is bigger than a hot tub for four people. This fish is also the heaviest bony fish in the world.
Therefore, on February 19, the researchers found a dead prankster on the beach in Santa Barbara County, far away from local swimming pools in southeastern Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and even Chile. [In the picture: the largest bone fish in the world]
Because this kind of sunfish is rarely found, the researchers spent several days to identify this creature. In fact, people know little about this beast. Although Mola Mola (a kind of fish belonging to Mora) has been studied for decades, scientists officially named this newly discovered bony fish in 20 17. Earlier, Life Science magazine reported that the fish was found after a dead fish was washed ashore near Christchurch, New Zealand. Researchers at the University of California say that "hiding" means in Latin.
Anyone can guess how the newly discovered Morateca disappeared on the beach in California, but this is the first time to see this behemoth in Santa Barbara in the northern hemisphere.
The researchers took immediate action after dead fish were found in the kerosene point reserve (where the beach is located) in Santa Barbara, USA. At first, they mistakenly thought it was an ordinary mola fish, a kind of ocean mola fish living in the Santa Barbara Strait. They posted on Facebook that it was a "sacred Mola". This 7-foot-long mora mora fish, also known as ocean mola fish, was washed to the beach on the east side of the reserve this afternoon for unknown reasons. It is even higher than its length (tip to tip)! This is the heaviest bony fish in the world. Thomas Turner, an associate professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, rushed to the beach and took his photo after seeing the post on Facebook. He posted his photos on an online community called "Naturalist", where scientists can crowdsource species identification.
Turner's post has attracted the attention of scientists all over the world, including Marianne Nygard, a doctoral student in the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Australia, who found and described the liar in 20 17, and Ralph Foster, the collection manager of ichthyology (fish research) in the South Australia Museum.
Everyone suspects that the ocean sunfish is actually a liar, but they need more information to be sure. They told Liu Hai that a news publication at the University of California, Santa Barbara said:
"I think this fish really looks like a liar, but it's frustrating that none of the photos clearly show clavus (a diagnostic feature)." Nyegard told Current that it refers to the rudder structure behind the tail. Because a fish is far out of range, I hate to call it a "prank" without clear identification.
According to the paper published on 20 17, unlike other Moravian species, pranks have no prominent noses, and their heads or chins are not protruding. In addition, the researchers reported that its clavus has a round edge, which is divided into upper and lower parts.
To help confirm the identity, scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara searched the beach until they found Mora's body again. Then, they photographed the special characteristics of the fish and even cut off a fin tissue for DNA identification. [picture: the strangest looking fish]
Jessica Nelson, a protection expert in kerosene factory, preserved and cut the tissue samples of sunflower. (Thomas Turner/University of California, Santa Barbara) Nygard once got new evidence, "I really almost fell off the chair (I was already sitting on the edge of the chair! (She tells current affairs news.
To celebrate, scientists updated their Facebook page and said, "The latest news about the mystery of Mola. . . This specimen has been identified as Morateca, a blinding sunfish! This is an amazing discovery because it is the first record observed in the northern hemisphere.
They added, "This is an incredible example of amazing discovery, which can be achieved through cooperation-great work, team!"
"Moonlight fish: the first warm-blooded fish in the photo: the unrecognizable fish rediscovered more than a century later: the photo of Amazon's largest fish" KDSP "was first published in Life Science."