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| Pic 1 : Angler Fish |
How do angler fish got it's name?
It's very very dark down there so the have movable flesh that looks like and works like a fishing pole with a bio luminescent tip. (There are other bio luminescent creatures around, so it's not the most interesting part about angler fish) Other living creatures are attracted to the light as angler fish angling them closer. Thus the name ANGLER fish
How do angler fish eats?
Their eyes are very small and can't see much (erm, they can't see anything much in the pitch black) but so is the main population in the deep sea. Their mouth is huge so they have the ability to eat creatures twice their size as they can't find food very often. Angling their prey closer and closer with their lighted fishing rod until they are close enough to be eaten.
How do angler fish find partner and make baby angler fishes?
It's even too dark to find partner (gives the word blind date a whole new meaning). Quick quiz, which one is the male and which one is the female angler fish? (refer to Pic 1) The female is the big fish while the small fish on the bottom left is the male . That make is even harder to find the male in the dark, right? The male have a special ability to sniff out the female (their pheromones to be exact). Once the male found the female, he will bite her, hang on to her, and never let go. They are clingy not because of the male have serious self-esteem issues, rather their are serious parasites. (I drew the male on another piece of paper and use tape to stick it there Pic 1)
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| Pic 2 : MY drawing of the angler fish |
Their body will shut down organ by organ starting with the digestive system until they only have their gonads (or sex organ) left. So after the first bite, the male with have a type of enzyme that will later fuse/connect his bloodstreams to hers, feeding from her and letting her do all the work. (to get this across, I tore the male into half, and stick it on top of the female Pic 1)
So is the female angler fish a doormat, letting the male live off of her?
Well, yes, but she is no doormat. She gets to have more than one male angler fish on her. The maleS most likely not realize that she is six-timing them behind her back. This ensures that when the female is ready to spawn, she has mates immediately available.
reference
The Oatmeal
How Stuff Works
National Geographic
TheFrogFishChannel
reference
The Oatmeal
How Stuff Works
National Geographic
TheFrogFishChannel