How to Identify a Saber Tooth Fish

Deep under the ocean where little, if any, sunlight can filter through the waters live strange and frightening creatures. They have adapted to their environment in strange but useful ways. One of these is the sabertooth fish, whose name gives an accurate description of one of its more prominent characteristics. There are only eight species in this family.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Look first at the teeth of the sabertooth fish. They are long and sharp, curving inward in a way that keeps their prey from struggling out of their mouths when captured and directs it back to the throat. Their food includes small fish, squid and cuttlefish.
2. Notice the body of the sabertooth fish. It's long and contains a distendable stomach so it can eat food larger than itself. The colors range from light to dark brown with pale fins usually tan in color. It has no scales, just thin, fragile skin that tears easily. The largest species reach 18.5 cm in length.
3. Note the head of the fish. It's large in proportion to the body, as is its mouth. The tube-like eyes face upwards and actively searches for prey by looking for silhouettes against the murky light above. The sabertooth lives between 200 to1000 meters below the surface.
4. Study the reproductive habits of the sabertooth fish. These fish are hermaphrodites (have both male and female organs) and their offspring are planktonic larvae. The fish releases sperm and eggs into the water, where they become larvae and are left alone to take care of themselves. They usually stay between the depths of 50 to 100 feet, venturing deeper as they grow larger.
5. Note the lack of a swim bladder, or gas bladder in the sabertooth fish. This is used to control the buoyancy of many fish, allowing them to shift to different water levels in the ocean. This fish has spineless fins and a long anal fin one-half the length of the body.