Ocean sunfish

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New Horizons fish

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New Horizons fish
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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

Availability	Not currently available 2019-05-21 – 2019-05-24 (Ocean Sunfish Goals) 2020-06-29 – 2020-09-09 2022-06-23 – 2022-09-19
Location	Saltwater Shores
Shadow size	Huge (finned)
Size	251.4 cm – 349.2 cm
Rarity	★★★
Selling price	4,000 Bells
Version added	Unknown
Villager gift data	Tier: 3 (Uncommon+) Rewards:  1,500 Bells Fortune cookie (20%) +3 Friendship points

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.

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  Animal Crossing: Wild World

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  Animal Crossing: City Folk

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  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

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