Fangtooth: Description, Types, Pictures, & Fun Facts

Fangtooth: All You Need To Know

The Fangtooth (Anoplogaster) is a carnivorous fish that belongs to the Animalia family, phylum Chordata, class Actinopterygii, order Beryciformes, and family Anoplogastridae. Its genus is Anoplogaster.

The fangtooth ranges in size up to 3.4 to 7.3 feet in length, and weighs up to 75 pounds, with a lifetime still unknown. Fangtooth fish are saltwater fish that eat scallops and corals. The most distinguishing characteristics are the protruding jaw and fangs.

Fangtooth fish are preyed upon by larger tuna and marlins. Brown, grey, yellow, and black colours and scales on the skin are physical characteristics.

Fangtooth fish have grotesquely massive jaws with gigantic, projecting fangs, and they eat tiny fish, crabs, and even squids. Fangtooth is a predatory fish that dwells in deep water. The fangtooth moray, on the other hand, is an eel that lives in a completely different environment from the fangtooth fish.

4 Incredible Fangtooth Facts!

1. Fangtooth fish are predators who consume whatever they can get their hands on.

2. They have the biggest teeth of any fish in the ocean in relation to their body size.

3. They have a horrible, corpse-like look with very compressed bodies, massive skulls, gigantic jaws, and a terrible, corpse-like appearance.

4. Fangtooth fish reside in a location known as “the twilight zone” in the deep water.

Fangtooth Classification and Scientific Name

The Anoplogastridae family includes the fangtooth fish. It belongs to the Anoplogaster genus, which comprises just two species. This name is derived from the Greek words “anoplo” and “gaster,” which indicate “unarmed” and “stomach,” respectively. Anoplogaster brachycera, or the shorthorn fangtooth, and Anoplogaster cornuta, or the common fangtooth, are the two known species.

Fangtooth Predators and Prey

The fangtooth fish is a kind of fish that may be found all over the world. It is classed as a “bathypelagic” fish because it lives in what is known as the “bathyal zone” of the ocean. The bathyal zone is a deep marine area that extends from 3,300 to 9,800 feet beneath the surface.

Although that may sound like a long way down, the bathyal zone isn’t even close to the ocean’s bottom. It resides above the abyssal zone and the hadal zone, which are two of the ocean’s deepest levels.

It is, however, deep enough that no light penetrates this area. The bathyal zone is sometimes known as the “midnight zone” since no sunlight reaches those seas. The average temperature is approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

There is no plant life in this section of the ocean due to the lack of sunshine and the frigid temperatures.

Fangtooth Distribution, Population, and Habitat

Fangtooth fish are members of the bericyformes family of fish. All bericyformes are carnivorous, which means they eat other creatures like crustaceans using their teeth. Unfortunately, scientists know little about them since they are nocturnal deep-sea inhabitants who are difficult to research.

Adult fangtooth sharks eat tiny fish, although they have also been seen to eat bigger squid. Their massive teeth make it easier for them to seek food. Scientists aren’t sure, but they assume fangtooths migrate in a pattern known as “diurnal vertical migration.”

This means they eat at night on the surface before returning to the depths as the sun rises. Fangtooths have few predators, despite their tiny size. They are predominantly preyed upon by much larger tuna and marlins, although these are their only predators.

Scientists are unsure how many fangtooth fish live in the wild, as they are with many other deep-sea species. They are, nevertheless, recognised by the IUCN as a species of least concern, which means they are not in danger of extinction.

Fangtooth Appearance

Fangtooth fish are black in colour and have a horrific look, like many other deep-sea species. The fangtooth moray, a huge, vividly coloured eel, should not be mistaken with these. The fangtooth fish, like anglerfish, has a large jaw with gigantic, vicious-looking teeth.

In fact, the fangtooth fish possesses the biggest teeth of any known fish in relation to its body size. Their lower jaws’ fangs are so big that unique receptacles on either side of their brain had to evolve to accommodate them.

Its body is severely laterally compressed since it lives so deep in the water, making it look relatively thin when viewed from above. Its excessively huge mouth and thin skin, along with its sharp, spiny scales and short, ragged fins, give it a cadaverous appearance.

Males and females have comparable appearances, according to studies, although males are often smaller than females. Many deep-sea fish species fall within this category.

Fangtooths have tiny, hazy eyes, and their eyesight is said to be quite weak. To compensate, they have extremely well-developed lateral lines on both sides of their body.

Fish have a particular sensory organ system called a lateral line that helps them sense movement and pressure changes in the water surrounding them. Despite their intimidating look, fangtooth fish are tiny and largely harmless to humans.

They normally only grow to be around 6 inches long when completely mature. This is approximately the same length as a $1 note. The typical weight of a fangtooth fish is unknown to scientists.

Fangtooth Reproduction and Lifespan

Because fangtooth fish reside so far down in the ocean’s depths, nothing is known about their lifespan and breeding behaviours. Scientists do know, however, that they are oviparous, meaning that the females lay a big clutch of eggs, which the males fertilise.

They don’t appear to defend their eggs, and when the larvae hatch, they’re allowed to fend for themselves. Deep-sea fish have this feature in common. In fact, because larvae, juveniles, and adults all reside at various depths in the water, they prefer to exist in isolation.

Because juvenile fangtooths differ so much from their adult counterparts, scientists previously classed them as a separate species of fish. They are grey instead of black, with significantly bigger eyes and a functioning gas bladder that aids with buoyancy control. Juveniles also have long gill rakers, thin head spines, and tiny teeth, so it’s no wonder they were mistaken for a separate species at first.

The lifespan of fangtooth fish is unknown. However, researchers have discovered that fangtooth fish are extremely resilient and adaptive. Despite the dramatically different water pressure and general environment, a few animals collected and housed in tanks have lived for months.

Fangtooth in Fishing and Cooking

While eating fish with teeth may appeal to certain of the world’s most daring seafood eaters, fishermen are generally uninterested in fangtooth fish. Fishermen may capture these fish in their nets on occasion, but they do not actively seek them out for commercial or recreational purposes.