The video will start in 8 Cancel

Sign up to FREE email alerts from KentLive - Daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

An incredible sunfish has mysteriously washed up on a Thanet beach.

It is believed to be a Mola mola which can grow up to an astounding 14 feet in height.

The finding was made at Naylands Beach in Margate today (January 19).

It was seen at around 12pm alongside jellyfish and seaweed.

Thanet family's tragic experience with dementia and bereavement followed for 3 years by Sky Atlantic cameras

(Image: Frank Leppard)

The sunfish, also known by its scientific name Mola mola, is the heaviest of all bony fish and can weigh up to two-and-a-half tonnes.

According to National Geographic, their truncated, bullet-like shape develops because the back fin which they are born with simply never grows.

Instead, it folds into itself as the enormous sea creature matures, creating a rounded rudder called a clavus.

(Image: Frank Leppard)

They have silver rough-textured skin and tend to visit the UK during the summer months.

Their food of choice is jellyfish, which could explain why it was surrounded by the tentacled creatures.

Despite their gigantic size and often being mistaken for sharks as their fins pierce the water surface, sunfish are harmless to humans.

(Image: Frank Leppard)

They are usually found in tropical waters but have previously been spotted on Kent shores.

Most recently, an ocean sunfish washed up on Whitstable seafront in 2016.

In 2012, another sunfish was found in Margate.

This is believed to be the first sunfish to wash up on UK shores this year.