Seasonal & Holidays
Sunfish Captured in Rare Breaching Off Cape Cod
A sunfish was recently captured jumping out of the water off Cape Cod. Sunfish can weigh 1,000 pounds and are often mistaken for sharks.
EASTHAM, MA — A sunfish was recently captured breaching up out of the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Cod — a rare occurrence for the ocean behemoth.
A sunfish, also known as a mola, can grow up to 10 feet long and 1,000 pounds. They spend most of their life hundreds of feet underwater but sometimes bask at the surface — even more rarely, they breach up out of the water.
Dan Geagan recently captured a sunfish breaching off Nauset Light Beach in Eastham, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
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Awesome image of an ocean sunfish (Mola mola) breaching off Nauset Light Beach, Eastham, MA, taken last week by taken by Dan Geagan. pic.twitter.com/Og4zoFC5xX
— Atlantic White Shark (@A_WhiteShark) October 10, 2016
Sunfish are sometimes mistaken for sharks due to their similar-looking fins. They are native to temperate and tropical oceans across the globe.
Sunfish are attracted to Cape Cod during the summer to feed on jellyfish before heading south for the winter. The sunfish that Geagan captured may want to think about making its way south soon, as sunfish cannot survive in the cold New England winter.
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Sunfish get their name because they bask near the surface on their side, which allows the sun to neutralize parasites.
In 2014, a sunfish off the coast of Marshfield was mistaken for a shark, sending beachgoers scrambling out of the water.
Top photo: A sunfish seen near Eastham in October 2016. (Credit: Dan Geagan via Atlantic White Shark Conservancy)
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