ZooWeird 81

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Sloane’s viperfish. Despite its frightening appearance, the Sloane’s viperfish (or Sloane’s fangfish) is a harmless-to-humans dragon fish of the Chauliodus genus. It can be found all over the world in tropical and subtropical oceans, living in very deep depths. They are bathypelagic animals that live only for a few hours in captivity; as a result we don't know much about them. The fish is best known for having the Guinness record for largest teeth in comparison to its head-size, among all known species of fish. The teeth are so big that the Sloane’s viperfish has to open its jaws almost vertically before swallowing its prey. (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2011/09/sloanes-viperfish.html#ixzz4ZFAVoYFi)

The viperfish lives far below—

In depths few humans ever know.

And, oh, does he go with the flow.

His teeth are mammoth for his head—

The better to make small things dead—

And we look on him with some dread.

But he will not harm human folks—

Unless offended by their jokes—

In which case he will eat those blokes.