Venomous Camelfish

Venenatis Camelpiscis (Venomous Camelfish)

Structural Adaptations

1. They have very small teeth but four big fangs, two on top and two at the bottom. They have 52 teeth in total. Their four long teeth help them inject venom into their prey.

2. They store fat in their humps like camels. In the deep sea, where venomous camelfish live, there are not many fish living there (food is scarce). They had adapted to their environment by storing fat.

Biome/HabitatThey live in the ocean, the bathypelagic zone, which is around 1,000 meters below the sea surface.

3. Venomous camelfish have a gas-filled sac inside their body, which is called a swim bladder. It is located below the backbone that acts as a floatation device. It prevents them from floating upwards and helps them maintain their depth.

4. They have tubular eyes which are extremely sensitive to search for the faint silhouettes of their prey. Creatures with these kinds of eyes are called barreleyes. Tubular eyes are good at collecting light, but they have a very narrow field of view.

5. They have a slim body to slide in between narrow rocks, cliffs, and caves because that is where they stay to sleep, or sometimes to search and attack their prey.

Behavioral Adaptations

1. They sleep in caves and spaces in between cliffs and rocks for 14 hours a day. They do not have to move around from place to place, being trailed after predators, since they do not have any predators.

2. They move around in large groups to find a mate easily. They have to reproduce quickly, in 3 months because their lifespan is short (only 10 months).

Adaptations

Physiological

1. They produce venom. There is a special gland located on the head of the fish. They use their teeth to inject venom into their prey.

Prey:Squids, small turtles, worms, etc. Predators:None (Tertiary Consumer, top of the energy pyramid)

Symbiosis:Venomous camelfish are involved in commensalism. Cleaner fish attatch to their body and eats their dead skin, but camelfish are not affected by it.

1. "Venom." Reptilian Rants. N.p., 9 July 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2014. .2. "Do Deep-Sea Fish Explode When They Are Brought to the Surface?" Canadian Museum of Nature. Meg Beckel, 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 Feb. 2014. .3. "The Deep Sea." Marine Bio. David Campbell, P.G., 1998-2014. Web. 8 Feb. 2014. . 4. Robison, B. H., and K. R. Reisenbichler. "Researchers solve mystery of deep-sea fish with tubular eyes and transparent head." Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation, 1996-2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2014. .

Bibliography

Niche:They help the food chain of the deep sea to be stable. They prevent the squids, turtles, and worm population from overpopulating.