Viperfish
Chauliodus sloani
Needle fangs turn darkness into a trap.
The viperfish looks like a pocket-sized sea monster, but it is only about ruler-length. It waits almost motionless, then darts at prey with a lightning-fast strike.
Find this SeaPal in the card gallery
From field guide to game table
Bring this Viperfish home
See which ready-to-play decks feature this SeaPal. Try one in the simulator before you buy, or explore each full deck list.
- 1 copy
Ready-to-play deck
Darkness Shroud Deck
Includes 1 card featuring Viperfish.
Quick dive
Creature passport
- Home
- It ranges through tropical and temperate deep waters worldwide, often 500 to 2,500 meters down by day.
- Favorite foods
- It hunts small fishes and crustaceans.
- Size check
- Up to about 12 in (30 cm)—one classroom ruler
Tell-your-friends facts
Four wonderfully wild things
- 1
Its longest teeth are so big that they curve outside the closed mouth.
- 2
A glowing tip on its first dorsal-fin ray may help tempt prey closer.
- 3
Rows of belly lights camouflage it against the faint glow above.
- 4
Many viperfish rise toward shallower water at night and sink again by day.
Ocean superpower
Built to be amazing
A huge hinged mouth and cage-like fangs clamp around slippery prey.
Junior scientist tip
What should I look for?
Look for long needle teeth, a large lower jaw, and dotted belly lights.
Grown-up research links
We used trusted science organizations to check this profile.