Fish-moon - (lat. Mola Mola), translates from Latin as a millstick. This fish may have a length of more than three meters, and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest copy of the fish-moon was caught in New Hampshire, USA. His length was five and a half meters, there are no data on weight. In the form, the body of the fish resembles a disc, it was this feature that served as a reason for the Latin name.
In the fish-moon, the skin has a greater thickness. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bone protrusions. Fish larvae of this species and young individuals floating in the usual way. Adults large fish Swim on the side, moving softly by moving. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish is swimming. As an argument, they lead the fact that the stomach of the caught on the surface of the fish is usually empty.
Compared to other fish, the moon fish swims badly. It is not able to fight over the course and often floats by the waves, without a goal. This is watching sailors, noticing the dorsal fins of this vague fish.
Zooplankton serves for fish-moon. This is confirmed by the studies of the stomachs of fish, in which they found crustaceans, small squids, leptocephalov, swords and even jellyfish. Scientists suggest that the Fish-Moon can reach quite large depths.
Fish-Moon It is considered very fruit, one female has up to 300 million eggs. Spare fish occurs in the waters of the quiet, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Although usually this species is spawned in the tropics, the currents sometimes enter them into a moderate zone of warm waters.
In the Atlantic Ocean, the Fish-Moon can reach the Great Britain and Iceland, the shores of Norway, and even climb no longer. In the Pacific Ocean in the summer you can see the fish-moon in the Japanese Sea, more often in the northern part, and the Kuril Islands.
Although the Fish-Moon looks quite terrible because of his impressive sizes, she is not terrible to man. However, there is a lot of South Africa from Sailors who interrupt this fish as a badge of trouble. Probably, this is due to the fact that the fisher is approaching the moon to the shore only before the deterioration of the weather. Sailors associate the appearance of fish with an approaching storm and hurry to return to the shore. Such superstitions also appear due to unusual view Fish and its swimming method.
The moon-fish is amazing and poorly studied creatures, striking with their size, appearance and tremendous fertility. They belong to a tiny family, with only three types: an ordinary moon-fish, the sharply of the moon-fish and a wedding. This family refers to a detachment of needle-shaped and consists in relationship with such species as spinorogs, a fish-fugu and needle.
Common Moon-Fish (Mola Mola).
With its name, the moon-fish must be unusual body shape. At the most famous ordinary moon-fish, it is almost round, in the finance and sharpness of the moon-fish slightly stretched and reminds a melon or torpedo. At the same time, the body is flattened from the sides, but the grace is not different. The edges of the body seem ripped and remind of a failed pancake. In all languages \u200b\u200bof the world, one way or another contains a pointer to this unusual feature. In most European languages \u200b\u200bof these creatures, the Luna-fish or fish-sun is called, the Latin name of the species is translated as "firing", and in Polish, this fish is called "self-catering", since it seems that it consists of only a giant head. The body of the moon-fish is really strongly shortened, but the most amazing thing is that she has no main organ movement - the tail! It replaces the blade deprived of his own muscular system. The body of the moon-fish seems high due to highly developed oval-pointed spinal and anal fins. Breast fins, on the contrary, very small. The eyes are relatively large with a good-natured-foolish expression. The mouth of these fish is also relatively small, sharp teeth form something like the jaws, but for the discharge of solid items are unsuitable. The skin is very thick, rude to the touch due to bone plates, dating it, but at the same time elastic.
Moon-fish although they do not shine with beauty and grace, but can not cause admiration. The fact is that these are the largest of all bone fish, inferior in size only by the whale shark (cartilage fish). The usual size of an adult individual is 2-3 m in height (since they are longer than horizontally), the weight is 1 t. In the Guinness Book of the Guinness Book of the Moon-Fish size 4.2 m and weighing 2.3 tons! The only "dwarf" in this family is only 80 cm long running. The color of these creatures also emphasizes the similarity with the moon or millstones. She is gray, sometimes with whitish spots on the sides. Interestingly, the moon-fish is capable of changing the color: from the griffin gray to almost white. These fish has no sexual dimorphism, therefore, the males and females do not differ from each other.
The mouth of the moon-fish seems tiny in proportion to a huge body.
Behind the absence of the tail of the moon-fish are forced to move with the help of fins (most of the fish they only serve as rugs), but this method of movement is very ineffective. Making a leisurely shimmets of fins, these creatures can swim very slowly, and often prefer to drift over the flow. Sometimes the moon-fish swim on the side, but probably these are patients or dying individuals. Despite the colossal dimensions, these fish are very peaceful, phlegmatic and defenseless. They are absolutely not able to confront the attack of predators, and being attacked, only passively observe how the aggressor tears their body.
Moon-fish feed in small prey, and the same low-lifting as they themselves. Food for them serve jellyfish, swords, salts, small crustaceans and squid. And they are looking for food both on the surface of water and in depth. They can tear into pieces of an animal that does not fit into their small mouth, and solid foods are larched by pharmaceutical teeth. According to some evidence, the meat of the moon-fish can be poisonous, probably it is due to the eating of poisonous jellyfish and the accumulation of toxins in the muscles of fish.
Tiny Male Moon-Fish is armed with spikes.
The moon-fish has no special spawning unnecessary, so they are extended by caviar in the same areas where they feed. According to the fertility of the females of these species, they do not know equal: each can take up to 300 million eggs! This is an absolute record in the fishery world. Caviar at the moon-fish is extremely small and swimming in the thickness of the water (such a caviar is called pelagic). Due to this, it can be dealt with trends over long distances, contributing to the spread of these slow creatures on the academists. Tiny fry, hatched from cheeks, at first, have large spikes that protect them from predators. However, young people grow very rapidly and already by 15 months reaching the size of 1.8 m. According to observations in captivity, the moon-fish can live up to 10 years, the life expectancy in nature is not defined.
Despite the large size of the moon-fish many enemies. In young individuals, tuna can attack, Kojäki and Sharks love to hunt for adults. There are cases when marine lions have fun with these fish, biting them to the fins and throwing their bodies over the water. People in different parts of the world belong to the moon-fish in different ways. In Taiwan and Japan, they are considered the greatest delicacy (along with a related fish-fugu) and eat all parts of the body. In European countries, these species are prohibited. And in the tropics, the moon-fish does not use food, but also do not guard. Here they are considered pests, carrying the bait from hooks, so fishermen have been caught off the fins and trimmed on a slow painful death in the ocean junior.
Ordinary moon fish in Barcelona Aquarium.
In captivity, these fish are extremely rare, because they require large and deep aquariums, besides, they are often wounded about the walls of the tanks. Now boast the presence of these fish in your collection can Aquariums Osaka, Monterey, Barcelona, \u200b\u200bLisbon and Valencia. The moon-fish needs to be protected as amazing and still poorly studied representatives of the water fauna.
The largest fish (from the class of bone) in the world APRIL 28th, 2013
Having met this fish in the ocean, it is not a joke afraid. It would still be a total of 3-5 meters long and weighing several tons can inspire the fear with its size and completely untrue appearance.
In fact, the Fish-Moon is completely harmless, because it feeds on jellyfish, swords, small fish, crustaceans and other zooplankton, which turned out to be on his misfortune, with her near. It is not able to grow rapidly and quickly swim in pursuit of prey, this fish can not, but only sucks into his mouth-beak all edible, which will be nearby.
Because of their rounded outlines, in many languages \u200b\u200bof the world this unusual creation is called fish-moon, or fish-sun. (sunfish), because of the habit to bask in the sun, floating on the surface. German name translation means " floating head", Polish -" lonely head", The Chinese call this fish" inverted car" In Latin, the most numerous genus of these fish is called mola.What does "reserved". A similar name of the fish deserved not only by the shape of the body, but also sulfur, coarse skin.
The moon-fish belongs to the decoration of needle-shaped, which includes needles and fish, with whom they have a lot in common. First of all, these are four injured front tooth, which form a characteristic unclosed beak, which gave the Latin name to the detachment - Tetraodontiformes (four-rig). Family of Lunoid, or Moon-Fish, ( Molidae.) combined with an unusual view of these, animals similar to millstones. It seems that at the dawn of evolution, someone bit off the back of the body immediately for the dorsal and anal fins, and they survived and gave life as strange offspring. Indeed, representatives of this family of vertebrae are less than that of other bony fish, for example, at the species mola Mola. - There are only 16 of them, the pelvic belt is completely reduced, the tail fin is missing, and instead - a hill pseudo-tail - a buggy pseudo-tail. The Molidae family includes three kinds and five types of moon fish:
- Masturus
- Rod Mola.
- Rod Ranzania.
Almost all representatives of the Moon-Fish family live in tropical, subtropical, and sometimes in moderate waters. All of them reach large sizes And they have a rounded, compressed from the sides of the head and body. They have rude skin, no tail bones, and the skeleton consists mainly of cartilage. The moon-fish has no bone plates in the skin, but the skin itself is thick and dense, like cartilage. They are painted in brown, silver-gray, white, sometimes with patterns, colors. These fish absent swimming bubblewhich disappears in the early stages of the development of the larvae.
The moon-fish is the largest of bony fish. The largest measured mola Mola. Reached a length of 3.3 m and weighed 2.3 tons. There are reports that they caught fish, reaching lengths of more than five meters. In the process of development from larvae to adult individuals, all the moon-fish pass several stages of development, and all forms are not completely similar to each other. The larvae proceed from the caviar of the larvae, then wide bone plates appear on the body of grown larvae, which continues only among Ranzania fish fish, the mole and masturus ledges on the plates gradually turn into sharp long spikes, which then disappear. The tail fin and swimming bubble gradually disappears, and the teeth merge into a single plate.
Fish-moon - (lat. Mola Mola), translates from Latin as a millstick. This fish may have a length of more than three meters, and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest copy of the fish-moon was caught in New Hampshire, USA. His length was five and a half meters, there are no data on weight. In the form, the body of the fish resembles a disc, it was this feature that served as a reason for the Latin name.
Moon-fish genus Mola has most studied. Fish of the genus Masturus is very similar to Mola Mola, but they have an elongated pseudo-tail, and their eyes are displaced forward. It was the opinion that these fish - anomalous Mola, who remained a lacrimal tail, but studies have shown that in the process of growth of fish, the rays of pseudo-tail appear after the reduction of the larger. Some differ from other moon-fish representatives of the Ranzania genus, which reach a small size in 1 m and have a flatter and elongated body shape.
All the moon-fish when moving use very long and narrow anal and dorsal fins, waving them, like a bird with wings, and small breast fins serve as stabilizers. To steer, fish spit a strong jet of water from mouth or gills. Despite love to warm in the sun, the moon-fish inhabited at a commendable depth of several hundred, and sometimes thousand meters.
It is reported that the moon-fish can produce sounds with friction of pharynses that they are long and similar to claws.
In 1908, this Fish of the Moon was caught 65 kilometers from the shores of Sydney, she was confused in the steamer "Fiona" screws because of which the ship was not able to move on. At that time, it was the largest copy of the caught fish of the moon, it reached 3.1 m long, and in the width of 4.1 m. Photo: Danmeth
Moon-fish - record holders in the number of extended caviar, one female is able to postpone several hundred millions of eggs. Despite such fertility, the number of these extraordinary fish is reduced. In addition to natural enemies, which hunt the larvae and adults, the population of the Moon-Fish threatens the person: in many Asian countries, they are considered healing and their large-scale calf is conducted, although there are information that the meat of these fish contains toxins, like fish-hedge and needle And in the internal organs there is poison of Tetrodotoxin, as well as fish.
In the fish-moon, the skin has a greater thickness. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bone protrusions. Fish larvae of this species and young individuals floating in the usual way. Adults of large fish swim on the side, moving softly by fins. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish is swimming. As an argument, they lead the fact that the stomach of the caught on the surface of the fish is usually empty.
Compared to other fish, the moon fish swims badly. It is not able to fight over the course and often floats by the waves, without a goal. This is watching sailors, noticing the dorsal fins of this vague fish.
In the Atlantic Ocean, the Fish-Moon can reach the Great Britain and Iceland, the shores of Norway, and even climb no longer. In the Pacific Ocean in the summer you can see the fish-moon in the Japanese Sea, more often in the northern part, and the Kuril Islands.
Although the Fish-Moon looks quite terrible because of his impressive sizes, she is not terrible to man. However, there is a lot of South Africa from Sailors who interrupt this fish as a badge of trouble. Probably, this is due to the fact that the fisher is approaching the moon to the shore only before the deterioration of the weather. Sailors associate the appearance of fish with an approaching storm and hurry to return to the shore. Such superstitions also appear due to an unusual type of fish and its swimming method.
Do you know that the sun and the moon are not only in the sky? Do not believe? Take a look at the underwater world - there also have its own "shining". Deep under water, fish and oceans live in the name "Moon". Her appearance And gave her such a name. Take a look at the photo of the fish-moon - the underwater luminaries, and only - it is almost completely round!
But the unique appearance is not the only "achievement" of this fish. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Fish-Moon - the most huge bone Fish On the Earth! The size of the record holder is a little later, and first - a scientific classification. Fish-moon belongs to the detachment of needle-shaped class of bullfail fish. The family and the genus, which includes this fish, wear the same name "Moon-Fish".
Stock Foto Fish Moon - Underwater Luminous
What does the record holder of the Guinness book look like?
The biggest part, ever caught in the world, reached a length of 4 meters 26 centimeters, and weighed 2235 kilograms!
Flat disco-shaped body does not give a fish-moon to swim as all ordinary fish - vertically. Most of the time, this representative of the class of ammunition spends, lying on its side, but not at the bottom, and closer to the surface of the water.
The fish-moon has very thick skin, with such "armor" this maritime inhabitant is not afraid of external blows.
And this record holder has a very small brain, from all the multi-torque body weight, it accounts for only 4 grams. It was for this "lack" of the Fish-Moon received from scientists a hurt nickname "Round fool".
Fish Moon - the largest bone fish on the planet! Where dwells the fish-moon?
Her area of \u200b\u200bresidence is the moderate and tropical waters of the quiet, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This huge underwater resident is found off the coast of Iceland, Great Britain, Norway. In addition, there is a fish in the Baltic Sea and near the Kola Peninsula. It comes across in the Japanese Sea, as well as next to the smokers.
Lifestyle of the underwater moon
Round big fish Prefers a single lifestyle. Very rare couples of these marine inhabitants.
As already mentioned, this fish swims badly, after all, a large heavy body makes itself felt. Therefore, often the fish-moon is simply sailing, pickled to the flow, and where - he does not know!
Fish-moon's habitat depth does not exceed 600 meters from the water surface. But often it can be seen directly on the surface. This fish as if nothing worries, she would have to lie down, just no one touched!
There is one interesting belief in humans: if you see the Fish-Moon close with the shore, then this means the ambiguous disaster. That's so no suspect, swinging on the waves of the Fish-Moon, does not even know what is a bad admission.
What does the giant fish eat?
Squid, Salps, Tubers, Jellyfish and Sabwells are served by the main food for it.
How is the process of breeding a fish-moon?
Among the fishing "kingdom", the fish-moon belongs to another record - it is the most prolific. Every time during spawning, this underwater inhabitant postpones about 300 million eggs! But such a large number of caviar does not yet talk about the numerous descendants of the fish - most of the fry do not have time to grow to an adult, becoming the prey of lovers of young meat. Spawning takes place in tropical areas.
When a small "cub" fishes of the moon appears, it is less than the size of his parents at 60 million times! It can be found on his body, like spikes that disappear with age.
Natural enemies of the fish-moon, who are they?
In connection with the slowness of the fish, even despite the size, and other large water predators constantly lead to it. They swim to the robust fish and literally bite off from it on a piece.
Fish Moon Wears such an interesting name that everyone wants to see what it represents. In fact, this inhabitant of the ocean is quite large, it can grow more than 3 meters, and she has more than 2 tons.
In the US, such a fish was caught, which at all reached five meters. It is a pity that the data on the weight of this instance is not survived. It is not entirely in vain, it is considered the largest from the field of fish, to the family of which it belongs.
The moon received its name due to the structure of the body. Rear end And the tail of this fish was atrophically, so the body shape resembles a disk. But someone she resembles the moon, hence the name. I must say that the fishes of the Moon is not at all one name. In Latin, it is referred to as the Fish Mola Mola, and the Germans call her fish sun.
If consider photo of fishes MoonYou can see the fish round shape, very short tail, but wide, and long fins on the belly and back. To the head, the body is narrowed and ends with mouth, which is pulled out and has a round shape. It must be said that in the mouth of the beauty is full of teeth, and they have grown among themselves as one bone plate.
In the photo Fish Moon or Mall Mol
The skin of this ocean inhabitant is very thick, covered with small buses. However, such a structure of the skin does not prevent her elastic. About the fortress of the skin there are legends - even "meetings" of fish with a trim of a ship with a sheat, paint flies. The color of the self can vary from very light, almost white, to gray and even brown.
It is believed that a huge beauty is not too smart, because with its weight 200 kg on the brain only 4 grams are given. Maybe, therefore, it, practically, indifferently refers to the emergence of a person, does not show reactions to it.
It can be completely easily clung to the bug, but the harpoon will not catch it - the skin of the fish reliably protects it from malpune. The edge of the harpoon can not break through this "armor", it just bounces.
The skin of the fishes of the moon is so thick that it is impossible to break through the harpoon
It seems that at all and does not notice the attack on his person, it slowly continues to swim further in the thickness of the quiet, Indian or Atlantic Oceans, where fish Moon and lives.
Character and Lifestyle Fish Moon
Interestingly, the young people swim quite usually, like most of the fish, but adults have chosen for themselves another way of swimming, they swim, lying on the side. It is difficult to call it and swimming, it simply lies a huge fishing on the surface of the ocean and barely moving fins. At the same time, if it looks like, she can put a fin from the water out.
Some specialists tend to think that only not completely healthy individuals swim so much. But it is worth noting that an excellent swimmer, even the most healthy fish, the moon is not. For her too complicated problem is any, not even too strong, current, so it floats there, where it carries it. More than once many sailors could admire how the Giant swaying on the waves.
Such a spectacle in the fishermen of South Africa causes fear and even a panic, see the fish of the moon is considered a very bad admission. However, herself does not attack a person and does not bring any harm to him.
Most likely, the fear is caused by some superstitions, there is still an explanation - it is possible to see this fish near the shores only before the impending storm. Despite the fact that the fisher of the moon is sufficient weight, and is well protected by the skin, her enemies have enough.
Special suffering bring marine lions and. For example, it tries to oversee the fis fins, after which, so a sedentary sacrifice remains at all immovable, and then the predator breaks the moon.
Man is also dangerous enough for this fish. Many experts believe that the meat of fish of the moon is tasteless, and individual parts are even poisonous. However, in the world the mass of restaurants, where this is able to prepare this that it is an exquisite delicacy.
They catch the moon and for medical preparations, especially appreciate it in China. This inhabitant of ocean waters does not like the company too much, preferring to live alone. You can meet it in a pair, but it is extremely rare.
Such incomprehensible behavior is engaged in carts, and they are accepted for work. And so that it goes faster, you can attract to work and seabirds. For this, the moon exposes an armor or face from the water.
Food
With such a sluggirl lifestyle fish Moon, sure, predator Calculate can not. She would have died with hunger if she had to chase prey with her skill to swim.
The main food for this representative of the bulb is zooplankton. And he surrounds abundant, she can only suck him. But only plankton fish the moon is not limited.
Small squid, fry fry, that's the beauty can "serve as your table." It happens at the fish the desire to taste vegetable food, and then it eats aquatic plants with a big hunt.
But at least the fishery of the fishes of the moon does not give her and the slightest chance For hunting, eyewitnesses argue that they observed a kind of likeness of this case. With all its 4 gram brain, this beauty came up with how to get a mackerel.
It is clear that it is not able to catch it up, so the moon's fish just swims into a cant of fish, rises up and fluttering with all weight in the water. The multi-torque carcass is simply shuffling to the scumbers, and then takes care. True, such a "preparation" of food is not systematic and not typical of all individuals.
Reproduction and life expectancy of the moon fish
Snebral moon prefers heavily, that is, in the waters of the quiet, atlantic or Indian oceans. This commander is considered a very fruitful mother, because it is postponing hundreds of millions of eggs. However, nature was not in vain awarded it with such "largestity", only a small number of fry live to adult age.
Flocks have a number of differences from their parents. IN early age They have a big head and a round body. In addition, the fories have a swimming bubble, but adult individuals do not have it. Yes, and their tail is not as small as the parents.
Over time, the fry matches, their teeth are growing into one plate, and the tail is atrophy. Froks even change the way of swimming. After all, after birth, the fry swim, like most of the fish, and already in adulthood they begin to move just like their parents - on the side.
There are no accurate data on the duration of this fish. In her natural medium, the fish has not yet been studied enough, and in aquarium conditions it is extremely difficult to contain it - it does not tolerate the restriction of the space and is often broken down the wall of the reservoir or jumps into the land.