What deep-sea creature has the biggest teeth?
When considering which deep-sea creature has the biggest teeth, the answer depends on what you mean by “biggest!” The fangtooth Anoplogaster cornuta has the biggest teeth of any ocean animal compared to its body size, but its maximum body size is only 17 centimeters (7 inches) long.
This fangtooth spent some time examining remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer at a depth of 800 meters (2,600 feet) during NOAA Ocean Exploration’s 2017 expedition “Deep-Sea Symphony: Exploring the Musicians Seamounts.” Download HD version (mp4, 41.6 MB)
It’s hard to get a sense for how big deep-sea animals are in pictures or videos, since there are usually no familiar objects in the background to compare them to for scale. Some deep-sea fishes can look pretty ferocious on camera, but a lot of them are smaller than you might expect!
The fangtooth is one fish in that “smaller than expected” category, but its teeth are still pretty impressive. A fangtooth’s front teeth are so huge that they slide into special pockets in the roof of the fish’s mouth– and the fangtooth’s mouth still can’t close completely. Long, sharp fangs are useful in the deep sea, where food can be scarce: They help the fangtooth grab hold of a squid or other slippery meal whenever it gets the chance.
So what deep-sea animal has the biggest tooth overall? Depending on how you measure, that prize might go to the narwhal. Known to dive more than 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) below the surface while hunting, male narwhals grow a single giant tusk that can be nearly 3 meters (10 feet) long.