What do sunfish eat in captivity

All rights reserved. Common Name: Ocean Sunfish Mola. Scientific Name: Mola mola. Type: Fish. Diet: Omnivore. Group Name: School. Size: 11 feet.

Weight: Up to 2. Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Decreasing. This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo. Share Tweet Email. Go Further. Animals Climate change is shrinking many Amazonian birds. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. No data exist on how fast mola grow in the wild but one Mola mola individual in captivity at the Monterey Bay Aquarium gained kg lbs in 14 months.

Fattened up on a diet of squid, fish and prawns, this fish had to be airlifted out by helicopter and released into the bay after outgrowing its million gallon tank. The longevity of molas in the wild is also a mystery although Kamogawa SeaWorld in Japan housed the same individual for more than 10 years in captivity.

Nakasubo et al. A growth curve derived from repeated measurements of captive individuals estimated animals with a total length of 3m would be approximately 20 years old Nakatsubo, T. International Marine Biological Institute.

Kamagawa Sea World, Japan. Liu et al examined vertebral growth rings in Masturus from Taiwan and estimated lifespan of individuals greater than 2 to 23 years for females and years for males. Accurately estimating and measuring the age of wild mola remains a work in progress. Mola come in a variety of gray and white patterns with some sporting your basic gray motif while others go for the more polka-dotted appaloosa style.

Many also have a slight iridescent sheen. Certain geographic areas seem to have discrete color patterns—for example the mola in Bali appear darker than those off Southern California. Molas may have specific traceable patterns individual identification research is taking place in Bali and Galapagos. Mola are capable of color changes particularly when stressed or under attack from a sea lion or other predator and can turn from light to dark within a matter of moments.

Recent examination of the diet of ocean sunfishes has challenged the traditional characterization of sunfishes as peripheral players in marine food webs and obligate gelativores e. Pope et al. Rather, a broader and more comprehensive examination of sunfish trophic position and diet has revealed that they exhibit ontogenetic differences in prey types i.

Smaller sunfish less than a meter in total length consume a mixed diet of benthic bottom and pelagic open ocean prey. Often these juvenile sunfishes may school together and consume nearshore prey taxa, including fishes, squids, crustaceans and jellies. As sunfish grow larger, they may become more solitary and shift towards consuming pelagic gelatinous zooplankton Harrod et al. This shift in diet from a high-energy, mixed diet towards consuming primarily lower-energy gelatinous taxa with larger size may seem puzzling at first glance.

However, these larger predators may shift towards a lower-energy diet because they may become more energy-efficient and we may also have historically underestimated the nutritional value of gelatinous zooplankton e. Drazen and Sutton , Briz et al. How is sunfish diet studied?

Traditionally, many fish diets can be examined using stomach content analysis of recovered specimens. However, since sunfishes consume many gelatinous prey, which are often especially susceptible to digestive processes, we use several complementary methods to assess diet, including: stomach content analysis, stable isotopes, genetic identification of prey items, and sunfish-borne cameras e.

Phillips et al. Sanchez and N. In the ocean, they get rid of parasites by letting other small fishes peck at their rough body. Because they are large enough to gulp a variety of small fishes and other diets, sunfish tend to be omnivores. Sunfish lurk around every level of the ocean to forage the prey of their preference.

Because they have a small mouth, they can consume plenty of small fish. Along with it, sunfish eat minnows, goldfish, guppies, smelt, and crayfish. Some of these small fishes comprise their diet besides jellyfish to help them grow. Plus, sunfish eat snails, frogs, tadpoles, bluegill, leeches, and zebra mussels. Given their habitat, sunfish eat leeches, mosquito larvae, and zooplankton. Sunfish eat algae, corn, and bread with the help of their small and sharp teeth.

Hence, sunfish are good at eating a diverse number of things. Because they are voracious feeders, sunfish eat a variety of food consisting of insects and eggs. Hence, sunfish eat fish pellets, flakes, worms, tiny fishes, fish larvae, brine shrimp, and daphnia in captivity.

Moreover, owners can feed sunfish a diverse and blended diet consisting of any of these various foods.