The most terrible inhabitants of the deep sea. Viper fish
The viper fish, a representative of ray-finned fish, belongs to the order Stomiaidae, family – Stomiaceae. The genus that includes the viperfish is called the Hauliodae.
The most mysterious creatures live in the deep seas and ocean waters. Some of them still have not revealed all their secrets to scientists and researchers. But ichthyologists around the world are increasingly organizing underwater expeditions to the very bottom to find the “treasures” of the earth’s fauna. Creatures whose life takes place at great depths are distinguished by their unusual shapes and appearance. In addition, they have adaptations that make their existence easier in places where it is difficult to get food, where light practically does not penetrate, where life proceeds according to its own strict rules.
Scientists cannot say exactly how many individuals of this species live on our planet, but they suggest that the genus Haulioda consists of 6 species.
Viper fish... why was it called that?
The fish got this name for its ferocious appearance. Her head from the side really looks like a viper - sharp teeth sticking out of her mouth, bulging eyes. Well, how can you not be scared at the sight of such a creature?
The viper fish grows up to 35 centimeters in length. This is a relatively small fish. She has a long, elongated body that wriggles when moving. The color of the fish can vary from black to green with a silvery sheen. At the same time, fish can also change skin color during their life.
On the head there are special devices for deep-sea life - photophores. These are something like lanterns that fish use to attract prey in dark waters at great depths. Photophores are also used in communication with “their” relatives to recognize each other.
Where does the hauliod live?
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The habitats of this ray-finned fish are considered to be the deep waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Research has shown that this fish is not found in the Arctic Ocean.
Behavior in the natural environment
As already noted, this is a deep-sea fish. Its usual habitat is about 2000 meters or more. At night, in search of prey, this predator rises to layers closer to the surface of the water. But still, it does not float above 500 meters. This behavior is due to the fact that there is much more food in the upper layers and it is easier for the viper fish to get food.
Having grabbed its victim, the viper fish digs into it with its sharp fang-like teeth, and the prey has no chance to escape. After the fish has caught the prey, it swallows it whole. Its digestive apparatus is adapted for this: its stomach is large.
What does the underwater “viper” eat and who does it prey on?
The main and favorite food of the hauliod is considered to be dragon fish. But if you couldn’t catch your favorite food, then the fish can “dine” on crustaceans, shrimp and squid.
Studies have shown that viper fish eat once every 12 days! I wonder what makes her go on such a long “diet”?
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What do scientists know about the reproductive process of this mysterious animal?
Unfortunately, it is still not possible to thoroughly study how the reproduction of these fish occurs. It is only known that the “viper” lays eggs at a depth of 1000 meters from the surface of the water.
Latin name: genus Chauliodus
BASIC DATA
Length: 25-35 cm
Diet: fish and crustaceans
Murder weapon: terrible fangs
Lifestyle: lives in the surface layers of deep sea waters, to a depth of more than 1000 m
Lifespan: unknown
It is known that six species of viper fish live in the surface layers of tropical and moderately warm waters of the World Ocean between northern and southern latitudes (60° and 40°, respectively).
Howlyod may not be the most feared predator in the seas, but when it carefully moves through the thickness of turbid water or freezes motionless, throwing out its treacherous luminous bait, this fish, like an insatiable killer, becomes the scourge of many creatures living in these layers of water. Howlyod with a slippery body like an eel, with a large open mouth bristling with evil fangs, mercilessly seduces a few deep-sea creatures with its moving bait. Hovering in the water, without any obvious movements, it opens its mouth wide, thereby increasing the hunting zone, and throws its luminous bait forward of its jaws.
Patiently waiting for its prey in the almost hopeless thickness of deep water, the viper fish bends its body in such a way that the luminous bait at the end of the ray of the dorsal fin appears directly above its head in front of its mouth.
The photophores that create the glow are scattered throughout the fish’s abdomen, their light is quite dim, but still it perfectly masks any light shadow cast by the fish, making it almost invisible to the fish swimming below. A fish that appears near a predator sees only a seductively glowing “droplet” with its tubular eyes.
Like a moth flying towards a fire, a fish looking only up strives to swim closer to its goal. In an instant, the hauliod pounces on her, with one quick blow of his stiletto teeth, pierces his prey like a spear and quickly clamps it with his upper terrible fangs.
Did you know?
This unusual fish has one interesting feature - the size of the first ray of its dorsal fin, which is several times longer than the other rays that make up the fin. When a viper fish devours its prey, this process, elongated into a thin thread, tenses and throws back the upper jaw. It has developed a special muscle fixation, thanks to which this fish can move certain parts of the head and gills, thereby helping itself to swallow the caught prey.
The viper fish has many unusual luminous organs, but the most curious is the postorbital luminous organ, which sometimes simply “blazes” with a bright light in the eyes of the predator. Some scientists argue that the dim "glow" of its eyes indicates that the fish's eyes are ready to perceive luminescent signals emitted by other fish, and thereby protect themselves from being blinded by sudden flashes of light in dark water.
Fish such as the hauliod often attack other fish that also have light organs, so their stomach is lined with a special black shell that does not allow the light emanating from the eaten prey to pass through the thin skin of the predator.
Some of the deepest corners of our planet are home to rare species like the viper fish. This inhabitant of the Mariana Trench and other deep areas can be found extremely rarely. Due to its inaccessible habitat and lifestyle, scientists have been unable to determine the exact abundance of this species. It is believed that viperfish can live at depth for 30 to 40 years. In captivity, she has a shorter lifespan - only a few hours.
We have already written about such unusual inhabitants of the seas as or, let’s continue this series with another interesting specimen.
The time of day greatly affects the depth at which these species are found. During the day, the viperfish prefers to be at lower depths (up to 3,000 meters) to avoid any direct sunlight. During the night, kyb were repeatedly found by scientists in shallow water.
Another interesting feature is that the viper fish changes color; so far scientists have found green, silver and black fish. A distinctive feature is the massive, fang-like teeth that are used to catch prey. They are so large that they actually extend beyond the mouth and are always visible.
The first vertebra behind the fish's head absorbs the force of impact during attacks on prey. The viper hunts for dragon fish and other small creatures, and is able to undergo long periods of hunger with a complete lack of food.
Due to the extreme depths in which they are found, very little is known about the reproductive characteristics of this fish. It is an obvious fact that human activities have very little impact on these species due to their separation from us.
infinity eyes of the Masonic bird
1. Anglerfish
FISH FISHER / MORNER FISH / EUROPEAN ANGLER FISH / ANGLER FISH
This deep-sea monster can easily become the nightmare of any diver and is rightfully considered the ugliest fish on planet Earth.
There are 200 species of anglerfish, which are widely distributed in the cold waters of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans. The depths at which these creatures live are truly amazing: in 2006, a female monkfish was discovered in the Mediterranean Ocean at a depth of 1.86 km.
Due to their deep-sea habitat, the skin of these fish is dark gray or dark brown, which would make them inconspicuous if not for the huge flat head studded with spines and a giant mouth opening. The roof of the mouth and jaws have several rows of razor-sharp, inward-curved teeth. Some angler fish can reach 2 meters in length and weigh up to 28 kilograms.
On the head of female specimens there is a small appendage with a fleshy two-blade appendage (rod), which behaves like a float and begins to fluoresce at great depths, which is why this fish received such an unusual name. The rod, as a rule, is 4 times longer than the fish itself, and the fleshy appendage, filled with mucus, in which bacteria that emit light live, is located directly in front of the predator’s mouth. The angler fish's mouth is truly gigantic compared to the rest of its body, and combined with its soft, elastic body, this 'baby' fish can wholeheartedly swallow prey that is twice its size.
2. Viper fish
SEA VIPER / DEEP SEA VIPER / VIPERFISH
An indigenous inhabitant of the mesopelagic, the deep-sea viper can be found in tropical and temperate regions of the World Ocean at depths from 80 to 1600 meters.
Individuals living closer to the surface are pitch black, and their deeper-sea counterparts are completely transparent, like most inhabitants of the depths, where the sun's rays do not penetrate. Viper fish lure prey using a special luminous organ - a photophore, which is located along their dorsal fin. This fish has simply gigantic eyes, in comparison with the size of its body, thanks to which it can see well even in the pitch darkness of the sea depths. The mouth is armed with huge sharp teeth protruding several centimeters from the mouth.
As a rule, the prey of the deep-sea viper are fish that are two or even three times larger than themselves. The predator, with lightning speed, grabs the victim's muzzle with a death grip with its teeth-sabers, and waits until the fish, struggling in agony, is exhausted, after which, grabbing it with its teeth, it begins to literally put itself on it until it swallows it whole.
3. Alepisaurus
ALEPISAURUS
The large, toothy creatures, which carry the legacy of prehistoric times into the present day, can reach a length of two meters and weigh more than 8 kg.
The fish is extremely smart and is caught in fishing nets very rarely, and, according to fishermen, it is simply impossible to catch an alepisaurus with a hook.
Lives mainly in open ocean waters.
This species was first described in 1741 by one of the participants in the Second Kamchatka Expedition, Georg Wilhelm Steller, who discovered a sea monster washed up on the shore of one of the Aleutian islands.
4. Sabertooth fish
SABERTOoth FISH / FANGTOOTHS
The saberfish or horned fish is another monster that lives in the ocean depths.
Despite its formidable appearance, this fish is truly miniature in size, reaching a length of only 15.24 cm.
The sabertooth has a short body, a large head and a huge mouth, with powerful jaws lined with sharp fangs.
The sabertooth fish is one of the deepest-sea fish in our world, which feels comfortable at depths of over 4,875 meters, where they are subject to pressure of over 425 atm.
These tiny predators attack anything that moves and are capable of swallowing whole prey that is two to three times their size. Some scientists suggest that the extreme aggressiveness of saber-tooths is a hereditary reflex developed as a result of extreme food shortages at such depths.
Sabertooth fish live in temperate and tropical oceanic regions, including waters off the coast of Australia.
5. Dragon fish
SEA DRAGON / GRAMMATOSTOMIAS FLAGELLIBARBA
The deep sea dragon fish is a ruthless predator that attacks anything that can be eaten. The aggression of this fish does not fit at all with its size - the body length of the sea dragon is only 15.24 cm.
The miniature monster has a large head and a large mouth, lined with sharp, fang-like teeth.
The dragon fish has a long whisker on its chin, at the end of which there is a photophore that acts as a fishing bait. Blinking and waving it back and forth in front of its toothy mouth, the predator waits until the unsuspecting prey swims close enough to it, after which, with a lightning-fast movement, it slams its powerful jaws on its head if the prey is large enough, otherwise it simply swallows it entirely.
In addition, like most deep-sea fish, the body and head of the dragon fish are dotted with photophores, which serve for communication with other representatives of its species (for example, during the mating period).
Sea dragons can be found in tropical regions of the World Ocean at depths of 1,500 meters.
6. Largemouth
EURYPHARYNX PELECANOIDES
Most of the largemouth skull bones were reduced or simply disappeared due to their uselessness. As a result, it is impossible to determine what genus of fish the largemouth belongs to. Only the appearance of the fry, similar to eels, hints at the relationship of these two species.
During hunting, the lower jaw of the largemouth folds down and takes the shape of a net, into which prey that is several times larger than the hunter can easily be placed.
Many explorers of the deep sea have noticed that the largemouth, carrying prey in its mouth, looks like a flabby pelican. That is why this sea creature is often called the pelican eel.
The largemouth stomach is also adapted to receiving large foods and is capable of stretching.
Another distinctive feature of this inhabitant of the deep sea is its long, whip-like tail. Often the tails of largemouths caught in fishing nets were tangled into many knots.
Largemouths grow up to 2 meters in length and live at depths from 915 to 1830 meters.
7. Black Crookshanks
CHIASMODON NIGER
The chiasmodon genus includes five species of the most disgusting creatures, each of which could easily become an adornment to any low-budget horror film.
The most common member of this marine 'Adams family' is the black crook.
The length of these monsters is only 15-25 cm, but thanks to their wide mouth, crowned with large movable fangs, they can easily swallow a half-meter fish.
In order not to become a victim himself during the hunt, the crooked swallower swallows prey, starting from the tail, then, intercepting it with his teeth, pulls it into his stomach, which is elastic and capable of accommodating everything that fits into the mouth of this sea monster.
The crookfish is helped to find prey in pitch darkness by the lateral line organ system, which allows it to detect water vibrations.
In addition, to attract prey and communicate with potential mating partners, there are photophores on its body.
Black crabbills live in tropical and subtropical waters of the World Ocean at a depth of 700-2700 meters.
Some of the deepest corners of our planet are home to rare species like the viper fish. This inhabitant of the Mariana Trench and other deep areas can be found extremely rarely. Due to its inaccessible habitat and lifestyle, scientists have been unable to determine the exact abundance of this species. It is believed that viperfish can live at depth for 30 to 40 years. In captivity, she has a shorter lifespan - only a few hours.
We have already written about such unusual inhabitants of the seas as drop fish or clown fish, we will continue this series with another interesting specimen.
The time of day greatly affects the depth at which these species are found. During the day, the viperfish prefers to be at lower depths (up to 3,000 meters) to avoid any direct sunlight. During the night, kyb were repeatedly found by scientists in shallow water.
Another interesting feature is that the viper fish changes color; so far scientists have found green, silver and black fish. A distinctive feature is the massive, fang-like teeth that are used to catch prey. They are so large that they actually extend beyond the mouth and are always visible.
The first vertebra behind the fish's head absorbs the force of impact during attacks on prey. The viper hunts for dragon fish and other small creatures, and is able to undergo long periods of hunger with a complete lack of food.
Due to the extreme depths in which they are found, very little is known about the reproductive characteristics of this fish. It is an obvious fact that human activities have very little impact on these species due to their separation from us.