Surprising discovery of a species of fish rarely seen

A huge marine species appeared that attracted the attention of American scientists. The strange creature was found stranded on a beach in Santa Barbara California. Biologists have called it "moon fish" (Mola Tecta).

For them, there is no other occurrence of this marine species in the northern hemisphere and they have been dazzled.

Researchers at the University of California said the animal was 2.13 meters long. Marianne Nyegaard, of Murdoch University, Australia, after suspecting that it was a sunscreen, described this rare species and confirmed that it actually belongs to the species Mola Tecta or Moonfish .

"It was really exciting to collect the photos and samples, knowing that this could potentially be an extraordinary sighting," said Jessica Nielsen, Conservation Specialist at Coal Oil Point, who was one of the first to see the fish.

All specimens of this huge fish have been found so far in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Chile. That's why scientists are trying to find out if it's a fish that has moved away from its natural habitat or where there is a population in that tide oceanic, which has not yet been discovered.

Note that the etymology of the species to which this strange creature belongs (Mola Tecta) comes from the Latin word tectus, which means "disguised" or "hidden" because for nearly three centuries this fish has succeeded to go unnoticed. scientific community

Source: Los Andes