A rare marine visitor has been spotted swimming off the coast of Douglas this week. Manuela Swiatek filmed and pictured a sunfish swimming and flapping on the service of the water just off Marine Drive . She shared her footage with the Manx Wildlife Trust and Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch on Facebook.
It is difficult to gauge the size of the animal as the video was taken from some distance away but sunfish (also known as mola mola) can grow to three metres and weigh over a tonne and are the largest bony fish in the world. Clare Rogerson, marine conservation assistant and the Manx Wildlife Trust, said: ‘In brief terms, although not common, there are increasing reports of sunfish in UK southern and western waters. Watch as Isle of Man's energy security thrust under spotlight during lively debate Items removed from sprawling den created at Onchan beauty spot No cost increase for Isle of Man onshore wind farm so far British-Irish Council: We are just about on track to meet climate change targets ‘They are a tropical and temperate species so capable of surviving in a wide range of locations.
Around the Isle of Man they are only really likely to be spotted during the summer months. ‘The increase in sea temperatures associated with climate change may well mean that they become a more frequent sighting in the future.’ The ocean sunfish is odd-looking with a huge, flat and circular body - much like a giant swimming head.
Instead of a tail, it has astiff fringe of skin which can.
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