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Molidae is the family of the molas or ocean sunfishes, bizarre-looking fish whose bodies come to an end just behind the dorsal
Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
 and anal fins, giving them a "half-a-fish" appearance. They are also the largest of the bony fish, with the ocean sunfish
Ocean sunfish

File:Mondfisch_Ozenarium_Lissabon_20090228.ogvThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known Osteichthyes in the world....
 Mola mola recorded at up to in length and in weight.

They have the fewest vertebra
Vertebra

A vertebra is an individual bone in the flexible column that defines vertebrate animals. The vertebral column encases and protects the spinal cord, which runs from the base of the cranium down the dorsal side of the animal until reaching the pelvis....
e of any fish, only 16 in Mola mola. They have fairly rough skin.






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Molidae is the family of the molas or ocean sunfishes, bizarre-looking fish whose bodies come to an end just behind the dorsal
Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
 and anal fins, giving them a "half-a-fish" appearance. They are also the largest of the bony fish, with the ocean sunfish
Ocean sunfish

File:Mondfisch_Ozenarium_Lissabon_20090228.ogvThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known Osteichthyes in the world....
 Mola mola recorded at up to in length and in weight.

They have the fewest vertebra
Vertebra

A vertebra is an individual bone in the flexible column that defines vertebrate animals. The vertebral column encases and protects the spinal cord, which runs from the base of the cranium down the dorsal side of the animal until reaching the pelvis....
e of any fish, only 16 in Mola mola. They have fairly rough skin. Also, they completely lack all caudal bones, and most of their skeleton
Skeleton

In biology, a skeleton is a rigid framework that provides protection and structure in many types of animal, particularly those of the phylum Chordata and of the superphylum Ecdysozoa....
 is made of cartilage
Cartilage

Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. It is composed of specialized cells called chondrocyte that produce a large amount of extracellular matrix composed of collagen fibers, abundant ground substance rich in proteoglycan, and elastin fibers....
. There are no bony plates in the skin; it is, however, thick and dense like cartilage. They also lack a swim bladder
Gas bladder

The gas bladder is an internal gas-filled Organ that contributes to the ability of a fish to control its buoyancy, and thus to stay at the current water depth without having to waste energy in swimming....
. The meat contains the same toxin as in pufferfish
Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, and toadies....
 and porcupine fish, but not in the same amounts.

Molids mostly swim by using their anal and dorsal fins, the pectoral fins are probably just stabilizers. To steer, they squirt a strong jet of water out of their mouth or gills. They are said to be able to produce sound by grinding their pharyngeal
Pharyngeal

The word pharyngeal, meaning to do with the pharynx or throat, may refer to:* Pharynx, for pharyngeal anatomy* Pharyngeal muscles**Superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle...
 teeth, which are long and claw-like. Typical of a member of Tetraodontiformes
Tetraodontiformes

The Tetraodontiformes are an order of highly derived Actinopterygii, also called the Plectognathi. Sometimes these are classified as a suborder of the Perciformes....
, their teeth are fused into a beak-like structure, making it impossible for them to close their mouth. Despite this, they feed mainly on soft-bodied animals, such as jellyfish and salps, although they will also take small fish or crustaceans.

Species

The family is small, consisting of just five species in three genera:
  • Genus Masturus
    • Sharptail mola
      Sharptail mola

      The sharptail mola, Masturus lanceolatus, is a species of Molidae found circumglobally in tropical and temperate waters. It is similar in appearance to the ocean sunfish , but can be distinguished by the projection on its clavus ....
      , Masturus lanceolatus
    • Masturus oxyuropterus
  • Genus Mola
    Mola (genus)

    Mola is a genus of the family Molidae. It includes two species, the ocean sunfish, Mola mola, and the southern sunfish, Mola ramsayi....
    • Ocean sunfish
      Ocean sunfish

      File:Mondfisch_Ozenarium_Lissabon_20090228.ogvThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known Osteichthyes in the world....
      , Mola mola
    • Southern sunfish, Mola ramsayi
  • Genus Ranzania
    Slender sunfish

    The slender sunfish, Ranzania laevis, is a mola of the family Molidae, the only member of the genus Ranzania, found globally in tropical and temperate seas....
    • Slender sunfish
      Slender sunfish

      The slender sunfish, Ranzania laevis, is a mola of the family Molidae, the only member of the genus Ranzania, found globally in tropical and temperate seas....
      , Ranzania laevis


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