The discovery of a dead sunfish on a Norfolk beach is “incredibly important” to scientists studying the biggest bony fish in the world and potential climate change links, an expert said.

The juvenile fish, measuring about 1.5m (5ft), appeared on North Beach in Great Yarmouth recently.  Adults can grow to 4m (13ft) and weigh up to two tonnes.

Dr Ben Garrod, from the University of East Anglia, said four had washed up in a year but the reason was unknown.

“Sunfish are one of the most weird but iconic fish in the sea,” the professor of evolutionary biology and BBC science presenter said.

The species – Mola mola – is the largest bony fish and generally lives in temperate and tropical waters.

At about 1.5m from the top to bottom fin, Dr Garrod said this was “the largest we’ve seen… in the last few years”.

“But it’s still a baby compared to the size of the adults,” he added.

This is the fourth he had been told had washed up on Norfolk’s beaches in the past 12 months, three of which have been examined at the UEA.

“We don’t know why they died and this is an ongoing research project, but it’s incredibly important as we know so little about them,” he said.

“I know they have washed up on the Norfolk coast – maybe once every 10 years – but to have four in the last 12 months is really interesting.

“We don’t have the evidence to say it’s related to climate change but no-one’s denying the oceans are changing.”

Prof Heather Koldewey, senior marine technical advisor at the Zoological Society of London, agreed.

“A single observation of one fish makes it hard to jump to a big conclusion around climate change, especially as occasionally dead sunfish have been recorded in previous winters off the UK coast,” she said.

“However, as sea temperatures change, we are seeing the distributions of many marine species change.

“There have been more sightings of sunfish in the summer in the southwest of the UK, for example, which may be more indicative of climate-driven changes.”

The full story on the BBC can be read here. The discovery of the sunfish was reported in EDP and can be read here.