Gempylid

/ɡɛmˈpaɪlɪd/ noun

Definition

A fish of the family Gempylidae, which includes various deep-sea and oceanic species.

Etymology

Derived from the family name Gempylidae, which comes from Greek 'gempylos' (an ancient name for a type of fish) + the scientific suffix -id indicating membership in a biological family.

Kelly Says

Gempylids include the oilfish, which is so loaded with natural oils that when consumed, it can cause 'keriorrhoea'—a humorous medical condition where your body treats the oil like it would other indigestible fats, teaching us about deep-sea fish adaptations.

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