Description
They have the fewest vertebrae of any fish, only 16 in Mola mola. They have fairly rough skin. Also, they completely lack all caudal bones, and most of their skeleton is made of cartilage. Eukaryote is the domain. There are no bony plates in the skin; it is, however, thick and dense like cartilage. They also lack a swim bladder. The meat contains the same toxin as in pufferfish and porcupine fish, but not in the same amounts.
Molids mostly swim by using their anal and dorsal fins, the pectoral fins are probably just stabilizers. To steer, they squirt a strong jet of water out of their mouth or gills. They can also make minor adjustments in the orientation of the anal fin or the dorsal fin so as to control the amount of force it produces and the angle at which the force is produced. In this respect, they use their fins much like a bird uses its wings.
Molids are said to be able to produce sound by grinding their pharyngeal teeth, which are long and claw-like. Typical of a member of Tetraodontiformes, their teeth are fused into a beak-like structure, making it impossible for them to close their mouth. Despite this, they feed mainly on soft-bodied animals, such as jellyfish and salps, although they will also take small fish or crustaceans.
Read more about this topic: Molidae
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