Lancetfish
Videos
Lancetfishes are large oceanic predatory ray-finned fishes in the genus Alepisaurus in the monogeneric family Alepisauridae.
Alepisaurus ferox on deck
A lancetfish in the midwater facing upwards towards the surface
A lancetfish model in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC
A small lancetfish, photo by Dr. Jon A. Moore
Fish fin
Videos
Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and lift, which help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct
Lancetfish
…is a fossil known from Middle Miocene-aged strata from Italy. Lancetfish possess a long and very high dorsal fin, soft-rayed from end to end, with an adipose fin behind it. The dorsal fin has 41 to 44 rays and occupies the greater length of the back. This fin is rounded in outline, about twice as high as the…
Skeleton of a lingcod, a ray-finned fish
Lobe-finned fishes, like this coelacanth, have fins that are borne on a fleshy, lobe-like, scaly stalk extending from the body. Due to the high number of fins it possesses, the coelacanth has high manoeuvrability and can orient its body in almost any direction in the water.
Pectoral fin with fleshy lobe of Latimeria chalumnae (Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0)
Skeleton of the pectoral girdle and fin of the extant coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae (Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0)