Very Interesting – July-August 2019

FANGS A LOT

FANGTOOTH ANOPLOGASTER CORNUTA

Lurking hundreds of metres beneath the waves,

these aggressive predators have the largest

teeth relative to body length of any sea creature.

The two front lower teeth are so long that they

slot into grooves on either side of the brain

when the fish shuts its mouth. Juveniles lack

these impressive fangs and for over a century,

scientists thought they were a separate species.

NUTTY GNASHERS

PIRAPITINGA PIARACTUS BRACHYPOMUS

The chomping teeth of these fish make them look like they

stole a set of human dentures. Though related to piranhas,

pirapitinga are harmless herbivores that chew on seeds and

nuts. They belong to a group of fish called the serrasalmids,

which are well ahead in the race to #ScanAllFish, with 50

out of 90 species already in the database.

CATCH A BUZZ

SPOTFIN HATCHETFISH THORACOCHARAX STILETTOS

Hatchetfish frequently leap from the water. The buzzing sound

they make while flying through the air led people to believe they

flap their fins like wings. Actually, they glide, holding their fins

still. A quarter of their body mass is made up of huge pectoral

muscles, giving them pre-flight propulsion. The deep belly adds

stability during take-off and landing.

BOSS EYES!

HOGCHOKER TRINECTES MACULATUS

Like all flatfish, hogchokers begin life as larvae with

a normal, upright stance and one eye on each side

of the body. Then comes a point when one of their

eyes gradually slides over the head to join the other.

It can be either eye that moves, but in the case of the

hogchoker it’s the left.

Visual