Hatchetfish

My sister informed me that all the creatures I talk about on this blog are too tame, so I told her I would do a dweller of the deep that was suitably evil looking and glowing. After doing some research, I decided on the hatchetfish. If you're a die-hard fan of "Finding Nemo" you may recognize the hatchetfish from the movie. For those of you who aren't, I can't really say anything more about its role in the movie since I've only seen it once a long time ago. Anyhow, it's pretty cool. Read on for some basic facts about it.

These hatchetfish that I am talking about are not the same as the freshwater hatchetfish which people keep as pets in aquariums. Marine hatchetfish are found in marine environments ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. They range in size from about 1 inch to 6 inches. Although they are called deep sea fishes, their habitats range from 50 meters below the surface to 1,500 meters. Usually, however, they are found a few hundred meters below the surface.

Like most deep sea fishes, they make bioluminescent light. They use counterillumination to blend in; the photophores that produce the light are located on their underside. This means that when predators view them from below, the hatchetfish blends in with the light coming from the surface; and when viewed from above, it is dark enough to blend in with the bottom of the ocean. Apparently, they can adjust the brightness of their lights to blend in better wherever they are.

Because they live at such great depths where there is so little light, they have very sensitive eyes. Their eyes are tubular in shape and are pointed upwards, allowing them to see anything falling from above. They generally consume anything that falls from the surface, although they also eat crustaceans that happen to be swimming around. Because they live so deep, however, such prey is not always in abundance.

As you can see from the pictures, they are very strange looking creatures...