Deepsea Lizardfish

not a horror movie prop

Hey hey everyone! Be on guard for this week's Fish of the Week- the DEEPSEA LIZARDFISH (Bathysaurus ferox) !!!!!! Fantastic Fish friend Mario has suggested this absolute stunner of a fish, which we're all lucky to meet today.

Let's dive in- but be careful!!! This fish is not messing around.

As you can see, their mouths are full of needle-like teeth, all the better to trap and shred prey with (they're ambush predators). They live in deep water (600-3500m depth) and yet rely on vision to hunt- they use their big, fathomless-looking eyes to detect minute sources of light near the ocean floor.

Another challenge of their deepsea lifestyle is that, to cope with the low availability of resources on the ocean floor, they live at extremely low densities. Humans might complain about the paucity of potential mates, but the Deepsea Lizardfish is facing a situation where there is literally not plenty of fish in the sea. Probably an evolutionary boon in times of pandemics? As a result, Deepsea Lizardfish are hermaphroditic, so they don't have to worry about finding a mate of the opposite sex. Probably also an evolutionary boon in times of pandemics! Not much about their reproduction is known, although baby Deepsea Lizardfish have been found at the surface, which seems a bit nuts. In addition, they have humungous livers (up to 20% of their body mass) to help them store energy resources- for when they can eat, they need to eat a lot! They never know when the next meal will hit the table. It's hard being a Deepsea Lizardfish!

I may look ferocious, but I also fear that I shall die alone

Another challenge of their deepsea lifestyle is that, to cope with the low availability of resources on the ocean floor, they live at extremely low densities. Humans might complain about the paucity of potential mates, but the Deepsea Lizardfish is facing a situation where there is literally not plenty of fish in the sea. Probably an evolutionary boon in times of pandemics? As a result, Deepsea Lizardfish are hermaphroditic, so they don't have to worry about finding a mate of the opposite sex. Probably also an evolutionary boon in times of pandemics! Not much about their reproduction is known, although baby Deepsea Lizardfish have been found at the surface, which seems a bit nuts. In addition, they have humungous livers (up to 20% of their body mass) to help them store energy resources- for when they can eat, they need to eat a lot! They never know when the next meal will hit the table. It's hard being a Deepsea Lizardfish!

There's more information here (thanks Mario!):

https://www.nespmarine.edu.au/lizard-fish-are-all-green-eyes-and-hinged-teeth

What a fascinating fish, definitely a candidate for Most Badass Spotlight Fish.