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Rare Sunfish Washes Ashore; New Fossil Discovered

9/13/2025

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Story summary
  • A rare Mola tecta, or "hoodwinker sunfish," washed ashore in Bodega Bay, California, attracting attention.
  • This subspecies, first identified in New Zealand in 2017, usually inhabits the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Scientists speculate it may have crossed equatorial waters by diving deep.
  • Additionally, a fossil of an extinct sea cow, possibly a new species, was found on Santa Rosa Island.
  • The fossil, dating back 20-25 million years, suggests a former marine ecosystem in the region.