A sailboat that sank recently off Newport Beach, Ca., has attracted at least two ocean sunfish, or Mola molas.
As viewers of the accompanying footage will note, the oval-shaped fish are distinctive in appearance.
To borrow from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, ocean sunfish "look like the invention of a mad scientist."
The footage was captured Saturday by Erica Page from aboard the Newport Coastal Adventure
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Page’s Instagram description: "Sunken ships create hiding places for creatures of the deep and this morning we found two giant mola molas taking shelter under a recently wrecked sailboat off the coast of Newport Beach."
Mola molas, which occur globally and can weigh 5,000 pounds,
are the planet’s heaviest bony fishes. (This excludes sharks and rays, including the planet's largest fish: the whale shark.)
They're commonly referred to as gentle giants because of their docile nature, and a diet that includes plankton and algae, small fish, crustaceans, and sea jellies.
Mola molas are spotted infrequently by California boaters, and are sometimes preyed upon by sharks, sea lions, and killer whales.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Sunken boat off Newport Beach attracts alien-like visitors
