Find a Fish
Hammerjaw
Omosudis lowei (Günther, 1887)
Above and below: A Hammerjaw trawled during the NORFANZ expedition at a depth between the surface and 1275 m in international waters south-east of Norfolk Island, May 2003 (NMNZ P.38953). View larger image. Photo: Mark McGrouther © NORFANZ.
Head of the Hammerjaw in the top image. Note the truncate lower jaw, large fangs and silvery-bronze colouration. View larger image. Photo: Mark McGrouther © NORFANZ.
The Hammerjaw has a strongly compressed body that lacks scales. It has a very large mouth with a truncate lower jaw. There is at least one huge fang on the lower jaw and one to four fangs on the palatines. A short based dorsal fin is positioned behind the middle of the body. A dorsal adipose fin is positioned above the posterior anal fin rays. There is a dermal keel present on the caudal peduncle.
This species has an iridescent silvery-bronze colour.
It grows to 30 cm in length.
The Hammerjaw is a predator of fishes and squid.
It occurs in mesopelagic and bathypelagic depths in temperate and tropical marine waters worldwide.
In Australia it is known from scattered localities off New South Wales, and off south-eastern and north-western Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
The Hammerjaw is also known as the Omosudid.
Related links
- View the Deepsea fish list
Further reading
- Gomon, M.F. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Paxton, J.R. & V.H. Niem 1999. Omosudidae. In Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 3. Batoid fishes, chimaeras and bony fishes part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae). FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-vi, 1398-2068.
