Black swallower

The black swallower (Chiasmodon niger) is a deep-sea fish that can ingest prey larger than itself and stretch its stomach around the meal.

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Jaws: The paired skeletal structures that support teeth and move to open and close the mouth. A large gape lets the black swallower take prey too large for its own body.
Deep sea: The ocean zone below roughly 200 meters, where sunlight is insufficient for photosynthesis. The black swallower lives in dark, high-pressure waters where food can be scarce.
Food web: A network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem. The black swallower links midwater predators to prey that may be much larger than expected.
Viperfish: A deep-sea predatory fish recognized by long fangs and a hinged jaw. Both are deep-sea predators, but the viperfish is known for its teeth rather than stomach expansion.
Stomach: A digestive organ that stores food and begins its chemical breakdown. Its elastic stomach expands dramatically around an oversized meal.
Mesopelagic zone: The ocean layer extending approximately 200 to 1,000 meters below the surface. Black swallowers are associated with the midwater depths within this zone.
Deep-sea fishing: The capture of fish from deep ocean habitats using fishing gear or research equipment. Specimens and observations from deep-sea captures help establish the species’ biology.
Gulper eel: A deep-sea eel with an enormous mouth and expandable jaws. Its oversized mouth offers a different anatomical route to taking large prey.
Digestive system: The organs that ingest food, digest it, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste. The fish’s extraordinary feeding depends on digestion as well as swallowing.
Bioluminescence: The production of light by living organisms through chemical reactions. Light production is a common deep-sea adaptation, though not the black swallower’s defining feeding trait.