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The Hatchetfish

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: Sharp facts about the midnight dweller and top feeder

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Written and researched by Chadwick Waddy

Table of Contents

Appearance: Page 3

Ecosystem: Page 5

Food Web: Page 6

Adaptations: Page 7

Glossary: Page 8

Appearance

Eyes, Skin, and Teeth, Oh My!

The hatchetfish has a body fit with tools that it needs for survival. It has very large eyes that "bug out". This helps them to be able to see the slightest shadows. During day they dwell in the midnight zone. And during the night it feeds in the sunlit zone. Because it's in constant dark, its eyes have been trained to see the slightest of shadows. The hatchetfish's skin is very thin with a shiny tint. The thinness and shine of the hatchetfish's skin help it to give off light better. This light comes from bioluminescence, which is the production of light from an animal. One interesting thing about the hatchetfish is it has bioluminescent organs. The name of the hatchetfish comes from its shape. The shape of its head resembles that of a hatchet head. The hatchet fish has small, sharp teeth to help eat its prey.

Large, colorless eyes to help see the slightest shadows of predators or prey

Small sharp teeth that help tear prey

Bioluminescent organs

Shiny skin to help with bioluminescence

Ecosystem

The Midnight Zone

The deep sea hatchetfish lives in the midnight zone. Because of the extreme pressure and cold there is a lack of plants. This means that almost all of the animals that live here eat each other. The hatchetfish does not apply to this, eating in the sunlit zone at night. In the midnight zone, many animals have adapted to be able to see silhouettes of other animals. The hatchetfish is no different. The creatures down here also have bioluminescene and can light up to scare predators or attract prey.

Food Web

The hatchetfish plays an important role in two food webs. In the midnight zone and the sunlit zone. In the midnight zone they are the producer, starting the food web. This is because they eat in the sunlit zone. They prey on nothing in the midnight zone. In the sunlit zone, they are consumers. They prey at night on krill, phytoplankton, bugs, and small fish. All of the energy the hatchet fish gets in the sunlit zone is then taken back to the midnight zone. This means that if the hatchetfish is in a food web then the food web includes two ocean zones.