What is this incredible fish that was found by a bather on a beach in the south of Spain?

The waters that lap the shorelines of all the beaches of Cadiz province in the Andalucía region in the south of Spain are the habitat of a large number of rather surprising species of marine life. Incredible fish of great beauty that sometimes take bathers by surprise. This is exactly what happened recently on the beach of La Línea de la Concepción.

A bather was in the water enjoying a swim when he suddenly spotted a large fish that surprised everyone who was present. The man in question is a TikTok user called @clemente_heredia and he went on to share his video of this bony fish on social media.

As can be seen in the video, the species caught by this bather is known as the ocean sunfish (or common mola of the Molidae genus). In this case, a small juvenile as some adults can exceed three metres in length. The main characteristic of this fish is its flattened, yet rounded body that has a greyish colour closely resembling the full moon, hence its name.

It is a species of great beauty that does not usually frequent waters close to shore. In this case, the reason why this sunfish made it to shallow water could be that it was fleeing from a predator. In fact, in the video you can see that it has no dorsal fin . Judging by the shape of the wound, it looks likely to have been the result of some attack.

Despite their large size, ocean sunfish are completely harmless to humans. It is a calm and curious species with a very passive behaviour. Neither does it attack when threatened, as it has no teeth or venom to defend itself. It is a fish that can be observed and even touched without any problem.

In any case, the best thing to do if you spot such a specimen is not to touch it and avoid getting too close to avoid causing it any kind of harm, as it is a particularly sensitive and vulnerable species due to its passive nature.