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Demersal fish are fish whose habitats are on or near (typically less than five meters from) the seafloor. Most fish species fit into that classification, because the seafloor contains most of the abyssal zone's nutrients; therefore, the most complex food web or greatest biomass would be in this region of the zone.
Deep-sea fish are fish that live in the darkness below the sunlit surface waters, that is below the epipelagic or photic zone of the sea. The lanternfish is, by far, the most common deep-sea fish. Other deep-sea fishes include the flashlight fish , cookiecutter shark , bristlemouths , anglerfish , viperfish , and some species of eelpout .
Deep-sea chimaera photographed by the NOAAS Okeanos Explorer.Visible on its snout are tiny pores which lead to electroreceptor cells.. Chimaeras are soft-bodied, shark-like fish with bulky heads and long, tapered tails; measured from the tail, they can grow up to 150 cm (4.9 ft) in length.
The bathypelagic zone contains sharks, squid, octopuses, and many species of fish, including deep-water anglerfish, gulper eel, amphipods, and dragonfish. The fish are characterized by weak muscles, soft skin, and slimy bodies. The adaptations of some of the fish that live there include small eyes and transparent skin.
Deep-water species tend to live in or on the sea floor or adhere to coral, urchins, or xenophyophores. The most widespread species is the long-armed brittle star ( Amphipholis squamata ), a grayish or bluish, strongly luminescent species.
Photos of each specimen show the variations in color and the corn-on-the-cob-like pattern covering their five arms. The deep-sea creatures were found among rocky and pebbly areas, scientists said.
Several attempts have been made to establish a commercial fishery for the most common larger species, such as the giant grenadier, but the fish is considered unpalatable, and attempts thus far have proven unsuccessful. [3] The subfamily as a whole may represent up to 15% of the deep-sea fish population.
A rare deep sea fish, regarded as a harbinger of doom, has washed up on a southern California shore.. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, said one ...