On rare occasions, individuals have been found near the coast. but usually they inhabit the open ocean. adults spend some of their time lying on their side, floating in the water as if dead.
Two ocean sunfish species, the ocean sunfish and the sharptail sunfish, are probably the heaviest and largest sunfish, reaching a weight of more than 4,400 pounds (2,000 Kg) and a length of 11 feet (3.4 m). The smallest species in this family is the slender sunfish, which measures about 40 inches (1 m) long.