Scientists have discovered a rather bizarre fish in a Burmese stream. It has bony fangs which have earned it the nickname of the Dracula Fish. Researchers suspect that it lost its teeth, but then evolved bony fangs, which the males seem to use for sparring with each other. This behaviour has been seen in captivity, but they don’t appear to draw blood, unlike their better-known Transylvanian namesake.
The fish are only around 17mm long and were discovered as part of a consignment of aquarium fish. Researchers originally mistook them for something else and it was only after several of the fish died and were examined under a microscope, that the bony fangs were spotted.
Dr. Britz of the National History Museum has named them Danionella dracula, in a nod to Bram Stoker’s famous creation.
There is an article on the BBC’s website.
