The daggertooths are a genus of marine mesopelagic fish in the order Aulopiformes, the sole genus of the family Anotopteridae. They are found in oceans worldwide, but prefer cooler waters.
A daggertooth trawled from the mesopelagic near Bear's Seamount in the North Atlantic. The Yellow coloration in this photo is the yellow of a hi-vis life jacket reflecting off this fish's silvery skin. Photo by Dr. Jon A. Moore
Close up of an Anotopterus pharao and its "daggertooth". Collected from Bear's Seamount in the western North Atlantic. Photo by Dr. Jon A. Moore
Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.
A school of large pelagic predator fish (bluefin trevally) sizing up a school of small pelagic prey fish (anchovies)
Large epipelagic predator fish, such as this Atlantic bluefin tuna, have a deeply forked tail and a smooth body shaped like a spindle tapered at both ends and countershaded with silvery colours.
Drifting Sargassum seaweed provides food and shelter for small epipelagic fish. The small round spheres are floats filled with carbon dioxide which provide buoyancy to the algae.
Great barracuda accompanied by a school of jacks
