Life in the deep sea is challenging. The dark, cold environment with immense water pressure makes survival tough for deep-sea creatures.
Adding to their difficulties is the scarcity of food in the deep sea. With limited light reaching beyond the first few hundred meters, photosynthesis is not possible, leaving no new food production. Deep-sea animals rely on scavenging organic debris or preying on each other for sustenance.
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Therefore, adaptability in food choices is crucial for survival in the deep sea, as seen in the peculiar diet of black swallow fish. Chiasmodon niger adopts extreme feeding habits.
Compared to other deep-sea fish species, black swallows look relatively ordinary. They are small, typically 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) long.
When not recently fed, black swallows have a sardine-shaped body that elongates after a meal, showing their remarkable ability to consume large prey.
With elastic stomachs that can expand significantly, black swallows can swallow prey much larger than themselves without chewing.
These fish can devour fish twice their weight and over 10 times their weight, showcasing an exceptional feeding capacity.
Known also as snakefish, black swallows likely grab prey by the tail, grip it like a boa constrictor, and swallow it whole.
While this feeding strategy aids their survival in the deep sea, it also poses risks such as bloating if digestion is delayed, leading to fatal consequences.
Discoveries of black swallows with swollen bellies, caused by decomposed gas from undigested food, have highlighted these risks.
Observations of these fish floating at the water’s surface with distended bellies serve as reminders of the dangers they face due to their unique feeding behaviors.
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