This Fish Looks Like an Alien and Can Swallow Its Prey Whole

The ocean is home to some alien-like creatures. One of these creatures is the telescopefish. These fish get their name from their telescope-like, but even creepier, appearance. However, these fish are interesting in their own way. This YouTube Short by @TheEverrealms shows this fish off up close, and warning, it is creepy. Read here to learn more.

About the Telescopefish

The telescopefish is a deep-sea fish famous for its creepy appearance. They are found in the cold and deep waters of tropical oceans, around 1,600 to 6,600 feet deep. Like many other deep-sea creatures, they have a strange appearance. Their most notable features are their eyes and mouth. Their eyes are pure white and tubular, which helps them capture as much light as possible. This adaptation maximizes their sensitivity, allowing them to distinguish the silhouettes of other animals. Their jaws are also creepy and open extremely wide. As seen in the video above, their jaws extend across their entire face and are lined with sharp teeth. They also have a ghost-like appearance, as they are somewhat iridescent and transparent.

These fish grow to around six inches long. To reach this size, they hunt other fish. They are predators of the deep sea and feed on other small fish like bristlemouths or lanternfish. One amazing feature is their method of eating. Telescopefish have elastic stomachs that can stretch, allowing them to eat prey larger than themselves by folding the prey to consume it.

Misconceptions About the Video

The video claims that the mother and child are fused together, but this is not true. Telescopefish are pelagic spawners. These fish release their eggs and sperm into the water, where the fertilized eggs float freely. The larvae stay in shallower waters before joining other telescopefish in the depths as juveniles. So, while it might sound interesting if these fish were fused together at some point, that is simply not correct.