Friday, 21 March 2014

The Black Dragonfish

Idiacanthus atlanticus or commonly known as the black dragonfish, are long and slender fish with bodies that look like an eel. 

If you wonder what it looks like, just imagine the scary monster fish found in the animation, "Finding Nemo." Which one? The one located deep, deep down (2,000 meters) in the dark waters of the ocean, that emits light to stealthily attack its prey, which is another fish.



Not only is this creature odd-looking, but the sexual difference is also strange. Females are up to 40 centimeters long, have chin barbels, and have very long, scary-looking teeth that beats the piranha's. While the males are just 5 centimeters short, have no teeth and no chin barbels, and are brown in color. 

The larvae are even more unbelievable, the bodies are yellow in color  with eyes that extend like arms holding their eyeballs to see in all directions.


The black dragonfish can produce their own light through photophores that extend from the lower to upper surfaces of their bodies, also present on the lower portion of their eyes and at the edge of their barbels. This bioluminescent capability gives them immense advantage of never getting hungry deep below.



Read more here.