Scientists Reveal How the Dragonfish Can Eat Prey Bigger Than Its Head

A dragonfish captured in a trawl in the Gulf of Mexico, 2007. Scientists have discovered this predator can consume prey bigger than its head. (Getty Images)

We already knew the dragonfish was a unique predator of the sea. It lives at depths of thousands of feet, using bioluminescence to attract prey in the extreme dark. There are few other creatures at these depths, to the point it may not meet another fish for months. Understandably, it needs to make the most of these encounters. But scientists were still stunned to discover it has evolved so it can consume prey bigger than its own head.

Dave Johnson (a curator in the division of fishes at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History) and Nalani Schnell (Muséum national d’Histore naturelle at the Sorbonne) have published their findings in the journal Pls One. They found that some types of dragonfish have developed a hinged cranium, where the cranium tips back when it opens its mouth. (There’s a gap by the brain case and this empty space gives them room to make the shift.) The result is that the dragonfish can take on and consume prey seemingly beyond its bodily dimensions, ensuring no opportunity to feed goes to waste.

To read more about the dragonfish, click here. To read the full report in Pls One, click here. See how its unique jaw works in the video below.