Pacific grenadier (Coryphaenoides acrolepis)

General data
- Main name: Pacific grenadier
- Climates: Subpolar
- Habitat: Saltwater
- Native: Asia, North America
- Distribution: Pacific Ocean
Classification
- Genus: Coryphaenoides - Grenadiers
- Family: Macrouridae - Grenadiers
- Order: Gadiformes - Cods
- Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Description
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.