One of the world 's weirdest fish has been captured making a rare appearance near the surface . With its bulbous eyes , flat body and tiny fins , the Mola Mola is an unusual sight in the blue waters of California . But short of shying away from the camera the fish appeared to strike a pose . The photographs of the bizarre-looking ocean sunfish were taken by experienced diver Daniel Botelho . Scroll down for video . One of the world 's weirdest fish - a Mola Mola - has been captured making a rare appearance above the water by diver Daniel Botelho in San Diego , California . Mr Botelho has spent years photographing the intriguing species all over the world . Despite their large and intimidating presence , he found the fish to be friendly and gentle - with one even following him like a pet . The 34-year-old said : 'They are usually very shy but once they get used to you they can follow you like a pet . 'In my case I had a gentle Mola Mola following me all the time until I got back to the boat . It reminded me of my dog . Mola Mola spend most of their days in deep waters but rise to the surface to be cleaned by other fish and birds . They are the heaviest known bony fish in the world and usually weigh around 2,000lb although larger specimens can weigh up to 5,000lb . Above , a Mola Mola curiously pokes its head up near a boat . Mr Botelho can be seen behind the Mola Mola ( left ) , which is usually found in deeper waters ( right ) ' I have a special affection for Mola Molas , I love them and I am always looking for the challenge of interacting and photographing these fish . ' Mola Mola are the heaviest known bony fish in the world and weigh around 2,000lb . They can grow up to 13ft in length and can not close their mouth fully . They spend most of their days in deep waters but rise to the surface to be cleaned by other fish and birds . Mr Botelho added : 'They also cause a huge impact on people and I have several photos that have become viral on the internet just because people are amazed by the fish 's shape . 'Some wrote to me attesting that they never even thought there could be such a fish in the seas . ' Sunfish , or Mola Mola , are the heaviest bony fish in the world . The largest specimens can reach 14ft vertically and 10ft horizontally , weighing nearly 5,000lb . Sunfish develop their truncated , bullet-like shape because they are born with a back fin that never grows . Instead , it folds into itself . Mola in Latin means 'millstone ' and describes the sunfish ’ s somewhat circular shape . They are a silvery color and have a rough skin texture . They are found in temperate and tropical oceans around the world , and are often mistaken for sharks when their huge dorsal fins emerge above the water . Their teeth are fused into a beak-like structure and they are unable to fully close their relatively small mouths . Two Mola Mola rise to the surface . The 34-year-old photographer said : ' I have a special affection for Mola Molas , I love them and I am always looking for the challenge of interacting and photographing these fish ' Despite their large and intimidating presence , Mr Botelho found the large fish to be friendly and gentle - with one even following him like a pet .
Huge fish was snapped in California when it came to the surface to clean . They can grow up to 13ft but usually live in deep water and are rarely seen . Comment: