Giant ocean sunfish, among the largest bony fish in the sea, make regular journeys from roughly 200 meters below the surface to feed on jellyfish. A clip from the BBC series Blue Planet III, presented by David Attenborough, shows how these huge animals move between the deep and the sunlit shallows in search of food and relief from parasites.
Once near the surface, the sunfish often gather among floating kelp. There they are visited by smaller halfmoon fish, which pick off the parasites clinging to the sunfish's skin. The arrangement works as a kind of cleaning station in open water, giving both species something they need.
After feeding and cleaning, the sunfish bask at the surface, warming themselves in the sunlight before sinking back into deep water. The footage was released as a promotional page by BBC Studios, which produced the series, and it offers a glimpse of a rhythm of life that unfolds largely out of human view.
Credit. Based on reporting for youtube.com. Is this your work? Write to us.
4
