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A pink thornyhead rockfish rests on the seafloor against a dark background showing its spiny dorsal fin

Longspine thornyhead

Sebastolobus altivelis

On view
Into the Deep
Animal type
Fishes
Ecosystem
Deep sea
Relatives
Rockfishes, rockcods, and thornyheads; Family: Sebastidae
Diet
Brittle stars, crustaceans, fish, bivalves, polychaete worms
Range
From 660 to 5,900 ft. (200 to 1,800 m) in the northeastern Pacific Ocean
Size
Up to 15.6 inches (39 cm) in length

Meet the longspine thornyhead

How do fish like this survive deep-sea pressure? Air compresses under pressure, but water doesn't. The bodies of these fish are mostly water with no air spaces like lungs or a swim bladder.

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