鼬鱼科（Ophidiidae）为辐鳍鱼纲鼬鱼目的其中一科，为海生硬骨鱼。其名称来自希腊语 ophis ，意思是“蛇”，用来指他们鳗鱼样的外表。但是通过腹鳍可以很容易地将它们与鳗形目的鱼区分出来，前者的腹鳍发展成了分叉的鱼须，而真正的鳗鱼基本上腹鳍发育都不完善，有些甚至已经消失了。

发现于全世界的温带和热带海域，基本上生活在2,000米（6,600英尺）深的海底。其中的神女底鼬鳚被报导发现于波多黎各海沟8,370米（27,460英尺）深处。

其下最大的种是希氏软鼬鳚，长度可达2米（6.6英尺），不过大多数中都长不过一米。与其近亲深海鼬鱼科的鱼不同，鼬鱼科的鱼是卵生的，生活在海表面的浮游生物之间。

The cusk-eel family (Ophidiidae) is a group of marine bony fishes in the order Ophidiiformes. The scientific name is from the Greek ophis meaning "snake", and refers to their eel-like appearance. However, they can be distinguished from true eels of the order Anguilliformes by their ventral fins, which are developed into a forked barbel-like organ below the mouth in the cusk-eels; in the true eels by contrast they are never well-developed and usually missing entirely.