Female anglerfish Haplophryne mollis with males attached to it
Robbie N. Cada / Wikimedia Commons
Deep-sea anglers or ceratiformes are fish from the suborder Ceratioidei. These predatory fish live at depths of up to 4,500 meters and feed on other fish and crustaceans. They got their name for their unusual way of hunting: many anglers have a “fishing rod” above their heads, which has become the first, second or third ray dorsal fin and which can move in all directions. She has a bait at the end that attracts others predatory fish
. When the prey swims too close to the anglerfish's mouth, it swallows it. In some species, the bait contains bioluminescent bacteria, so it emits light. The rare video was filmed by spouses Christine and Joachim Jakobsen at a depth of 800 meters. They observed deep-sea animals near the Azores Islands from the Lula1000 submarine, which can dive to depths of up to one kilometer and is used to scientific observations
since 2013. It should be noted that the researchers did not specify what species the pair of anglerfish they encountered belonged to. Recently biologists that others deep sea fish
, white stingrays have learned to use hydrothermal vents at the bottom as incubators when breeding. Researchers discovered about 150 stingray egg capsules near the “black smokers.”
Whatever they are called - sea devils, sea scorpions, angler fish, and European anglerfish. However, there are also several varieties of this miracle fish. And in terms of originality of appearance, each of the types is not inferior to each other. People have never seen devils, but the sea monsters that have risen from the depths resemble creatures from the underworld.
In fact, it is just a sea fish - a predator fish with an amazing, unlike anything else appearance.
These fish belong to the ray-finned fish, to the order Anglerfishes, to the family Anglerfishes, to the genus Anglerfishes. Now in water depths There are two varieties of monkfish found on the earth:
- European anglerfish (lat. Lophius piscatorius);
- American anglerfish (lat. Lophius americanus).
Appearance anglerfish
At the first glance at this creature, a remarkable organ immediately catches your eye - the “fishing rod”. The modified fin really resembles a fishing rod with a luminous float. This ugly monster, sometimes reaching up to two meters in length and 30-40 kilograms, can itself regulate the glow of its float. But there is nothing supernatural about this. In fact, the float is a kind of skin formation, in the folds of which amazing bacteria live. In the presence of oxygen, which they draw from the blood of the anglerfish, they glow. But if angler he just had lunch and lay down to take a nap, he doesn’t need a glowing flashlight, and it blocks the access of blood to the fin-fishing rod, and the float goes out until the start of a new hunt.
All appearance the monkfish reveals him to be a resident depths of the sea. Elongated body, with an unnatural big head, everything is covered with some kind of growths, vaguely reminiscent of either algae, or tree bark, or some kind of twigs and snags.
View of a monkfish that went hunting, with open mouth, full of sharp teeth, certainly makes a lasting impression. The skin on top is bare brown, covered with dark spots, sometimes with a reddish tint, and a light, almost white belly, serves as a good camouflage for the creature against the dark seabed.
Monkfish habitat
Fish of this species are found in seas and oceans around the world. Although its main refuge is still Atlantic Ocean. Monkfish are also found off the coast of Europe and Iceland. In addition, it is caught in the Black and Baltic, and even in the cold Northern and Barents Seas. It's quite unpretentious bottom fish can safely exist in water at temperatures from 0 to 20 degrees.
Anglerfish can live at different depths from 50 to 200 meters. True, there are also specimens that prefer depths of up to 2000 meters.
Hunters from the deep sea
The best way to spend time for an anglerfish is to lie calmly and well-fed on the seabed in sand or silt. But don't let his motionless body fool you. This is a very voracious but patient creature. sea scorpion can lie motionless for hours, tracking and waiting for the appearance of its prey. As soon as some curious fish swims past, the angler instantly grabs it and immediately stuffs it into his mouth.
It should be noted that this fish has an excellent appetite. Very often it feeds on prey that is almost as big as it. Because of this gluttony, unpleasant and even fatal cases occur when anglerfish choke on prey that does not fit in their stomach, although its size is truly enormous. Sometimes they rise to the surface of the water and hunt birds, whose feathers, getting stuck in the mouth, can lead to suffocation. After all, having grabbed the victim, the anglerfish can no longer release it due to the specific structure of its teeth.
Monkfish also have another type of hunting. It literally jumps along the bottom with the help of its lower fins and, overtaking the prey, eats it.
Monkfish is a predator, the subject of its hunt are:
- small fish;
- small sharks - katrans;
- small stingrays or their babies;
- a variety of waterfowl.
Family life and reproduction of angler fish
Female monkfish are many times larger than males. The role of males is reduced to just fertilizing the eggs. Moreover, they have become so lazy that when they find a female, they cling to her with sharp teeth and remain with her for the rest of their lives. Over the years, some of their organs atrophy, and they become simply appendages of the female that do not need to hunt because they feed through the female’s blood. Sometimes several males pester a female to fertilize more eggs.
When it comes mating season, the females descend to the depths and release a ribbon of eggs up to 10 meters long. The tape is divided into small hexagonal cells with eggs. It should be noted that a female monkfish can simultaneously lay a clutch of about three million eggs. After some time, the eggs are released and travel on their own. sea waters. Turning into larvae, they live closer to the surface of the water for up to four months, and only when they reach a length of 6-8 cm do they sink to the bottom.
Monkfish as a gastronomic dish
Despite its external ugliness, monkfish meat is very tasty. In Spain and France, dishes made from it are considered a delicacy. Most chefs use only the tail of the fish, but often in restaurants they cook monkfish from the head delicious soup from seafood. Anglerfish meat is prepared in different ways:
- grilled;
- cooked for soups and salads;
- stewed with vegetables.
It is white, almost boneless, dense and tender at the same time, reminiscent of lobster meat.
What kind of creatures have not appeared on Earth as a result of natural selection. In harsh conditions, on great depth, where the water is icy, the pressure reaches colossal values, and the amount of food is minimal, deep-sea angler fish (lat. Ceratioidei) live.
They live at a depth of one and a half to three kilometers. The peculiarity of these fish is a modified ray of the dorsal fin, which acts as a bait and is shaped like a fisherman’s fishing rod (in fact, for this reason they are nicknamed anglers).
At the end of a fishing rod (illicia), hanging over a huge mouth with sharp needle-shaped teeth, there is a small skin outgrowth (esca), filled with millions of luminous bacteria. It is to its light, like moths to a flame, that other, small and not so small, inhabitants of the ocean floor float. To enhance the effect produced by the fish, the anglerfish is able to control the brightness and frequency of the flashes. To do this, it is enough for him to narrow or expand blood vessels, regulating the amount of oxygen entering the esk, which “ignites” or, conversely, “extinguishes” luminous bacteria.
U different types For anglers, the principle of operation and design of fishing rods can vary - from the simplest, hanging over the head, to more complex ones, capable of extending out of the channel on the back and retracting back, bringing the future victim directly into the mouth.
Amazing, isn't it? However, this is not the most unusual thing about these fish. The method of reproduction of some species of anglerfish is amazing.
Males whose size is tens of times smaller sizes females voluntarily go to the extent of transforming from full-fledged individuals into primitive appendages that produce sperm.
The female is capable of carrying up to six males, always and everywhere providing herself with a constant supply of sperm, freeing her from the need to regularly search for partners.
At the bottom of the most deep seas and oceans, where the water is icy, the pressure reaches colossal values, and the amount of food is minimal, deep-sea angler fish (lat. Ceratioidei). Their entire existence is shining example how living organisms can adapt to even the harshest and most unfavorable conditions life.
Deep sea anglerfish are some of the most amazing sea creatures, living at a depth of one and a half to three kilometers. Business card of these fish is a modified ray of the dorsal fin, which acts as bait and is shaped like a fisherman’s fishing rod. It is precisely this feature of their appearance that angler fish owe their name.
Theodore W. Pietsch
At the end of a fishing rod (illicia), hanging over a huge mouth with sharp needle-shaped teeth, there is a small skin outgrowth (esca), filled with millions of luminous bacteria. It is to its light, like moths to a flame, that other, small and not so small, inhabitants of the ocean floor float. To enhance the effect produced by the fish, the anglerfish is able to control the brightness and frequency of the flashes. To do this, it is enough for him to narrow or expand the blood vessels, regulating the amount of oxygen entering the escus, which “ignites” or, conversely, “extinguishes” the luminous bacteria.
For different types of anglers, the principle of operation and the design of fishing rods may vary - from the simplest, hanging over the head, to more complex ones, capable of extending out of the channel on the back and retracting back, bringing the future victim directly into the mouth.
Anglerfish that live on the most great depths(more than 3500 meters), they prefer not to waste energy and hunt while lying on the bottom, and fishing rods, for greater convenience, are located right in their huge toothy mouth. Thanks to their dark coloration and rough, warty skin, the deep-sea predators are almost invisible on the seabed.
Anglerfish are so voracious that they are ready to eat everything that fits into their toothy mouth. But the problem is that their mouth is much larger than their esophagus, and these fish are unable to swallow prey three times their size. It will also not be possible to spit out a large prey back - the teeth get in the way, and very often such attempts to swallow overwhelming prey become the last, unsuccessful, meal in the life of an angler.
However, the most amazing quality of anglerfish is the way they reproduce. Males, whose sizes are tens of times smaller than the size of females, voluntarily agree to transform from full-fledged individuals into primitive appendages that produce sperm.
Justin Marshall/AFP - Getty Images
The female is capable of carrying up to six males, always and everywhere providing herself with a constant supply of sperm, freeing her from the need to regularly search for partners.
Monkfish is the most extravagant-looking representative of the Anglerfish class. It lives at impressive depths, thanks to its unique ability withstand enormous pressure. We invite you to take a closer look at this deep-sea inhabitant with amazing taste qualities, and learn some about it Interesting Facts.
Appearance
Let's get acquainted with the description of the monkfish - sea fish, which prefers deep crevices where sunlight never reaches. The European anglerfish is a large fish, the body length reaches one and a half meters, approximately 70% is in the head, average weight- about 20 kg. Distinctive features the fish are:
- Huge mouth with big amount Small but sharp teeth give her a repulsive appearance. The fangs are located in the jaw in a special way: at an angle, which makes capturing prey even more effective.
- A bare and scaleless scalp with fringes, tubercles and spines also does not adorn a deep-sea inhabitant.
- On the head there is a so-called fishing rod - a continuation of the dorsal fin, at the end of which there is a leathery bait. This feature of the monkfish determines its second name - anglerfish, despite the fact that the fishing rod is present exclusively in females.
- The bait consists of mucus and is a leathery bag that emits light due to luminous bacteria living in the mucus. Interestingly, each type of anglerfish emits a specific color of light.
- The upper jaw is more mobile than the lower jaw, and thanks to the flexibility of the bones, fish are able to swallow prey impressive size.
- Small, close-set round eyes are located on the top of the head.
- The color of the fish is inconspicuous: from dark gray to dark brown, which helps anglers successfully camouflage themselves on the bottom and deftly grab prey.
It is interesting how the fish hunts: it hides, exposing its bait. As soon as some careless fish becomes interested, the devil will open his mouth and swallow it.
Habitat
Let's find out where the angler fish (monkfish) lives. The habitat depends on the species. Thus, European anglers prefer to live at a depth of up to 200 meters, but their deep-sea counterparts, of which more than a hundred varieties have been discovered, have chosen for themselves depressions and crevices, where very high pressure and not at all sunlight. They can be found at a depth of 1.5 to 5 km in the seas of the Atlantic Ocean.
Anglerfish are also found in the so-called Southern (Antarctic) Ocean, which unites the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans washing the shores white continent- Antarctica. Monkfish also live in the waters of the Baltic, Barents, Okhotsk and off the coast of Korea and Japan, some species are found in the Black Sea.
Varieties
Sea devils are fish from the order Anglers. Currently, eight species are known, one of them is extinct. Representatives of each of them have a characteristic terrifying appearance.
- American anglerfish. It belongs to the benthic species, its body length is impressive - adult females are often more than a meter. Appearance They resemble tadpoles due to their huge heads. Average duration life - up to 30 years.
- Southern European anglerfish or black-bellied fish. The body length is about a meter, the name of the species is associated with the color of the peritoneum; the back and sides of the fish are pinkish-gray. The average life expectancy is about 20 years.
- The Western Atlantic anglerfish is a bottom-dwelling fish, reaching a length of 60 cm. It is the target of the fishery.
- Cape (Burmese). The most noticeable part of its body is its giant flattened head, also characteristic short tail.
- Japanese (yellow, Far Eastern). They have an unusual body color - brown-yellow, and live in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
- South African. Lives at south coast Africa.
- European. A very large anglerfish, whose body length reaches 2 meters, is distinguished by a huge crescent-shaped mouth, small sharp teeth their shape resembles hooks. The length of the fishing rod is up to 50 cm.
Thus, all types of anglerfish have common character traits- huge mouth with a large number small but sharp teeth, a fishing rod with bait - the most unusual way of hunting among the inhabitants of the underwater depths, bare skin. In general, the fish looks really scary, so the loud name is fully justified.
Lifestyle
Scientists believe that the first anglerfish appeared on the planet more than 120 million years ago. The body shape and specific lifestyle are largely determined by where the monkfish prefers to live. If it is almost flat, if the anglerfish has settled closer to the surface, then it has a body compressed from the sides. But regardless of the habitat, monkfish (angler fish) is a predator.
The devil is a unique fish, it moves along the bottom not like its other brothers, but by jumping, carried out thanks to its strong pectoral fin. This is another name from this sea dweller- frog fish.
Fish prefer not to expend energy, therefore, even when swimming, they spend no more than 2% of their energy reserve. They are distinguished by enviable patience, capable of not moving for a long time, waiting for prey, practically not even breathing - the pause between breaths is about 100 seconds.
Nutrition
Previously, it was discussed how monkfish hunts prey, attracting it with a luminous bait. It is interesting that the fish does not perceive the size of its victims; often large individuals, larger in size than the anglerfish itself, are caught in its mouth, so it cannot eat them. And due to the specifics of the device, the jaw cannot be released.
The anglerfish is famous for its incredible gluttony and courage, so it can even attack scuba divers. Of course, deaths from such an attack are unlikely, but the sharp teeth of an anglerfish can disfigure the body of an unwary person.
Favorite food
As previously mentioned, anglerfish are predators, preferring to use other deep-sea inhabitants as food. Some of the monkfish's favorite treats include:
- Cod.
- Flounder.
- The slopes are small in size.
- Acne.
- Cuttlefish.
- Squid.
- Crustaceans.
Sometimes mackerel or herring become victims of predators; this happens when a hungry angler rises closer to the surface.
Reproduction
The monkfish (anglerfish) fish is amazing in almost every way. For example, the process of reproduction is very unusual for both marine life and wildlife in general. When the partners find each other, the male attaches himself to the belly of his chosen one and grows tightly to her, as if the fish become a single organism. Gradually, the process goes even further - the fish develop common skin and blood vessels, and certain organs of the male - fins and eyes - atrophy as unnecessary. It is precisely because of this feature that researchers for a long time It was not possible to detect a male anglerfish and describe it.
In males, only the gills, heart and genitals continue to function.
Having become familiar with the description of the monkfish and the peculiarities of its way of life, we suggest you learn a few interesting facts about this eerie fish:
This is the monkfish - an unusual creation of nature, an inhabitant of the depths and an amazing predator that uses a trick that is not typical for other representatives of the fauna. Thanks to its delicious white meat, practically devoid of bones, the anglerfish is a fish of commercial importance.
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