These scary little guys are quite famous for their glowing fish trap so let's take a closer look at them.
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They are mostly bathybenthic creatures that live in the Antarctic and Arctic ocean - some have been found in the Abyss and Hadal zone (for example, in the Mariana Trench). Females can live up to 30 years, and males around 21 years.
Anglerfish have a carnivorous diet feeding on small fish and crustaceans. The female will lure her prey using her esca - the light-up fishing-rod on their heads - whilst males, who don't have a fancy glowstick, posses absolutely humungous nostrils and an excellent sense of smell to sniff out potential food. The males' nostrils are so massive that they have the largest nostrils in comparison to their head size of all animals on Earth. Mega nostrils.
Interestingly, they also have extendable mouths to capture prey and large sharp teeth.
The light of a female anglerfish is produced by bioluminescent, symbiotic bacteria called photobacteria. In return for their light, the bacteria are fed nutrients. They oxidize luciferins (a family of compounds) in a reaction catalyzed by luciferase in an exothermic reaction. Usually, exothermic reactions release heat to surroundings, but excess energy in these reactions instead produce light.
Reproduction of anglerfish can be quite... interesting. The male will fuse with the female, even so far in some species as permanently connecting blood streams as the male loses all his internal organs except the testes. He will leach off of her nutrients like a parasite and female anglerfish have been found to carry as many as 8 males at a time.
REFERENCES
'Anglerfish' by National Geographic, accessed 11/11/24, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/anglerfish
'Bioluminescence Questions and Answers' by Latz Laboratory, accessed 11/11/24, https://latzlab.ucsd.edu/bioluminescence/bioluminescence-questions-and-answers/
'Deep-sea Anglerfish' by Monterey Bay Aquarium, accessed 10/11/24, https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/deep-sea-anglerfish
Date Published: 11th September 2024
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