The first true eels on our abyssal tour, Nemichthyidae have thin, tweezer-like jaws that bend outwards from each other, an arrangement that at first appears almost useless. It was long debated how these fishes actually ate, but we now know that their tiny, backwards-facing teeth allow them to "ratchet" small crustaceans into their mouths with a series of rapid chomps.

BACK	MAIN	NEXT