Visitors to Jennette's Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina,
were shocked last week when an evil-looking fanged fish washed up
alive on the shore.
The monstrous fish has been identified as a long-snouted lancetfish
(Alepisaurus ferox), a nocturnal predator that's rarely
seen near shore. The fish are known not only by their large fangs
and tall dorsal fin, but also by their habit of eating their own
species.
Because it's a relatively uncommon fish that inhabits the open
ocean, little is known about its life cycle. In adolescence,
lancetfish are hermaphrodites (having both male and female sex
organs), though there's no evidence of adult hermaphrodites.
Lancetfish are also known as handsaw fish, because of their
prominent, jagged dorsal fin, which runs almost the entire length
of their back. The fish have no scales — their scientific
name,Alepisaurus, translates as "scaleless lizard" — and
their skin is instead covered with pores.
They can grow to be as long as 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length.
Lancetfish generally feed at night, and in addition to dining on
other lancetfish, they also eat crustaceans, squid and smaller
species of fish.
Lancetfish are in turn preyed upon by seals,sharks and
other large fish, including tuna. They're not considered a good
fish for human consumption, because their muscles contain large
amounts of water, making their flesh somewhat mushy. Fishermen, in
fact, consider the lancetfish a "trash" fish that sometimes takes
bait intended for more profitable catches such as tuna.
The fact that their muscles have a high water content makes it
unlikely that the lancetfish can move quickly or pursue other prey,
so scientists speculate the lancetfish is an ambush predator — it
probably uses its big dorsal fin to accelerate in short bursts to
overcome prey.
The fish are found in open waters throughout tropical and
subtropical oceans, though they've been known to travel as far
north as Greenland and Iceland.
The lancetfish found in North Carolina was alive when it washed up
on shore, but when it was carried back out into deeper water it
washed ashore again, indicating it may have been sick.
