Also known as the giant ocean sunfish, the Mola mola calls three-quarters of the globe its home. The mola produces more eggs than any other vertebrate on the planet. A single female can carry up to 300 million eggs in her ovaries. It is believed the mola's favorite prey is jellyfish, a food that is 96 percent water. Molas are opportunistic feeders, quickly developing a preference for fish, prawns, and squid when they are in captivity.
Molas are well adapted to eat jellyfish.
Their thick skin provides armor against jellies' stinging barbs. These floating clumps of seaweed are also gathering places for small fishes that nibble the molas' parasites. Juvenile molas are easy prey for killer whales, sharks, and sea lions. Sea lions tear off the tender fins, leaving the fish for sea birds. Molas are a delicacy in Asia.