The viperfish is a deep-sea fish that has a long, slender body, with large, fang-like teeth and a hinged lower jaw. It has a bioluminescent organ on the end of a long filament on its head, which it uses to lure prey in the dark. It also has photophores along its sides and belly, which may help it to camouflage or communicate. It feeds on shrimps, small fish, and other deep-sea organisms. It can swim backwards, sideways, or forwards, by contracting its nectophores. It is found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, at depths of 200 to 1,000 meters.
