Ocean sunfish

← (69) Mahi-mahi

New Horizons fish

Ray (71) →

New Horizons fish
← (69) Mahi-mahi	→ Ray (71)

Ocean sunfish
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Mola mola (common ocean sunfish) Family: Molidae (ocean sunfishes)
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  マンボウ  개복치  Pesce luna  Mondfisch  翻车鱼  Lune de mer  Pez luna  Klompvis  翻車魚  Poisson-lune  Pez luna  Луна-рыба

The ocean sunfish is a fish in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World. It is the least valuable member of the shark family, selling for  4,000 Bells, and is also the only one to appear exclusively during the daytime. It appears with a finned shadow in the sea from 4 AM to 9 PM from summer to early fall prior to New Horizons, where its availability during the first month of summer was cut.

Catch details

In Wild World

#53

"I caught an ocean sunfish! Don't look directly at it!♪"

Description	A relative of the blowfish, they have caudal fins at birth, but as they grow the fins vanish.
Time of year	Jun – Sep
Time of day	4 AM – 9 PM
Peak times	Jun – Aug
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Huge (finned)
Fish size	300 cm
Selling price	4,000 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#61

"I caught an ocean sunfish! I'm feeling pretty sunny now! ♪"

Description	Comical and cute at the same time, these are poor swimmers and eaters.
Time of year	Jun – Sep
Time of day	4 AM – 9 PM
Peak times	N/A
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Huge (finned)
Fish size	About 120 in.
Selling price	4,000 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

#66

"I caught an ocean sunfish! My day is brighter already!"

Time of year	Jun – Sep All year (Tortimer Island)
Time of day	4 AM – 9 PM
Peak times	N/A
Location	Sea Tortimer Island
Shadow size	Huge (finned)
Fish size	300 cm
Selling price	4,000 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp

#38

Event availability	Ocean Sunfish Goals
Location	Saltwater Shores
Shadow size	Huge (finned)
Fish size	252.2 cm – 349.0 cm
Rarity	★★★
Catch rate	3.4692%
Selling price	4,000 Bells
Request reward	1,500 Bells, 3 Friendship Points Fortune Cookie (20%), Bronze Treats (30%)

In New Horizons

#70

"I caught an ocean sunfish! Good thing I'm wearing ocean sunscreen!"

Time of year	North: Jul – Sep South: Jan – Mar
Time of day	4 AM – 9 PM
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Very large (finned)
Rarity	Rare
Spawn requirement	Catch 20 total fish
Selling prices	Nook's Cranny:  4,000 Bells  C.J.:  6,000 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

Upon donation to the museum, Blathers will say the following:

In Wild World

"I understand that ocean sunfish are edible, but... I've also heard that unless it's incredibly fresh, it tastes rather foul. As such, it's usually only eaten where it's caught!"

The ocean sunfish will be found in the second room in the sea tank.

In City Folk

"...The ocean sunfish, it turns out, is related to the blowfish! Shocking, no? Absolutely mind-boggly! The resemblance is quite strong in its little mouth and round body... Seems rather blowfishy to me! ...There's something almost therapeutic about watching its slow, dull movements and vacant expression."

It can be found in the tank at the back of the aquarium, with other sea fish.

In New Leaf

An information board in the aquarium displays a description of the ocean sunfish:

"Ocean Sunfish are a relative of blowfish that can reach up to two tons in weight. Lacking a tail fin, they cannot swim particularly quickly, which is an odd bit of anatomical detriment. The number of eggs they can lay is the most in the world at over 300 million. However, out of that 300 million, only one or two fish will ultimately survive. Ocean sunfish sometimes like to bob up and down on the surface of the ocean. This gives them the appearance they're sunbathing, which helps to make them a popular breed of fish."

In New Horizons

When donating to Blathers or selecting "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fish:

"The ocean sunfish is a large relative of the blowfish with an unusual shape, like a fish head with a tail. They are a fairly relaxed species, often content to ride where the currents take them. This is fortunate as, otherwise, the sight of a large head coming toward you might be alarming!"

The ocean sunfish is found in the second exhibit, with the horse mackerel, the anchovy, the whale shark and the great white shark.

Fishing Tourney

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a ocean sunfish, Chip will say the following dialogue.

In City Folk

"When I'm feeling down, ocean-sunfish quesadillas always brighten up my day. Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

In New Leaf

"Let's see. The best way to cook an ocean sunfish is definitely tempura. Has to be! Tempura always works! Heck, swallowing this guy in a single gulp is pretty much off the table, even for me. Bummer!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

• 

  Animal Crossing: Wild World

• 

  Animal Crossing: City Folk

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

A real ocean sunfish

The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, is a tropical fish related to the puffer fish. It's the largest known bony fish, at up to 3.3m long and 4.2m tall, and weighing over 2 metric tons. When resting they will lay down on their side just below the ocean's surface in the sun, which is where they get their name. This behavior is believed to warm them, as prolonged exposure to waters below 12 °C (54 °F) can disorientate or even kill them.

Despite being classified as a bony fish, they have a skeleton largely comprised of cartilage, due to the sizes they reach. Like some other toothless bony fish, it has pharyngeal teeth, or teeth in its throat. Traditionally believed to feed primarily on jellyfish, they are now known to be generalist predators, also eating fish larvae, squid, crustaceans, and even eelgrass. Ocean sunfish are often victims of skin parasites, and they will invite small fish and even birds to clean their skin.

Names in other languages

	マンボウ manbō	Ocean sunfish, often translated as "circle fish" (actual etymology unclear)
	개복치 gaebokji	Ocean sunfish
	翻车鱼 fānchēyú	Ocean sunfish, lit. "overturned car/wheel fish" after its basking behavior
	翻車魚 Unknown
	Луна-рыба Luna-ryba	Lit "moon fish"
	Klompvis	Lit. "clogs fish"
	Mondfisch	Lit. "moon fish"
	Pez luna	Lit. "moon fish"
	Lune de mer	Sea moon
	Poisson-lune	Lit. "moon fish"
	Pesce luna	Lit. "moon fish"

Notes

Pocket Camp fish

Fishing Fishing Tourney Locations Saltwater Shores • Lost Lure Creek List of fish Amazon leaffish Anchovy Barbel steed Bitterling Black bass Black ghost knifefish Blowfish Blue marlin Butterfly fish Carp Char Cherry salmon Comb jelly Crawfish Crucian carp Dab Dark-banded rockfish Eel Flying fish Football fish Freshwater crab Frog Gar Giant king salmon Giant manta ray Giant river prawn Giant snakehead Giant trevally Golden trout Guppy Harlequin shrimp Horse mackerel Japanese halfbeak King dab King goliath frog King koi King olive flounder King red snapper King salmon Koi Largehead hairtail Loach Mantis shrimp Mitten crab Moorish idol Napoleonfish Nebula starfish Neon tetra Nomura's jellyfish Northern comb jelly Oarfish Ocean sunfish Octopus Olive flounder Pale chub Pike Pineapplefish Rainbow trout Ray Red snow crab Red snapper Ribbon eel Sakura shrimp Sea horse Snow crab Soft-shelled turtle Spider crab Spiny lobster Splendid alfonsino Splendid garden eel Spotted garden eel Spring mackerel Squid Stringfish Sturgeon Sweetfish Tadpole Threadfin trevally Tiger prawn Tilapia Tuna Vampire crab Violet sea snail Whale shark Yellow perch Zebra turkeyfish List of event fish Achilles surgeonfish Amethyst jewelfish Angelfish Aqua eggler fish Aquamarine jewelfish Arowana Atlantic horseshoe crab Atlantic mackerel Barred knifejaw Barreleye Bering wolffish Berry-chocolate fish Betta Bicolor dottyback Bigfin reef squid Black clown fish Black Horsehair Crab Black ruby barb Black wakin goldfish 30px Blackspot tuckfish Blooper 30px Blue bewitched frog Blue flagonfish Blue moon jellyfish Blue starfish 30px Blueberry-candy fish Bluegill Catfish Chambered nautilus Cheep Cheep Cheep Chomp 30px Cherry-candy fish Clown fish Coelacanth Crystal red shrimp Dace Dark-chocolate fish Diamond tetra 30px Dorado Eep Cheep 30px Fancy pastel arapaima 30px Fancy pastel arowana 30px Fancy pastel carp Flame angelfish Giant isopod Giant sparkly manta ray Giant squid Gold football fish Gold horse mackerel Gold olive flounder Gold starfish Gold tuna Golden koi Goldfish Gourami Grape candy fish Great barracuda Great white shark Green bonefish Green boxfish Green discus Green lumpfish Green moon jellyfish Green Napoleonfish Green octopus Green spotted puffer Green squid Hammerhead shark Honey eel Honey sea horse Honey sea slug Horsehair crab Horseshoe crab Icy butterfly fish Icy chambered nautilus Icy lobster Island Horse Mackerel Island olive flounder Island red snapper Island tuna Ivory arowana Killifish 30px Lemon-candy fish Lemur-tail seahorse Lobster Longsnout seahorse Mahi-mahi Maple-leaf koi Melon candy fish Milk-chocolate fish Nebula starfish Opah 30px Orange bewitched frog Orange bonefish Orange candy fish Orange discus 30px Pacific cod Pacific saury Pelican eel Pink anemonefish Pink eggler fish Pink koi Pink squid Piranha Platinum black bass Platinum catfish Platinum gar Platinum pale chub Pond smelt Pop-eyed goldfish Pot-bellied seahorse Puffer fish 30px Purple bewitched frog Purple bonefish Purple festival fish Purple octopus Purple starfish Ranchu goldfish Red festival fish Red flagonfish 30px Red king crab Red lionfish Red lumpfish Red sea bream Red wakin goldfish Ruby jewelfish 30px Saddled bichir Salmon Saw shark Sea bass Sea butterfly Shark Silver arowana Skipjack tuna Smalltooth sand tiger Sparkly jellyfish Sparkly whale shark Spotted knifejaw Surgeonfish Sweet shrimp Threadfin butterflyfish Umbrella octopus Weedy stingfish White angelfish White butterfly koi White lumpfish White puffer fish White ribbon eel White starfish White tuxedo guppy Yellow boxfish Yellow eggler fish Yellow festival fish Yellow flagonfish Yellow king piranha Yellow moon jellyfish Yellow starfish Yellowfin tuna Zebra moray Project