We got these stunning close-up shots of this viperfish, Chauliodus macouni, this week with ROV Doc Ricketts. This fish is over 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the surface and no longer than your forearm. The fact that we can fly a large underwater robot in the deep midwater, spot and zoom in on an amazing deep-sea fish, watch it breathe and see its skin glisten in the ROV lights for over 5 minutes is a true testament to the talent of our ROV pilots and crew. We challenge them to give us this kind of view of the deep-sea world and they meet the challenge every time we get to work with them!

The viperfish has teeth so large, they don’t fit in their mouth! Their huge jaws allow them to open wide, engulf prey (like shrimp and fish),  and then the teeth trap its meal in its mouth!