The Viperfish Mini-Report
An essay by Odin Swidzinski
An essay by Odin Swidzinski
Physical Characteristics
The Viperfish is a fish that is a fierce predator of the deep sea. But, how does the Viperfish survive at these levels, where humans would implode and have no trace left of us? For this creature, it has huge fangs that could be used to impale their pray as the Viperfish swims at fast speeds. Because of that, it curves back close to the eyes of the fish. The viperfish themselves however are between 30 and 60 centimeters long. We now have a question by this point.
How The Viperfish Catches it Prey
How does the Viperfish see when it is extremely dark where they live in the deep sea? One could argue that the bioilluminescent organ that it turns on and off could be used to see. In reality, that is used to attract prey, since they could hang motionless, flashing its lights to attract smaller fish that will inevitably be eaten. Behind the head, however lies a shock absorber, the first vertebra in its head, and is topped with a spine, which has photophores, which produces light, which as I have mentioned before, is used to attract prey. For the Viperfish, it has a low metabolism rate, meaning that this creature can go on for days on end without eating. Its prey is typically crustaceans and small fish that exist in the deep sea. Unfortunately, like any other creature, it is part of the food chain. As for the Viperfish being the prey, it is known to be hunted by sharks and some species of dolphins.
Habitat and Reproduction
The habitat of the Viperfish is approximately between just above 600 meters below the sea during the night, to 1,500 meters or just above during the day. They typically live within tropical and subtropical waters, around the world, but they are rarely seen by humans except the ocassional catch by a deep sea trawler, in which case, scientists have a chance to study the viperfish. It is believed that the Viperfish spawn externally, which means the males and females release sperm and eggs respectively into the water, where fertilization occurs. Due to this, the larvae are around 6 millimeters long. However, once they hatch, the Viperfish are left to fend for themselves until they reach maturity, of which they would begin finding their mates. Typically, larvae are at their highest between January and March, however, they could reproduce at any time of the year. Therefore, it is assumed that since so few Viperfish have been caught, human activity would not impact their populations.
Life Expectancy
Researchers have believed that the Viperfish live between 15 and 30 years, in the wild. However, in captivity, they rarely survive for more than a few hours.
So, how does the Viperfish survive in the deep?
Now, we face a question that is really important. "So, how does the Viperfish survive in the deep waters of the many oceans and seas? " We know that the fish migrates up to shallower waters, where food is more plentiful, that it uses light to attract its pray, on its photophores. We know as much as the researchers know of their reproductive habits right now, and we definitely know they live in tropical and subtropical waters. But, a major question is how could this fish survive those pressures which could crush us and literally, erase us from our existance? In my opinion, I believe that how the Viperfish survive in the deep was due to evolution. In the past, there could have been ancestors that lived in shallower waters, and that over time, there is a possibility that their habitats moved deeper and deeper, they have evolved to ensure that they do not get crushed. So, therefore, I believe that the present viperfish, would, a few hundred thousand years ago, would have been in shallower waters, possibly up to the low end of the "twilight" zone, but moved deeper over several generations, to where their habitats are.
In conclusion, the question I pose is this: Will the Viperfish evolve to move deeper? Or would the Viperfish head up to shallower waters?
In conclusion, the question I pose is this: Will the Viperfish evolve to move deeper? Or would the Viperfish head up to shallower waters?
Sources
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