Fish

Stoplight loosejaw

Malacosteus niger

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 3 oceans

Tropical and temperate waters of all oceans

Depth

500 to 4,000 m

Size

About 25 cm

Diet

Copepods, shrimp, small fish

Zone

Midnight zone · 1,000 m and deeper

Key facts

• It produces red light, invisible to almost all other deep-sea animals: a secret flashlight.
• To see it, its eyes use a pigment derived from chlorophyll, obtained from its diet.
• Its jaw has no floor: it shoots forward like a trap.

And the sperm whale?

Its red light is invisible: your click is the only way to find it.

Verified sources

1. FishBase - Malacosteus niger
2. UCSB Bioluminescence Web Page - Malacosteid fish and red luminescence
3. Douglas et al. 1998, Nature - chlorophyll-derived photosensitizer
4. FishBase, Malacosteus niger

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Pelican eelEurypharynx pelecanoides Humpback anglerfishMelanocetus johnsonii Greenland sharkSomniosus microcephalus ChimaeraHydrolagus sp. Dumbo octopusGrimpoteuthis sp. Colossal squidMesonychoteuthis hamiltoni