I’ve encountered a couple of these Sunfish (“Mola mola”) in the wild off the coast of Southern California. They’re absolutely incredible to see in person and massive! While it seemed to enjoy our presence we made sure not to get too close or they might mistake your boat for a rock and try to flop on board, which is the only way they’ve ever killed a human. I’ve read they move to warmer waters as they age and the ones I saw were “only” around 800-1200 pounds. The ones around Indonesia can be 3000 pounds or more. Fascinating creature.
Also, they famously carry a huge number of parasites. This just seems normal for the species, similar to how sloth fur supports a variety of organisms.
It's normal for all species, humans included. We generally aren't carrying large loads of parasites, but that's not because not doing so is normal. It's because we put tremendous effort into getting rid of them. This is one of the theories for why human body temperature seems to have lowered since the measurement was standardized at 37 C.
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I’ve encountered a couple of these Sunfish (“Mola mola”) in the wild off the coast of Southern California. They’re absolutely incredible to see in person and massive! While it seemed to enjoy our presence we made sure not to get too close or they might mistake your boat for a rock and try to flop on board, which is the only way they’ve ever killed a human. I’ve read they move to warmer waters as they age and the ones I saw were “only” around 800-1200 pounds. The ones around Indonesia can be 3000 pounds or more. Fascinating creature.
Also, they famously carry a huge number of parasites. This just seems normal for the species, similar to how sloth fur supports a variety of organisms.
It's normal for all species, humans included. We generally aren't carrying large loads of parasites, but that's not because not doing so is normal. It's because we put tremendous effort into getting rid of them. This is one of the theories for why human body temperature seems to have lowered since the measurement was standardized at 37 C.
There was a poem written about the phenomenon:
Big fleas have little fleas
upon their backs to bite 'em
And little fleas have lesser fleas
and so ad infinitum
Written by de Morgan of de Morgan's Laws!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonaptera_(poem)
But he lifted the genius part of it from Jonathan Swift.
But there is also a scientific measurement if parasite load. Not all species carry an equal amount.
Turbulence: Great whirls have lesser whirls, that feed on their velocity / and lesser whirls have lesser still, and so on to viscosity.
The version I recall has "upon their knees to bite 'em". Maybe my juvenile brain made up that internal rhyme the better to remember it.
The ones I've seen get scared pretty easily, and when scared will rocket off awfully fast.