A sunfish native to waters south of the equator recently washed ashore on a Santa Barbara County beach, leaving scientists baffled about how the giant creature ended up so far off course.

The massive fish, measuring 7 feet long and 7 feet wide, was identified as a hoodwinker (Mola tecta) – a species only discovered two years ago. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara's Coal Oil Point Reserve discovered the fish on February 19th at Sands Beach in Goleta.

"Rare finds are exciting, but this discovery is truly groundbreaking," exclaimed Shelly Leachman, a university spokeswoman. Collaborating with Pacific experts, local researchers confirmed it was an elusive Mola tecta. The name originates from the Latin word "tectus," meaning "hidden," according to a National Geographic article about the species' discovery.

The Santa Barbara discovery is remarkable due to the fish's secretive nature and its distance from its usual habitat – the waters around Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Part of the Molidae family, the hoodwinker has a wide body that ends abruptly behind its dorsal and anal fins, creating a flat or half-fish appearance. Its "comical pointy fins perched on top like a bird" contribute to its nearly square shape, explains Thomas Turner, who helped identify the fish.

"Imagine a giant, flat oval with a permanently surprised expression," said Turner, an associate professor in UC Santa Barbara's ecology, evolution, and marine biology department. "It's truly one of the strangest-looking creatures you'll ever encounter."

Jessica Nielsen, a conservation specialist at the university's Coal Oil Point Reserve, first spotted the fish in shallow water while conducting beach research. An intern later discovered the deceased fish on the shore.

The reserve initially posted photos of the animal on Facebook, believing it to be a Mola mola (ocean sunfish) – a common species in the Santa Barbara Channel. As a result, researchers left the giant fish on the beach for natural decomposition.

The Mola mola is an open-water fish that inhabits the depths of the Pacific Ocean. It surfaces to bask in the sun, earning its "sunfish" moniker. Despite its flat form, the Molidae family differs from flounder, which navigate the seafloor by wiggling. The Mola mola, the heaviest bony fish in the ocean (some exceeding 5,000 pounds), swims slowly in the deep sea.

Source: enewspaper.latimes.com