Fish
Grenadier
Macrouridae · also called rattail
Tapering from a large head down to a long, thin tail, a grenadier scavenges across the deep ocean floor as part of the most abundant and diverse fish family found anywhere in the abyss, quietly recycling whatever settles down from above.
Overview
Grenadiers, family Macrouridae, are scavenging fish native to deep ocean seafloor habitat spanning nearly every ocean basin in the world. Their distinctive rattail body shape, enormous species diversity, and important ecological role recycling deep-sea carrion make them one of the most ecologically significant fish groups found anywhere on the ocean floor.
The deep sea’s most successful body plan
With well over a hundred species distributed across nearly the entire deep ocean floor, the grenadier’s tapering, rattail body plan has proven to be one of evolution’s most successful solutions to life in the deep, far outnumbering the more famous but far rarer deep-sea predators most people picture.
Status
Vulnerable overall, with several commercially targeted species such as the roundnose grenadier having declined significantly from deep-sea trawling.
Grenadier: common questions
Why is the grenadier called the rattail?
This family has a distinctively large head that tapers gradually into a long, thin tail, a body shape that gives the group its alternative common name, rattail.
How many grenadier species are there?
This family is considered the most abundant and diverse group of fish found on the deep ocean floor, with well over a hundred recognised species distributed across nearly every ocean basin in the world.
Are grenadier fish commercially important?
Yes, a number of species within this family, particularly the roundnose grenadier, have been targeted commercially, with several populations declining significantly as a result of deep-sea trawling.
What role do grenadiers play in the deep-sea ecosystem?
This family plays an important ecological role as scavengers, helping recycle nutrients from carrion and organic material that settles onto the deep ocean floor from above.