Don’t you love baby pictures?

Hi Jammers, If you’ve been following me for a while you likely know how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE giant ocean sunfishes, the Molidae. I have been studying this group of fishes for decades; following them around the world. I was drawn to their strange shape, fascinated by how big they can grow (2200 kg, 5000 pounds!) and enchanted by their seemingly curious expressions and behaviors. They play a super important role in the world ocean by slurping up jellies and blowing the minds of visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

One project I am working on is trying to figure out where these big tailless fish reproduce. They make an enormous number of eggs, upwards of 80-300 million in one female. That’s a whole lot of huevos. And their offspring are just as cute as, well…just as cute as…porcupines impersonating a fish! My colleague, Dave Johnson at the Smithsonian Division of Fishes in Washington D.C., has taken a wonderful picture of the baby sunfish below.

Imagine being covered in sharp spines as a baby! No wonder mommy molas don’t cuddle their little ones! But that’s okay; these little rascals are pretty much self-sufficient from the second they hatch. Photo Credit: Dave Johnson

Summer is coming to a close and so is your chance to receive this amazing Summer Box from AnimalJamBox.com! Each box comes with these awesome Direwolf vs Sabertooth items:

• Reversible Soccer Jersey
• Reversible Team Wall Pendant
• Reversible Charm
• Reversible Team Lanyard
• Snapback Cap with Mascot Patches
• 2 Sets of Team Shoelaces
• In-Game Exclusive Item.

Only a few more boxes are available, so don’t miss out on this exclusive Animal Jam Swag! #AnimalJam #PlayWild #KidsGames #AnimalJamBox

With such sweet items one could say that Jamaa is getting its just desserts! This Wild Weekend might give you a toothache with all these new tasty treats; be sure to collect the Just Desserts clothing and furniture items before Jammers gobble them all up!

The new Woolly Salon Den in Play Wild is a blast to decorate! Are you looking for inspiration on how to deck out this amazing den? Check out our awesome speed den decoration of the new Woolly Salon Den and let us know what you think! The Woolly Salon Bundle comes with the Woolly Salon Den,12 exclusive Woolly Salon Den Items and the Stylish Salon Music. Getting into Play Wild is easy! Just download Play Wild from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or Amazon App Store and login; you can use your current AJ username and password if you already play at AnimalJam.com!