User:Janani sundaresan/sandbox

Insert into the Lead:

The coloration of the Pacific Viperfish has what is known as ultra-black skin to reduce the reflection of other bioluminescence surrounding them to better camouflage in the deep sea. This ultra black skin reduces the amount of light reflected from the body of the Viperfish which scatters the light using the melanosomes in its skin that are optimized for reduced reflectance.

Insert into the Hunting and Feeding Category:

The Pacific Viperfish has a diet of only fish and specifically myctophids. They are also one of the many deep-sea fishes that migrate vertically to feed on fish at night.

The loosejaw of the viperfish improves the closing of the jaw by facilitating faster closing to better capture prey that may be harder to catch.

Insert into the Lead:

The Pacific viperfish are found in a wide range along the Eastern north Pacific, along the British Columbia Coast and in the tropical regions of the oceans.

Source/Citation:


 * 1) Davis, A. L., Thomas, K. N., Goetz, F. E., Robison, B. H., Johnsen, S., & Osborn, K. J. (2020). Ultra-black Camouflage in Deep-Sea Fishes. Current Biology, 30(17).  doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.044
 * 2) Yang, M-S. 2011. Diet of nineteen mesopelagic fishes in the Gulf of Alaska. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-229, 67 p.

https://archive.afsc.noaa.gov/Publications/AFSC-TM/NOAA-TM-AFSC-229.pdf

3. Bassett, M. (2020, October 28). Pacific viperfish. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.mbari.org/products/creature-feature/pacific-viperfish/

4. CHRISTOPHER P. KENALEY, Exploring feeding behaviour in deep-sea dragonfishes (Teleostei: Stomiidae): jaw biomechanics and functional significance of a loosejaw, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 106, Issue 1, May 2012, Pages 224–240, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01854.x