Where can you find viperfish

Since they are among the most common stomiids caught, they provide an opportunity for research on bioluminescence in the deep sea and the behavior of other deep-sea fish Sutton and Hopkins, Sutton and Hopkins, Despite their fearsome appearance, Chauliodus sloani are considered to be harmless to humans.

As noted above, this is due to the rare occurrence of contact with humans Gibbs, It would be suspected that due to the deep-water range of this stomiid , it is very difficult to characterize the overall population of this species. There is probably very little impact from humans that would cause any negative conservation status for Chauliodus sloani. Gibbs, ; McGrouther, ;. It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean.

This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends.

Synapomorphy of the Bilateria. Found on all continents except maybe Antarctica and in all biogeographic provinces; or in all the major oceans Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific.

A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms.

Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis. An aquatic biome consisting of the open ocean, far from land, does not include sea bottom benthic zone. Butler, M. Bollens, B. Burkhalter, L. Madin, E. Mesopelagic fishes of the Arabian Sea: distributrion, abundance and diet of Chauliodus pammelas, Chauliodus sloani, Stomias affinis, and Stomias nebulosus. Christophe, B. Baguet, G. Luminescence of Chauliodus photophores by electrical stimulation.

Gartner, J. Crabtree, K. Deep-Sea Fishes: Feeding at Depth. San Diego: Academic Press Limited. Gibbs, R. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Jump to navigation. Pacific viperfish Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, Species Reference:. This fish can be easily recognized by its large mouth and sharp, fang-like teeth. In fact, these fangs are so large that they will not fit inside the mouth.

Instead, they curve back very close to the fish's eyes. The viperfish is thought to use these sharp teeth to impale its victims by swimming at them at high speeds. The first vertebra, right behind the head, is actually designed to act as a shock absorber.

This fearsome looking creature has a long dorsal spine that is tipped with a photophore, a light-producing organ. The viperfish uses this light organ to attract its prey through a process known as bioluminescence.

By flashing the light on and off, it can be used like a fishing lure to attract smaller fish. In spite of its ferocious appearance, the viperfish is a relatively small animal, growing to about 11 or 12 inches 30 centimeters in length.

It is usually dark silvery blue in color, but its coloration can vary from green to silver or black. Although the main light organ is located at the end of the elongated dorsal fin ray, there are also several photophores located all along the side of the fish. It is an iridescent dark silver-blue colour in life with pale fins.

The sides of the body are covered with hexagonal pigmented areas, each with one or more small photophores. Like many other species of deepsea fishes, Sloane's Viperfish is known to vertically migrate.

During the day it is found at depths from m to m, but at night it swims up into shallower water less than m where food is more plentiful. The species occurs in tropical and temperate marine waters world-wide. In Australia, specimens have been collected from south-western Western Australia, around the north of the country and south to Tasmania.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia. It feeds mostly on crustaceans and small fishes. The first dorsal fin has photophores that are believed to attract prey.