Earth’s deep sea
The real deep-sea fish behind our alien fish
Below about 1,000 metres no sunlight reaches the ocean. The fish that live there are some of the strangest animals on Earth, and many make their own light. They inspired the alien fish of Ganymede.
Anglerfish
Deep-sea anglerfish carry a fishing rod on their head: a modified fin spine tipped with a glowing lure (the esca), lit by bioluminescent bacteria. Prey swims toward the light and into a mouth full of needle teeth. In the game, the Angler body plan and the lure genes (lure, twin lures, halo) come from them.
Dragonfish
Dragonfish (family Stomiidae) are long, dark hunters with fang-filled jaws, rows of light organs along the body and a glowing barbel hanging from the chin. Some, like the stoplight loosejaw, even make red light, which most deep-sea animals cannot see, letting them hunt by an invisible torch. The game’s Dragon body plan has the fangs, the chin barbel and the rows of lights.
Hatchetfish
Small, flat and silver, marine hatchetfish have big upward-pointing eyes and light organs along the belly that hide their silhouette from hunters below (counter-illumination).
Gulper eel
The gulper eel (pelican eel) is mostly mouth: a huge loose jaw that can swallow prey nearly its own size, and a long whip of a tail with a glowing tip. The game’s Gulper body plan, with its enormous mouth, is based on it.
Barreleye
The barreleye has a transparent, fluid-filled head and tube-shaped eyes that look up through it. Glass-bodied and telescope-eyed fish in the game are a nod to it.
Why so much light?
Bioluminescence is everywhere in the deep sea: a 2017 survey of animals filmed off California found that about three quarters of them could make light. It is used to lure prey, find mates, signal and hide. In the game, glowing traits are part of what makes a fish live deeper, see the ocean depths guide.
Breed your own
In Fish of Ganymede you can catch alien anglers, dragonfish and gulpers in the deep zones and breed them for brighter lures, longer fangs and glass bodies. Free in your browser.
Updated 2 November 2026