What does lantern fish eat

Case in point: When scientists in the s tried to measure ocean depth using newly-developed sonar technology, the entire sea floor seemed to rise at night across the globe.. About Lanternfishes In the murky depths of the ocean twilight zone, it helps to bring a flashlight. Quick Facts. Discovery T. Gill, Eats what? Zooplankton Eats how?

In some species, it also varies by gender. There is only one species of lanternfish that is not capable of producing light. Lanternfish are known for their diel vertical migrations. They spend the day in the deep ocean but come close to the surface at night in search of food. They do this to follow the similar migrations of plankton, which serve as their primary food source.

It is thought that these migrations may also serve to help the lanternfish avoid predation. By returning to the deep sea during the day, they avoid many of the large predators in the shallower seas. At shallower depths, lanternfish provide an important food source to a number of organisms including whales, dolphins, tuna, sharks, seals, squid, and sea birds. Lanternfish are known as non-guarding pelagic spawners. This means that the females release their eggs into the water column as a group where they are then fertilized externally by the males.

Depending on the species, between and 2, eggs are released by each fish. Spawning is believed to occur year around in most species. Once the eggs hatch, the young larvae have a small number of photophores for producing light. They are left to fend for themselves until they reach maturity.

Lanternfish are found in all of the world oceans at depths ranging from 1, to 3, feet about to meters. Light plays a vital role in the life of all oceans. At the simplest level, it provides one of the basic requirements for photosynthesis and promotes development of a food chain. Some species of fish that live in the darker reaches of the oceans also rely on light for survival. Some of these species, such as lantern fish, have even developed their own artificial means of generating light.

Lantern fish are so called on account of the special light-producing organs that are found in their skin. Each light organ , known as a photophore, is connected to the animal's nervous system which, perhaps together with some form of hormonal control, dictates the flashing sequence of these organs.

In addition to a series of rows of light-producing organs along their sides the pattern and number of which varies according to species , some lantern fish, such as those of the genus Diaphus , also have larger organs both in front of and underneath the eyes, rather like a miner's lamp.