ocean sunfish

noun

Definition of ocean sunfish

: a large bony fish (Mola mola of the family Molidae, order Tetraodontiformes) having high dorsal and anal fins and a body nearly oval in outline and attaining a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and a weight in excess of 2 tons (1.8 metric tons)

Examples of ocean sunfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Exotic species, including ocean sunfish and Guadalupe fur seals, began roaming waters far north of their normal hunting grounds in Mexico and Southern California. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "‘Blob’ of warm Pacific water is back — could be trouble for marine life and weather," 10 Sep. 2019 Meet Our Expert National Geographic Emerging Explorer and grantee Dr. Tierney Thys is a marine biologist and filmmaker studying some of the ocean’s largest animals, including the giant ocean sunfish. — National Geographic, "Hawai'i Middle School Expedition," 12 June 2019 But leatherback turtles and ocean sunfish are exceptionally big. — Carl Zimmer, The Seattle Times, "In the sea, a big appetite for jellyfish," 26 Oct. 2018 Leatherbacks can weigh more than 2,000 pounds; ocean sunfish can reach 5,000 pounds. — Carl Zimmer, The Seattle Times, "In the sea, a big appetite for jellyfish," 26 Oct. 2018 Its heaviest modern counterpart is the ocean sunfish, which at its largest weighs in at a modest 5,000 pounds. — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, "Why Did Most Massive Bony Fish Behemoths Die Out?," 4 June 2018 Among those spotted were a live ocean sunfish and warm-water blue shark in the Gulf of Alaska, mahi mahi off the coast of Oregon, a Pacific sea turtle common in the Galapagos near San Francisco, and marlin in the waters off Southern California. — Jason Samenow, Washington Post, "Heat waves over the ocean have ballooned and are wreaking havoc on marine life," 11 Apr. 2018 An actual ocean sunfish is the world’s largest bony fish and can weigh from 500 to more than 2,000 pounds, according to experts. — Brian Ballou, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Consensus: Creature that drew a crowd at the beach was a sunfish," 18 Dec. 2017 Besides sea turtles and ocean sunfish, there are few animals that bother hunting jellies at all. — Steph Yin, New York Times, "Who’s Eating Jellyfish? Penguins, That’s Who," 29 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ocean sunfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

18 Sep 2019

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The first known use of ocean sunfish was in 1900

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