Appearance
The dorsal fin of ''A. ferox'' has about three rays strongly exerted, beginning with the third or fourth ray. It is known to have a large mouth with two fangs. It is generally pale, iridescent, and dark around the dorsal fin; all of its fins are either dark brown or black.The stomach of ''A. ferox'' is similar to that of the other species in the suborder of Alepisauroidea. The gut of the ''A. ferox'' is a large, blind-sac that also has a very unique biological response to food. The stomach will store food in the stomach and slowly digest the contents, allowing for a more in depth understanding of the exact diet the ''A. ferox'' have.
The large, sharp teeth of the lancetfish have two functions; breaking apart organisms too large to swallow whole, and cutting prey’s trunk muscles to stop the prey struggling. The teeth are not used for chewing otherwise.
Naming
It is often called the cannibal fish because numerous individuals have been caught after having devoured other lancetfish.Habitat
''A. ferox'' lives in deep-water oceans in the Western and Eastern Pacific from the Aleutian Islands to Chile and the Western Atlantic from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico, including the Caribbean Sea, and the Eastern Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Northwest Atlantic, and the China Sea. The ''A. ferox'' can also be found as far north as Russia. Due to the range of habitat the ''A. ferox'' can be found in, it can be caught with fisheries that are catching tuna. The daily vertical migrations from the epipelagic all the way down to the mesopelagic or bathypelagic zones are taken by the ''A. ferox'' in order to find food.Reproduction
The fish are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive parts at the same time. Unlike other hermaphroditic fishes, ''A. ferox'' has two distinct testicular lobes that are independent from the ovarian region. This species also an absence of a pair of diverticulae in the female reproductive section, which in other hermaphrodites is used for spermatophore uptake.Food
The main diet of ''A. ferox'' can vary depending on the area it inhabits. There have been studies done that show the diet variation along with studies that show there is no diet variation. ''A. ferox'' is known to eat from 98 different prey families and even made man materials, like plastics, that find their way into the ocean.''A. ferox'' is known as a migratory species as well as a cannibalistic one. ''A. ferox'' is known to travel down to as far as 1,830 metres down in order to hunt. A study done in Suruga Bay, Japan explored the contents of the stomach of various ''A. ferox'' that had washed ashore and found that along with indigestible materials, there were species of sea life that were found at the surface, middle, and deep sea layers. This study showed how the ''A. ferox'' is a deep sea diving species that can easily migrate between the different layers of the sea.
''A. ferox'' is referred to as the cannibal fish, due to its conspecific predation habits. the extent of cannibalism depended on the availability of non-conspecific prey. These patterns range from 0–45.5% in frequency and depend on the availability and ease of finding other prey but ultimately make up a substantial part of ''A. feroxs diet. Size is an influencing factor as small lancetfish will not turn to cannibalism as quickly as larger fish.
Predators
The known predators for ''A. ferox'' include yellowfin tuna, opah, fur seals, Pacific cod, and salmon shark. The predators are known to change for ''A. ferox'' depending on the region of the ocean it is inhabiting.References:
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