Fun Deepsea Lizardfish Facts For Kids

Imagine, in the murky abyss of Australia's deep-sea where humans rarely go, there lives a frightening creature, one of the most dangerous predators of the world. Well, they do and we call them the Bathysaurus ferox or the deepsea lizardfish (also written as the deep sea lizardfish).

The deep sea lizardfish is characterized by its Cheshire Cat-shaped teeth that protrude out of its big mouth. The big head of the lizardfish, along with its teeth is labeled as a most large, terrifying predator of the ocean environment.

It is a subspecies of the lizardfish and a category adjacent to the inshore lizardfish.

Let's proceed and learn something more about this predator, shall we? And if you want to read about other fish, go ahead and check interesting facts on some other fishes in almost the same family like the blue catfish and cory catfish.

Deepsea Lizardfish Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a deepsea lizardfish?

The deep sea lizardfish is a type of ray-finned fish.

What class of animal does a deepsea lizardfish belong to?

Fish is the class of animal that a deepsea lizardfish belongs to.

How many deepsea lizardfish are there in the world?

Due to the fact that the deep sea where the lizardfishes live is not accessible to humans, the number of these large size animals is not known.

Where does a deepsea lizardfish live?

The deep sea lizardfish was found in Australia's tropical water. However, scientists claim that they can be found in the depths of the tropical and sub-tropical oceans around the world.  The distribution of these fishes is found to be in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Western part of the Pacific Ocean.  

What is a deepsea lizardfish's habitat?

The deep sea lizardfish are residents of the bottom of the ocean bed that could extend to somewhere around 3,000 ft (914.4 m) from the water surface.

Who do deepsea lizardfish live with?

The deep sea lizardfish live as a solitary species.

How long does a deepsea lizardfish live?

The exact shelf life of a deep sea lizardfish has not been known but a lizardfish lives up to nine years so we can only assume that the deep sea lizardfish lives for a similar amount of time.

How do they reproduce?

Here is a fact about the deep sea lizard fish that you might find interesting. They have both male and female organs of reproduction. Therefore, any two members of the species can reproduce with each other.

What is their conservation status?

Their conservation status is officially Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.

Deepsea Lizardfish Fun Facts

What do deepsea lizardfish look like?

The deep sea lizardfish is quite frightening to look at.

With all of its teeth protruding out and a large mouth, it looks no less scary than a hammerhead shark. The deep sea lizardfish has sharp elongated fangs and big eyes that are mostly dark in color which make the appearance of the deep sea lizard-like fish more formidable.

The characteristic body of this deep-sea creature contains a long dorsal fin, usually not seen in any of the other species in the same class.

The depths of the ocean that they live do not allow sunlight to go through the waves which is why the big eyes of the deepsea lizardfishes help them to see through the darkness.

The body color of these lizardfishes is white or gray or brown and the rough scales that are present on the body are enlarged for protection.

The head of these fish is flattened and their bones poke out from their head.

How cute are they?

The Bathysaurus ferox, with its wide jaws and uneven large scales, is not considered cute but dangerous would be a more apt name for this predator.

How do they communicate?

It is not known how this species of lizardfish communicates with each other but bioluminescence is said to be the way most deep sea lizardfishes communicate.  

How big is a deepsea lizardfish?

The Bathysaurus ferox has a length of 12-25.2 in (30.4-64 cm). The length of the barracuda is more than twice its length with its length being 60 in (152.4 cm).

How fast can a deepsea lizardfish swim?

This fish is one of the apex predators or the predators who are at the top of the food chain, can swim considerably fast.

How much does a deepsea lizardfish weigh?

These fishes weigh almost 15 lb (6.8 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The Bathysaurus ferox does not have a distinction in gender and thus no different names for different genders.

Due to their habitat being the deepest corners of the ocean like in the Atlantic, Australia's ocean environment, and the abyss of the Pacific, these fish have male and female reproductive organs in their body enabling them to mate with any of their species coming by, without having to search for a distinct opposite gender.

What would you call a baby deepsea lizardfish?

It is not known currently.

What do they eat?

These predators prey on anything that they come by in the abyss that they live in. It could be other fish, corals, crustaceans, worms, and sometimes even fish from their own family.

Their diet can consist of the choices that they get at the bottom of the ocean. On top of that, their large mouth and enormous razor teeth can help catch their prey very easily. The deep sea lizardfish also eats dead fishes that float into the bottom of the ocean.

Are they aggressive?

The Bathysaurus ferox are quite aggressive.

Would they make a good pet?

They would not make a good pet.

Did you know...

We have talked enough about the long dorsal fin that distinguishes this fish from its family, them living in the deepest ocean environment and their ginormous mouth with sharp knife-like teeth but there is another very interesting fact about these fish.

These fish have a liver which helps in preserving energy so that they have enough energy to pursue their prey when they do come by.

The teeth of these large-length fish with their more-than-normal dorsal fin are also flexible. Once it catches its prey, these flexible teeth make sure to pull them back to make it easier for the fishes to eat it.  

These deepsea lizardfishes have an interesting way to hunt for food. They do not pursue their prey but instead let fishes and other crustaceans come by. Those who come to the ocean bed are the ones who get eaten, even if it is from their own family of Bathysuaridae.

What sound does the deepsea lizardfish make?

It is not known what sound the deep sea lizardfishes make.

Can you eat deepsea lizardfish?

You cannot eat the deepsea lizardfish. Being at the top of the predator chain, these 1-2.1 ft (0.3-0.64 m) fish are not preyed upon and cannot be eaten by any creature.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these redtail catfish facts and channel catfish facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable deepsea lizardfish coloring pages.