They also exist at a wide range of depths between the surface and thousands of meters deep into the bathypelagic zone, depending on the water's ideal feeding and breeding conditions.

Temperature, salinity, oxygen, and fluorescence profiles of an area can affect some species' (like Sloane's viperfish Chauliodus sloani) preferred habitat changes from day to night with DVM.

The deep-sea dragonfish waves its barbel back and forth and produces flashing lights on and off to attract prey and potential mates.

[citation needed] The jaw of members in the Stomiidae family is adapted extremely well for survival and predation in the deep sea.

Additionally, it is seen that the adductor mass of the lower jaw of deep-sea dragonfish is significantly decreased, allowing for increased ability to attain high adduction velocity.

[10] Functionally, the gap allows deep-sea dragonfish to pull back their cranium and open their mouths up to 120°, which is significantly farther than other taxa that lack such a head joint.

[9] This is what allows deep-sea dragonfish to engulf such large prey, resulting in improved survival through the ability to consume more organisms in an extremely food limited environment.

[13] Dragonfish females exhibit two distinct cohorts oocytes, one which is a white cream color during the first growing stage and the other which is orange-reddish in vitellogenesis.

[17] Dragonfish are a type of teleost fish that inhabit the deep sea and use bioluminescence to detect prey and communicate with potential mates.

They possess far-red emitting photophores and rhodopsins that are sensitive to long-wave emissions greater than 650 nm, and have adapted to the unique light conditions of the deep-sea environment.

[13] Egg-laying, which predominantly occurs in October, is preceded by a distinctive whirling behavior driven by the male prodding the side of the female's abdomen.

[8] Additionally, dragonfish possess a unique adaptation of being able to see using chlorophyll in their eyes, which may allow them to detect the weak bioluminescence of their prey and navigate their dark habitats more effectively.

One study focuses on the stomiid family, which includes loosejaws and dragonfishes, analyzing the genetic makeup of the visual pigments in these fish and how they have adapted to the unique light conditions of the deep-sea environment.

[18] Teleost fishes exhibit a wide range of visual signals, including color, texture, form, and motion, that are used to find mates, establish dominance, defend territory, and coordinate group behavior.

[22] Some dragonfish, such as the Malacosteus niger, all Aristostomias species, Pachystomias microdon, and Chirostomias also have a unique red light emitting photophore in the suborbital region.

Data from a study performed on specimens of the Stomias boa species agree with this hypothesis because the barbels of the dragonfish produced light emissions following exposure to external adrenaline.

[26] The loose jaw dragonfishes, which include species from Aristostomias, Malacosteus, and Pachystomias, have the ability to detect and produce red bioluminescence.

The foraging strategy they undergo involves remaining in the deep-sea and emitting far-red bioluminescence to illuminate a small area and search for prey.