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The Longnose Lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) is a large species of deep-sea fish found in both Endless Ocean and Endless Ocean 2. It is also known as the Long-Snouted Lancetfish.
With a mouth full of sharp teeth and a streamlined body, the longnose lancetfish is a fierce hunter. However, it can't swim quickly for long periods of time, so struggles to escape its own predators.
In-Game[]
Marine Encyclopedia[]
Endless Ocean[]
Description[]
"These fish have long, skinny bodies with a large dorsal fin and a two-pronged tail fin. They also have large mouths crammed full with very sharp teeth. Black on the back and white on the belly, these fish can be seen year-round in the deeper, darker parts of the ocean.
Their bodies are soft and composed of mostly water. They also have a small, fleshy protrusion at the rear of the anal fin called an adipose fin. The function of this fin is unknown.
They are extremely greedy eaters and often swallow fish and other prey whole. Because of this habit, garbage, inedible objects, and even other lancetfish have been found in their stomachs.”
Endless Ocean 2[]
Description[]
"This fish is long and slender, and has a large mouth with sharp teeth. It has a fleshy protrusion to the rear of its dorsal fin, known as the adipose fin, whose function is unknown. It is very soft because a large portion of its body is made up of water.
[Voracious Eater][]
Its insatiable appetite leads it to swallow fish, squid and other prey whole - even other fish of the same species. Plastic and other rubbish has also been found in its stomach. It seems to swallow up anything that will fit in its mouth!"
Location[]
Endless Ocean[]
Longnose lancetfishes can be seen in the Abyss year-round, lingering mostly around the mid-level depths.
Endless Ocean 2[]
These are found in both crevasses of the Zahhab Region Depths. They are considered very hard to miss, due to the fact that they are not-insubstantial in size, as well as being fairly common.
Behavior[]
These float around in large, loose groups, never really interacting with each other or other fish. The player can obtain their trivia information by feeding them.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
Real-Life Information[]
- Both games make accurate note of the longnose lancetfish's body composition: it is largely made up of water, which gives its entire form a gelatinous consistency[1]. It also has no scales, just smooth skin covered in pores[2].
- These two factors make the name of its genus, Alepisaurus, fitting - it comes from Greek, and means "lizard without scales"[3].
- The muscles that it does have are flabby and not fit for long-distance speed, like it would need to have in order to escape a predator. Hence, it is often targeted by larger fish, like tuna[1].
- There are remarks in both descriptions regarding something called an "adipose fin", and that its function is not fully known. This is true - it only appears on a few species of fish, the longnose lancetfish included, and it was once thought to store fat tissue, or adipose tissue, hence the name[3][4][5]. This is no longer thought to be the case, but its actual purpose is still unclear.
- Though the longnose lancetfish isn't built for long-distance travel, it is more than capable of short bursts of speed, so it is thought to be an ambush hunter[6]. Like both games say, it is a remarkable predator, cramming everything and anything into its mouth[7]. Cannibalism is also somewhat commonplace[8][9].
- Because it is well-known for eating others of its kind, it is sometimes referred to as the cannibal fish[10].
- There is one other species of lancetfish that does not appear in either of the Endless Ocean games - the shortnose lancetfish, Alepisaurus brevirostris[11]. Like its name suggests, its head is smaller in comparison to its body than that of the longnose lancetfish[12].
[]
Splendid Alfonsino
• Common Fangtooth
• Fanfin
• Pelican Eel
• Snailfish
• Sea Pig
Chambered Nautilus
• Popeye Grenadier
• Barreleye
• Humpback Anglerfish
• Firefly Squid
Glass Squid
• Galatheid Crab
• Sea Gooseberry
• Deep-Sea Blind Shrimp
• Giant Sea Spider
Ocean Sunfish
• Opah
• Polka-Dot Ribbonfish
• Vampire Squid
• Giant Isopod
• Longnose Lancetfish
Megamouth Shark
• Goblin Shark
• Frilled Shark
• Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
• Oarfish
Giant Siphonophore
• Giant Squid (Deep-Sea Battle)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 NOAA Fisheries (Lancetfish Facts)
- ↑ Animal Diversity Web
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 FishBase
- ↑ Fishes of Australia
- ↑ Fisheries Blog (Adipose Fin Mysteries)
- ↑ FishBio
- ↑ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Twilight Zone
- ↑ IUCN Red List
- ↑ NOAA News
- ↑ North Coast Journal
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica
- ↑ Australian Museum