Take a moment and think about the types of teeth that animals typically possess. Much like land-living herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores, the teeth of fish also vary in accordance to their diets. So, having the largest tooth to body ratio known to an aquatic species, what diet does a Fangtooth fish dine on? Unlike you may expect, fangtooth subsist mainly on other small fish or octopus; despite their grotesque tooth-to-body ratio, they are only approximately six inches in length full grown. In fact, fangtooth fish are frequently the prey of marlin or tuna, and are on the lower spectrum of the aquatic food chain (Fangtooth).
Despite their relatively small size, fangtooth fish are some of the most hardy, adaptable underwater creatures scientists have ever catalogued. Naturally living in depths anywhere from 600 to 16,000 feet, fangtooth fish can endure near freezing temperatures at crushing depths; they can also survive months in laboratory settings, even with drastic condition pressure and temperature changes. Their adaptability is largely attributed to their unusual hunting habits. In their natural deep-sea environment, fangtooth fish feed by chemoreception (Fangtooth). This means they must essentially “bump” into prey, before tearing into it with elongated teeth. However, comparatively few prey fish are available in extreme depths than in shallower reef areas. Thus, fangtooth fish migrate thousands of feet upward every night to hunt, before fleeing back to the ocean’s depths at daybreak. Partaking in this hunting style is a very energy-consuming process; you might wonder why fangtooth fish don’t simply live full time in prey-abundant water. Scientists speculate that their migratory feeding patterns are a defense mechanism from larger, more deadly reef predators.
Other than their distinctive teeth, fangtooth fish also have strange life cycle patterns, to the point where scientists originally assumed juvenile and adult fish were two distinct species. Beginning as larvae the size of plankton, they slowly progress into light grey, spiny juveniles with small teeth. These younger fish consume plankton through filtering gills rakes until reaching approximately 3 inches. From then on, fangtooth fish darken in color, grow elongated teeth, and descend into deeper waters to hunt other fish (Fangtooth). Thus, despite their small size, fangtooth fish are extremely adaptable and versatile, making them a species likely to endure for centuries.
“Fangtooth.” Fangtooth – Deep Sea Creatures on Sea and Sky, Sea and Sky, 2016, www.seasky.org/deep-sea/fangtooth.html.
“Fangtooth Image.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Aug. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fangtooth.