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Anatomy and Morphology

Recent studies have revealed more information about the reproductive organs of the oarfish. These studies have shown that female oarfish have bifurcated ovaries containing a cavity through which the eggs pass before leaving the body of the oarfish. Testes on male oarfish are located in a similar place as the ovaries of female oarfish, near the digestive tract called the coelomic cavity. The oarfish have two separate, disconnected testes and the left testes observed were longer than the right testes.

Additionally, hyper-ossification has been observed in the distal tips of the dorsal pterygiophores of this species. It has been hypothesized that this hyper ossification acts as a lever for the oarfish dorsal fins, which contributes to the organism's buoyancy.

Parasitism

A recent study concerning the parasitization of this species revealed that the shorten mako shark and the sperm whale could both be predators of the oarfish, based on pattens of parasite transmission. These conclusions were made based on analysis of the visceral tissue of the oarfish