| NAME OF ANIMAL | DESCRIPTION |
| OCEAN SUNFISH | Ocean sunfish vary in coloration, though the head, back, tips of the anal and dorsal fins, and clavus are generally a mixture of dark grey-brown and dark silvery grey. |
| MEASUREMENT | COMMON TO BOTH |
| HEAD TO BODY LENGTH | measuring up to 3.1 m in length |
| TOP FIN – BOTTOM FIN | 8.2 ft (2.5 m) and across: 5.9 ft (1.8 m). |
| FIN TO FIN | 14 ft (4.2 m) and across: 10.8 ft (3.3 m) |
| HEIGHT | 4.26 METERS |
| WEIGHT | 2,000 -5,000 POUNDS |
| CHARACTERISTICS | |
| RANGE | OCEAN SUNFISH LIVE IN TROPICAL AND TEMPERATE WATERS, AND THEY CAN BE FOUND IN THE ATLANTIC, PACIFIC, AND INDIAN OCEANS AS WELL AS INLETS SUCH AS THE MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTH SEAS. |
| HABITAT | THEY GENERALLY STAY WITHIN 60–125 MILES OF THE COASTLINE, AND THEY APPARENTLY MIGRATE WITHIN THEIR RANGES. |
| PRIMARY DIET | OMNIVORE |
| DIET | OCEAN SUNFISH LIKE TO EAT JELLYFISH AND SIPHONOPHORES (RELATIVES OF JELLYFISH); IN FACT, THEY ARE AMONG THE MOST ABUNDANT OF THE WORLD’S JELLYFISH EATERS. THEY ALSO EAT SALPS, SMALL FISH, PLANKTON, ALGAE, MOLLUSKS, AND BRITTLE STARS. |
| CONSERVATION STATUS | VULNERABLE |
| REASON FOR THE STATUS | THEIR BIGGEST THREATS ARE LIKELY BEING HIT BY BOATS AND BEING CAUGHT AS BYCATCH IN FISHING GEAR. |
| CHARACTERISTICS | DESCRIPTION |
| REPRODUCTION | Oceanic sunfish reproduce by spawning. They are oviparous, meaning that females lay eggs that are fertilized by males. During spawning, a female sunfish releases millions of tiny eggs into the water, which are fertilized by the sperm of one or more males. The eggs then float in ocean currents, where they develop into larvae. |
| GESTATION PERIOD | 5 YEARS |
| YOUNG PER BIRTH | She may produce up to 300 million eggs in each clutch and produce multiple clutches each year. |
| WEANING | |
| SEXUAL MATURITY | 5–7 YEARS OF AGE |
| BEHAVIOR | BEHAVIOR OF THE SUNFISH WHILE THESE FISH ARE PRIMARILY SOLITARY, THEY DO OCCASIONALLY TRAVEL IN PAIRS, AND DO NOT APPEAR TO BE AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER. |
| MAIN PREADATOR | THE BIGGEST NATURAL PREDATORS OF OCEAN SUNFISH ARE ORCAS AND SEA LIONS. |
| LIFESPAN IN THE WILD | 82 YRS-105 YRS |
| LIFESPAN IN CAPTIVITY | UP TO 10 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY |
