ocean sunfish

American  

noun

1. a brown and gray mola, Mola mola, inhabiting tropical and temperate seas, having the posterior half of the body sharply truncated behind the elongated dorsal and anal fins.

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Etymology

Origin of ocean sunfish

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

“The ocean sunfish will actually kind of put their heads out of the water as they eat these. It resembles Pac-Man eating pellets,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2024

Other winners of a slimy new epoch would be ocean sunfish, a giant bony fish whose individuals can clock in at more than 2,000 pounds and consume jellyfish — and velella — in mass quantities.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2024

And if you like weird and appealing, the Mola mola, or ocean sunfish, makes a similar appearance.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2018

While humans win the fewest-children-at-a-time-with-longest-period-of-care contest, the ocean sunfish comes out at the other end, tops in the who-cares-let-them-sort-it-out-themselves sweepstakes.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2015

In the Hobart race, slow-moving ocean sunfish, with an average adult weight of about 2,200 pounds, are another problem.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2014