I’ve encountered a couple of these Sunfish (“Mola mola”) in the wild off the coast of Southern California. They’re absolutely incredible to see in person and massive! While it seemed to enjoy our presence we made sure not to get too close or they might mistake your boat for a rock and try to flop on board, which is the only way they’ve ever killed a human. I’ve read they move to warmer waters as they age and the ones I saw were “only” around 800-1200 pounds. The ones around Indonesia can be 3000 pounds or more. Fascinating creature.
We "met" a king penguin at Singapore Bird Paradise that would follow people around at the edge of the tank (an acrylic sheet separated you from their enclosure) and try to interact. It swam up to my wife and followed her around, then went to another bunch of people and did the same. It seemed to enjoy watching people watching it and waving to it. Not every animal does, but this one did.
Any article about cardboard standees in japanese aquariums is incomplete without reference to Grape-kun, a penguin who fell in love with a cardboard cutout from an anime promotion.
These animals yearn for their mates.
I understand the conservation aspect of aquariums and all the good things that come out of it (research, etc) but it still makes me a bit sad when I read things like this.
An alternative last resort could have been to let small groups of real people in to see the sunfish during renovations. It could even be a PR thing with a lottery or something for the lucky sunfish companions.
How complex and sensitive animals can be! And it’s a big reminder that we have a huge responsibility for their well-being when we bring them into these kinds of spaces.
Is it loneliness, or stimulus deprivation? The tank looks barren in the photo.
:(
I'm surprised to see so many comments solely about how aquariums/zoos are cruel and feeling sorry for this particular fish, when it's a species that is regularly hunted. I wouldn't want to be locked in a cage/tank either, but by ending up in a well run aquarium this sunfish is doing better than 99.999% of sunfish that have encountered humans.
This isn't a screed against eating fish or meat; I eat both. There are a lot of unethical practices in these industries that I'd like to see greatly improved, but putting a few individuals in an enclosure where there is at least some research and educational value seems like not even a rounding error on the state of animal welfare.
Poor fish
Zoos are really quite cruel.
I wish I was that sunfish.
It's a fucking baby wheel man!!
During the pandemic / lockdown I was lucky enough to visit one of the reef pontoons off Cairns (Australia, on the Great Barrier Reef) that had been shut for several months. The resident Maori wrasse (a very large fish) at this pontoon, and others, has been known to have a relationship with some of the regular staff - often rubbing up against them in the water. When we jumped in the water that day the fish's reaction was the wildest thing I've ever seen. It was like a small puppy who has been locked inside all day. It literally jumped into my arms, flapping its tail to get closer. I'm going to repeat - this is a big fish, maybe a metre long and stocky, covered in a nice thick layer of slime. It would then swim away and come back and rub up against us. It did this to all three of us in the group ... only one of us was a regular. She hung with us for the whole snorkel and it was a bit sad when we had to get out of the water. Amazing experience. Made me feel differently about wrasses, that's for sure.