MUST SEE: Giant Sun Fish Discovered In Oregon

A massive sunfish was discovered on a northern Oregon beach last week.

The Seaside Aquarium reported a 7.3-foot sunfish was discovered on Gearhart Beach, in Oregon.

The Seaside Aquarium reported in a statement, “Initially, this large, strange-looking fish was creating quite a stir on social media, and though it was stormy, folks were flocking to the beach to see this unusual fish.”

After a photo of the fish went viral, researcher Marianne Nyegaard from New Zealand confirmed the giant fish was a sunfish.

Take a look at how massive it is:

A massive 7.3-foot sunfish was found on a beach in Oregon, according to the Seaside Aquarium. pic.twitter.com/pHdRkHe7oT

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 9, 2024

Giant 7-foot sunfish found on Oregon beach turns out to be newly discovered species https://t.co/reb0254V4G pic.twitter.com/X4HV0rkNIP

— New York Post (@nypost) June 9, 2024

Per The New York Post:

A massive ocean oddity that washed up on a northern Oregon beach this week turned out to be a recently discovered species of sunfish, according to the local aquarium.

According to the Seaside Aquarium, a 7.3-foot sunfish was found on Gearhart Beach, north of Seaside, Oregon, on June 3.

“Initially, this large, strange looking fish was creating quite a stir on social media and though it was stormy, folks were flocking to the beach to see this unusual fish,” the aquarium said on Facebook.

News of the large fish reached New Zealand, where researcher Marianne Nyegaard quickly identified the marine animal as a different species than the ocean sunfish, or Mola mola.

Rare hoodwinker sunfish found on Oregon beachhttps://t.co/t6NEkmhqxn

— FOX 12 Oregon (@fox12oregon) June 7, 2024

Per Fox 12 Oregon:

A rare fish has washed ashore along the Oregon coast, and it’s a big one!

The 7.3-foot (221cm) hoodwinker sunfish washed ashore on a beach in Gearhart, just north of Seaside on Monday, June 3. At first, officials thought it was a common ocean sunfish, but it’s actually a relatively new species of the fish.

The hoodwinker was just discovered back in 2014.

The Seaside Aquarium was able to take samples of the fish for a researcher in New Zealand who confirmed it was a hoodwinker.