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Step 1
Note the features of a grenadier fish's head. It's characterized by enormous eyes, probably due to the extreme darkness in which they live. The upper lip overhangs the lower and the mouth is banded by several rows of recurved teeth. The lower part of the snout is pink and the throat is a deep violet color.
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Step 2
Recognize the shape of the body. It's long and narrow with a fragile skeleton, the consistency is flabby and its shape is that of an elongated triangle. It has a long, whip-like tail, which gives it the nickname "rat-tail fish".
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Step 3
Examine the fins and scales that distinguish the grenadier fish. The scales are small and spiked, packed densely over the entire body. They are usually brown, gray or silvery blue. The first dorsal fin is half as long as it is tall, and the second dorsal fin stretches from behind the gills to the end of the tail.
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Step 4
Look for the young in shallow coastal waters; they hatch there and gradually migrate into deeper waters as they mature. A full-grown grenadier fish lives along the bottom of the ocean from approximately 250 to 1200 meters. They eat small fish, shrimp and fish carcasses they find on the floor of the ocean. They may be from 1 to 3 feet long and live about 56 years.
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Step 5
Look for them both in schools or living alone. They drift with the current to conserve energy because of the frigid water temperatures and are weak swimmers. They have a gas bladder, which play a part in their mating process, producing sounds that locate and attract other grenadier fish.
