Sharptail Mola - Maximum mass (tonnes): 2

A species of mola called the Sharptail Mola (Masturus lanceolatus) is seen in both tropical and arctic seas all over the world. It resembles the ocean sunfish (Mola mola) in appearance but may be identified thanks to a projection on its clavus (pseudo-tail). One of the largest bony fishes, the sharptail mola can measure up to 3.4 m (11 ft) long and weigh 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Sharpfin sunfish, point-tailed sunfish, and trunkfish are a few more common names for the species. Very little is known about the biology or life history of the sharptail mola, which is extremely uncommon. Recently, it has grown in significance for the commercial fisheries that operate off eastern Taiwan. There is only one specie in this genus.

The sharptail mola mostly lives in the epipelagic zone and is rarely seen above the surface, where many of them look to be sick and parasitized. They prefer water temperatures above 20°C and spend most of the day at depths of 5-200 m (16-656 feet), but they frequently dive into deeper, cooler water, either in search of food or to evade predators. They spend the majority of the night between 100 and 250 meters (330 and 820 ft). They have been observed in the mesopelagic zone at depths of up to 670 meters (2,200 feet), although they may go down as far as 1,000 meters (3,300 ft).