the outlined silhouettes of prey against the gloom above. Their eyes may also help telescopefish to better judge distance of prey; these visual adaptations are typical of deep-sea fish (barrel-eye, tube-eye). Common prey include bristlemouths, lanternfish, and barbeled dragonfish. Owing to the telescopefishes' highly extensile jaws and distensible stomachs, they are able to swallow prey larger than themselves; this is also a common adaptation to life in the lean depths (sabertooth fish, black seadevil). Much less is known of their reproductive habits. They are presumed to be nonguarding pelagic spawners, releasing eggs and sperm indiscriminately into the water. The fertilized eggs are buoyant and become incorporated into the zooplankton, wherein they and the larvae remain—likely at much shallower depths than the adults—until metamorphosis into juvenile or adult form. See also List of fish families List of fish common names References "Mesopelagic fishes". Encyclopedia of ocean sciences, Vol. 3, 2001. A. G. V. Salvanes and J. B. Kristofersen. February 2005 version. (PDF file.)