A prominent, high dorsal fin runs nearly the entire length of their back, often standing twice as high as the fish is deep.
They possess a long, laterally compressed body that tapers toward a deeply forked tail. Their skin is entirely scaleless , iridescent silver-blue, and covered in pores. alepisaurus
Their large mouths contain two or three massive, dagger-like fangs on both the upper and lower jaws, used to incapacitate slippery prey like squid and other fish. A prominent, high dorsal fin runs nearly the
Lancetfish lack a swim bladder and have gelatinous, watery muscles, which suggests they are ambush predators rather than fast, long-distance swimmers. Ecology and Behavior ITIS - Report: Alepisaurus Their large mouths contain two or three massive,
A slightly smaller and rarer relative with a shorter, more blunt snout. Physical Characteristics
There are two primary recognized species within the Alepisauridae family :
The more widely distributed and better-known species, characterized by a noticeably longer snout.