Pacific grenadier
(Coryphaenoides acrolepis)
General data
Has a large head and eyes with a long body that tapers to a point. Has a small chin barbel. It has a short, pointed snout.
It averages 46-65 cm (18-26 inches) in length.
Gray to grayish brown when young, and turns a dark brown color in adulthood.
Has a large gas bladder that expands and is usually everted when hauled to the surface.
Found in deep waters ranging 300-3,700m deep off coasts all along the North Pacific, from northern Japan to the Bering seas and as far south as northern Mexico.
Far-ranging scavenger that typically feeds on decaying material and other benthic organisms like small fish, krill, prawns, amphipods, and cephalopods.
The Pacific Grenadier expends energy very slowly and takes a long time to grow and reproduce. [4]
Spends its life on the sea floor, scavenging for food. Grenadier have even been observed in extreme low-oxygen environments that would be deadly for other fishes.
Capable of traveling long distances while scavenging. One was even found far away from its typical range in the South Atlantic.
