Small-eyed grenadier: this is what crab sticks are made of (9 photos)

The small-eyed grenadier is terrifying and disgusting in real life, but it can surprise you with its taste.





Unfortunately, this is not an AI generation...

The small-eyed grenadier, giant grenadier, or small-eyed longtail is a distant relative of the cod and a very peculiar animal. 2 meters long, almost 90 kilograms in weight and creepy huge black eyes. The biologist who gave the species its name definitely had a good sense of humor.



I wonder what kind of eyes an animal should have to be called big-eyed, if, according to biologists, this guy is small-eyed?

In essence, the grenadier consists of a huge creepy head and a long tail, without bothering about the body and other unnecessary paraphernalia. As if there were not enough parts during assembly. But, as scientific research shows, such an “unfinished” at first glance appearance in reality hides the main predator of the northern part of the Pacific bathypelagic zone (This is a depth from 1000 m to 4000 m).





Wow, is that the tadpole of the great Cthulhu?

Where is it? Imagine the other side of the globe. So, all the coastal waters on this side will be the habitat of the grenadier. More precisely, not quite coastal, but at a depth of 140 to 4000 meters down. Not quite the bottom, but not the surface either, but somewhere in the middle. The fish love cold water with a temperature no higher than +8° and darkness. But they do not really respect high pressure and the absence of prey.



When the courier arrived at 12 o'clock in the morning and woke up your majesty.

Longtails do not just swim and wait for the current to bring food, as other deep-sea predators do, they actively prowl the water column. Eyes, no matter how big they are, are of little help in hunting. It is dark in the bathypelagic zone, and it is impossible to see food from a distance there. Therefore, the fish literally sniff out their prey.



Wow, humanity has found an anime fish!

There are many chemoreceptors on the head and lips of the grenadier, which help to detect tiny molecules of the smell of prey in the vast ocean. Plus, predators use the lateral line - a special system of receptors on both sides of the body that sense the smallest vibrations and vibrations of water. All together, it helps to establish the exact location of squids, crabs, worms, all kinds of invertebrates and a wide variety of fish.



*sounds from the movie "Jaws"*

By the way, right now is the most active hunting season for grenadiers. From July to September, the fish eat a lot, trying to restore the energy spent after mating games. In general, with this matter, everything is not so simple and not entirely clear for fish. It is believed that they are able to spawn all year round. But in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the peak of spawning occurs in early spring, and in other regions - at the beginning of summer. It is also interesting that most female long-tailed grenadiers live at a depth of up to 900 meters, and there are practically no males among them. Sexual equality occurs at about 1200-1300 meters, and the cute, big-eyed ladies prefer not to swim deeper than these marks.



It hurts me to see white light, I feel better in complete darkness.

Female grenadiers often grow longer and heavier than males, and this is not surprising, because they need a lot of resources to continue the species. They become sexually mature quite late - by 5-11 years. But the largest and most adult mother-heroine can mature up to 400,000 eggs at a time! And so that she doesn't die of hunger during the spawning process, she needs to eat a lot. There is much less prey at depth - that's probably why the fish had to split up into different tiers of the ocean. And when it's time to make babies, the ladies just go down to their lovers, just like princesses from a tower.



But you definitely shouldn't go up to the princes higher up...

It is believed that not only a sophisticated chemoreception system and lateral line help the long-tailed fish find each other in complete darkness, but also... mating songs. The fish have special muscles that are attached to the swim bladder. Thanks to them, individuals "in active search" can recognize each other even in complete darkness. Scientists even made recordings and say that fish talk is somewhat similar to the beating of drums and dull knocks-clicks in the range of 800-1100 Hz. On land, this would all be similar to the chirping of a cricket or cicada. But in water, and even at great depth, the sound is perceived differently. So the fish perceive it "with their whole body", almost like the vibration from a Nokia in your back pocket.



So this is what happens to retired smartphones!

The life of the small-eyed grenadier is hidden behind a kilometer of water, but its path often ends in the nets of deep-sea trawlers. Moreover, they are not caught on purpose - they are caught in the nets as bycatch when people catch more valuable and tasty fish, like flounder. As gourmets say, the meat of the longtail is too tender and soft, for an amateur, of which there are not so many. Therefore, the fish are often processed into crab sticks or minced fish. This is how the main predator itself becomes dinner.