In the depths of the tranquil tropical ocean, there lives a mysterious creature with a huge and hideous face, the king banded fish. Because it has always lived in deep-sea waters, it is difficult to capture and observe, and little is known about it.
Kinghead fish live in the warm waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans at 800 to 1300 meters, so it is not easy for humans to come into contact with them. The king band fish is huge and amazingly long, and is the longest bony fish in the ocean, with a body length of more than ten meters. They do not have scales on the surface, but the fish body is generally bright silver, and its body shape is similar to a band, which looks very similar to a banded fish. The most eye-catching feature of the king's body is that there is a bright red dorsal fin above the top of the head, and the first 5 fins are uniquely shaped, looking like wearing a crown, which is easily recognizable.
King's stripe fish mainly feed on small and medium-sized fish, squid, krill, crabs, etc. Their large, flattened, banded bodies prevent them from swimming fast, but only move forward slowly. Therefore, when they prey, they mainly accumulate power by curling up their bodies, and when the prey reaches the attack range, they suddenly attack and capture it.
There are many unsolved mysteries about the reproduction of the royal banded fish. Kinghead fish generally mate around mid-November each year, hundreds of kinghead fish gather together, surrounded by a group, dozens or even more male royal banded fish surround the female royal band fish in the middle, complete the mating. This process lasts about ten days, after which the female royal band lays eggs, the male royal band fish begin to release sperm in the body, and the male royal band fish will quickly leave after the sperm is excreted, so as to "make room" for more male royal band fish to mate here, and during this time the male royal band fish do not have a struggle between the same kind, which is surprising to scientists.
The number of existing kingfish populations is still difficult to determine due to the lack of data basis. Since the royal band fish inhabits the depths of the sea and is only washed off the coast when it is dead or dying, people have a chance to understand it. Maybe one day, we will be able to completely unravel the mystery of the royal fish.
This article is scientifically checked by Li Yanzhi, a senior teacher at Beijing No. 65 Middle School.
This work is the original of "Popular Science China - Scientific Principles One-Point Pass", please indicate the source when reprinting.