Scientists call the bony, blade-like protrusion a “lachrymal saber,” because it is located on a bone under the fish’s eyes. Also, “lachrymal saber” is just a really metal-sounding name.

The lachrymal saber is housed inside the fish's head, and they use their cheek muscles to deploy it. Though some stonefish are venomous, the saber is not. It could be a sex thing too ...

The lachrymal saber. (Credit: William Leo Smith) This switchblade is likely defensive — in pictures of stonefish in the mouths of predators, the lachrymal saber is always locked out, Smith said. "As ...

The scientists who discovered the strange feature are calling it a “lachrymal saber,” but for the predators who dare to mess with this type of stonefish, the unique switchblade just means trouble.

An x-ray of a Whiskered Prowfish (Neopataecus waterhousii), which has a "lachrymal saber." One species of waspfish features a saber that glows. Leo Smith In 2003, Leo Smith was dissecting a ...

This rotating lachrymal saber is heavily spined, indicating that these fish use it as a weapon. When it's not in use, the saber rests against the fish's head, "safely pointing back and down ...

Scientists call the bony, blade-like protrusion a “lachrymal saber,” because it is located on a bone under the fish’s eyes. Also, “lachrymal saber” is just a really metal-sounding name.