Frequent regional visitor Anatoli Gorolevici of Boston saw a strange sight in the early morning of Aug. 5 while out on the water with his eldest son. In Linkekin Bay, there was an oddly shaped creature about 6 feet in length. What Gorolevici first believed was a sick baby whale or shark turned out to be an ocean sunfish (mola mola). As the world's largest bony fish, ocean sunfish can reach up to 5,000 pounds.

 

According to the National Park Service, the sunfish, often dubbed "half a fish" due to its flat, round body, top-to-bottom tall fins and lack of obvious tail, is regularly mistaken for sharks due to its tall dorsal fins. It is believed the fish rise to the water's surface to sunbathe after hunting in cooler, deeper waters. 

 

Spottings have become increasingly frequent in Maine, especially during the warm summer months. Notably, this bucks the international trend of population decrease, with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature listing the species as vulnerable. The National Park Service reports this is likely due to climate change, as the Gulf of Maine is warming 99% faster than the global average, causing many species to travel further north.