Strobeswarms

Lanternfish, the most abundant vertebrate on earth, now dominate the deep sea. During the Holocene extinction, zooplankton had an extreme population decline due to ocean acidification. As a result, lanternfish stopped their nightly migrations to the surface to stay away from the dangerous acidic waters, instead, they fed on marine snow. Because of the migration patterns ending, the oceanic carbon cycle is slowed. Lanternfish previously brought carbon down to the bottom of the ocean through feeding, thus cooling the earth. Without the migrations, the Calidocene's carbon sinks operate very slowly and global cooling is put to a halt.

Strobefish (strovosicthysidae) are a family of schooling lanternfish found worldwide in the deep sea. Groups of strobefish are known as strobeswarms. They measure at about an inch in length and at least a quarter of its body is its skull, which houses it's large eyes. As many other deep sea fish, its eye is bioluminescent. On the front the Strobefish's face is a bioluminescent patch of skin used to light the way ahead. Along the side of the body is multiple glowing eyespots. Under the threat of predation the fish flash their eyespots in a way that it creates a stroboscopic effect. The eyespots are also used to make strobeswarms bigger than they usually are.

Strobeswarms are not like ordinary schools. Instead of relying on sight alone to school, Strobefish use pheromones and what little light they emit to stay in formation. The younger fish are kept in the center of the school and the older, larger fish are on the outside to protect their young.