# Fangtooth
The fangtooth (*Anoplogaster cornuta*), also called the common fangtooth or ogrefish, is a small bathypelagic marine fish of the family Anoplogastridae, found worldwide in tropical to temperate seas and named for the long, fang-like teeth that are the largest of any fish relative to body size.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) • [2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) • [3](https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?print_version=PRT&search_topic=TSN&search_value=166151&source=to_print) Despite its menacing appearance, the adult reaches only about 6 inches (17 cm) in length, and FishBase records a maximum of 18.0 cm total length.[2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) • [1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Anoplogaster cornuta* (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1833); family Anoplogastridae, order Trachichthyiformes[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) • [3](https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?print_version=PRT&search_topic=TSN&search_value=166151&source=to_print) |
| Size | Adult about 6 inches (17 cm); maximum 18.0 cm total length[2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) • [1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) |
| Depth range | 2 to 4,992 m, usually 500 to 2,000 m; observed as deep as 5,000 m, among the deepest-living fish[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) • [2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) |
| Distribution | Worldwide in tropical to temperate seas, 65°N to 46°S[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) |
| Diet | Crustaceans when young, mainly fish as adults; juveniles filter zooplankton[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) • [2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) |
| Predators | Served as food for pelagic fishes such as tuna, albacore, and marlin[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) |
| Conservation status | IUCN Red List Least Concern, assessed 14 May 2013; of no interest to fisheries[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) |
## Teeth and body form
The fangtooth has a shortened, deep body with a characteristically large mouth lined with sharp, fang-like teeth, the feature that gives the fish its common name.[4](https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/anoplogaster-cornuta-fangtooth) Its teeth are the largest in the ocean in proportion to body size, and a pair of long anterior fangs in the upper jaw is among its most prominent features.[2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) • [4](https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/anoplogaster-cornuta-fangtooth) The largest two fangs of the lower jaw are so long in adults that the fish has a pair of opposing sockets on either side of the brain to accommodate the teeth when the mouth is closed; the Smithsonian Ocean account describes special pouches on the roof of the mouth that prevent the teeth from piercing the brain.[4](https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/anoplogaster-cornuta-fangtooth) • [2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish)
The body is uniformly dark brown to black, and most of it is covered with thin, prickly scales and spines.[4](https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/anoplogaster-cornuta-fangtooth) FishBase's short description adds counts useful for identification: 17 to 20 dorsal soft rays, 7 to 9 anal soft rays, and 28 vertebrae, with a lateral line that is an open groove bridged by scales at intervals.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) The eyes are relatively small and set high on the head; to compensate for relatively poor eyesight, the fangtooth has an unusually prominent lateral line that helps it sense movement and vibration in the surrounding water.[4](https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/anoplogaster-cornuta-fangtooth)
## Depth, distribution, and daily movement
The fangtooth lives in the bathypelagic zone. FishBase gives a depth range of 2 to 4,992 m, with adults occurring mainly between 500 and 2,000 m and young ranging from near the surface down.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) It has been found as deep as 5,000 m (16,404 feet), making it one of the deepest-living fish, but it is most common between 500 and 2,000 m (1,640 and 6,562 feet).[2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) During the day it stays in deeper water and at night migrates up to shallower water to feed, a behavior called diel migration.[2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) Adults form schools, swim in small groups, or are solitary.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html)
## Feeding ecology
The fangtooth is carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans when young and mainly on fish as an adult; the Smithsonian notes that younger, smaller fangtooths filter zooplankton from the water while adults feed on fish and squid.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) • [2](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish) In a review of deep-sea fish feeding guilds, marine biologists Jeffrey C. Drazen of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Tracey T. Sutton of Nova Southeastern University classify *A. cornuta* as a meso-to-bathypelagic generalist with large teeth and a large gape, noting that scant records indicate a wide prey spectrum.[5](https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-010816-060543) They place true generalism in the context of food-poor deep waters, where adaptations to food limitation include an enormous gape, reduced musculature, and reduced visual predation.[5](https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-010816-060543)
A 2023 study in *Scientific Reports* led by Elan J. Portner examined specimens from the stomachs of longnose lancetfish to describe the diets of three poorly known deep-sea fishes, including 91 juvenile common fangtooth weighing 0.6 to 22 g collected in the central North Pacific Ocean, mostly in waters surrounding the [Hawaiian Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/hawaiian-islands).[6](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-41298-9) The study used the lancetfish as a biological sampler because relatively mobile deep-sea taxa frequently avoid observation with conventional methods.[6](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-41298-9)
## Life stages
The juvenile and adult fangtooth differ markedly. Juveniles have long cephalic and preopercular spines, a big eye, small multiserial teeth on the jaws, no teeth on the palatine and vomer, and long, slender gill rakers; adults lose the head spines, have a small eye, and bear tooth-like gill rakers in groups on bony bases.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) The species is oviparous with planktonic larvae.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) In larval and young stages, *A. cornuta* has long head spines whereas the second species in the family, the shorthorn fangtooth *Anoplogaster brachycera* Kotlyar, 1986, has short head spines, the basis for its designation as a separate species.[3](https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?print_version=PRT&search_topic=TSN&search_value=166151&source=to_print) • [7](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/8559/noaa_8559_DS1.pdf)
## Ecological role and status
Within its depth range the fangtooth functions as a mid-to-upper-level predator, and FishBase assigns it a trophic level of 4.0 ± 0.53 based on food items.[8](https://animalstart.com/article/the-ecological-role-of-fangtooth/) • [1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) It in turn serves as food for pelagic fishes such as tuna, albacore, and marlin.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html) The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessed 14 May 2013) and is of no interest to fisheries.[1](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html)
## References
1. [Anoplogaster cornuta, Common fangtooth, FishBase summary page](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anoplogaster-cornuta.html)
2. [Fangtooth Fish, Smithsonian Ocean](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/fangtooth-fish)
3. [ITIS Report: Anoplogaster](https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?print_version=PRT&search_topic=TSN&search_value=166151&source=to_print)
4. [Anoplogaster cornuta, Fangtooth, Smithsonian Institution snapshot](https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/anoplogaster-cornuta-fangtooth)
5. [Drazen, J. C. and Sutton, T. T. (2017). Dining in the Deep: The Feeding Ecology of Deep-Sea Fishes. Annual Review of Marine Science 9:337–366](https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-010816-060543)
6. [Portner, E. J. et al. (2023). Harnessing a mesopelagic predator as a biological sampler reveals taxonomic and vertical resource partitioning among three poorly known deep-sea fishes. Scientific Reports](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-41298-9)
7. [Richards, W. J., Lyczkowski-Shultz, J. and Konieczna, M. ANOPLOGASTERIDAE: Fangtooths, NOAA](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/8559/noaa_8559_DS1.pdf)
8. [The Ecological Role of the Fangtooth, Animal Start](https://animalstart.com/article/the-ecological-role-of-fangtooth/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Vertebrates › Fish › Ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) › Marine pelagic and deep-sea fish*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license