Ocean sunfish

From Nookipedia, the Animal Crossing wiki

Artwork of ocean sunfish
Real-world info
Name: Mola mola
(common ocean sunfish)

Family: Molidae (ocean sunfishes)
Main appearances

Other appearances
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[nb 1] 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[edit]

In Wild World[edit]

#53

Ocean sunfish
"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 2.0 x 2.0


In City Folk[edit]

#61

Ocean sunfish
"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 2.0 x 2.0


In New Leaf[edit]

#66

Ocean sunfish
"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 2.0 x 2.0


In Pocket Camp[edit]

#38

Ocean sunfish

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 PC Map Icon.png 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:


In New Horizons[edit]

#70

Ocean sunfish
"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 2.0 x 2.0


Donating to the museum[edit]

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

In Wild World[edit]

"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[edit]

"...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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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

In City Folk[edit]

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

In New Leaf[edit]

"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[edit]

Real-world information[edit]

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[edit]

Japanese マンボウ
manbō
Ocean sunfish, often translated as "circle fish" (actual etymology unclear)

Korean 개복치
gaebokji
Ocean sunfish

Simplified Chinese 翻车鱼
fānchēyú
Ocean sunfish, lit. "overturned car/wheel fish" after its basking behavior

Traditional Chinese 翻車魚
Unknown

Russian Луна-рыба
Luna-ryba
Lit "moon fish"

Dutch Klompvis Lit. "clogs fish"

German Mondfisch Lit. "moon fish"

European Spanish Pez luna Lit. "moon fish"

European French Lune de mer Sea moon

Quebec French Poisson-lune Lit. "moon fish"

Italian Pesce luna Lit. "moon fish"

Notes[edit]

  1. Japanese: マンボウ Hepburn: Manbō