Fangtooth

The fangtooth, Anoplogaster cornuta, has a a large head and mouth compared to its short, deep body. It's body is covered with small, prickly scales and it has very large teeth. It's teeth are so large, the fish can not fully close its mouth. When it closes its mouth, the bottom teeth go into a pocket located on the upper jaw. The coloration is dark brown to black. The length of a fangtooth is usually around 17cm. The juvenile fish eat small crustaceas while the adults eat fish. It is commonly found in temperate marine waters, between 500-2000m down. It is found in regions called the bathypelagic or the mesopelagic depths of the ocean, 4992m. Since the fangtooth is found at very deep depths below the seas surface, it is hard for scientists to really study them. The reproduction of fangtooths is unknown, but it is thought to ccur sometime between June and August. The offspring come out as planktonic larvae. The juveniles begin to assume adult form when the reach about 8cm in length. Scientists have brought fangtooths to the surface and placed them in aquariums to study them, and the fish have been able to stay alive eventhough they are in conditions quite different from what they are use to. In the day, these fish tend to stay deep down in the gloomy dark waters, but at night, they tend to rise up closer to the surface and feed by the stralight. Then, when daybreak begins, they swim back down to the deep, gloomy waters. Some fangtooth go around in groups while others perfer to go at it alone. Scientists think they use contact chemoreception to find prey and relying on luck to find or bump into something edible. They are preyed upon by larger, palegic fish like tuna and marlin.

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~http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/acornuta.htm

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fangtooth