The Fangtooth Fish Is Like Something Out Of Your Nightmares
At a glance, the fangtooth fish (Anoplogaster cornuta) with its mouthy face looks like a menacing underwater predator. But despite its threatening appearance, the fangtooth is actually quite a passive sea animal. Indeed, the fangtooth may look dangerous, but its poor eyesight makes it a mild predator.
These scary ocean animals, also known as ogrefish, live as far as 16,400 feet beneath the sea, which is about the length of 55 American football fields. Life in this isolated environment is difficult, so many deep-sea fishes have developed adaptations that help them to preserve precious energy.
The fangtooth, however, is known to be more active than many other deep-sea fish. When it comes time to feed, the little ocean animal will sneak up on its prey, usually small fish or crustaceans, and simply sucks it into its mouth.
The fangtooth will also migrate toward the surface of the ocean in search of prey. When they do decide to "hunt," they usually do so at night. Still, they are not considered an aggressive species and are relatively harmless to humans.
It's obvious that the fangtooth earned its nickname from its absurd-looking chompers. In fact, the fangtooth possesses the largest teeth of any fish in the ocean relative to its size. Their "fangs" are so long that these fish have developed a special adaptation in order to accommodate such teeth.
The fangtooth has special pouches located on the roof of its mouth which prevent its sharp teeth from piercing its brain when its mouth is closed. Interestingly, young fangtooths possess only a single row of teeth before they develop more as adults.
Researchers know little about the fangtooth's mating behavior, but the fish are known to reproduce via external fertilization. This means that female fangtooths release their eggs and males release their sperm into the open water at the same time, fertilizing the eggs outside of the fish's body.
Unfortunately, little else is known about these bizarre sea animals.
