Globehead Whiptail

Interesting Info

• The Globehead Whiptail is a deep-sea grenadier, or rat tail fish, that lives along continental slopes in the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific, including very deep waters off Australia.
• It gets its name from its large, rounded head, which looks globe-shaped compared to its long, skinny tail.
• Like other whiptails, its body tapers into a whip-like tail that helps it drift smoothly over the seafloor.
• It lives in the bathypelagic zone, usually between 800–2,000 m (2,600–6,600 ft) deep, far beyond the reach of sunlight.
• Its eyes are very large and adapted to pick up faint light in the deep ocean.
• The body is grey-brown to bluish, helping it vanish against the muddy seafloor.
• They feed mostly on benthic crustaceans, polychaete worms, and other small invertebrates, and sometimes scavenge on dead animals sinking from above.
• The Globehead Whiptail has a well-developed lateral line that detects vibrations, letting it find food in total darkness.
• Very little is known about its breeding, but like most deep-sea grenadiers, females probably release eggs into the water column where larvae drift before settling.
• Its lifespan is not well studied, but many grenadiers live more than 20 years because of their slow growth and cold, deep-sea environment.
• This species is extremely rare in collections, and scientists still know very little about its behaviour and ecology.
• The Globehead Whiptail is one of several mysterious deep-sea rattails that remind us how much of the ocean remains unexplored.