The Anglerfish is one of the most fascinating yet horrific looking deep sea fish. They live in the pitch black environment of the ocean’s depths. Angler fish have a bioluminescent light on the end of an appendage on its head.
Angler Fish
Anglerfish are known for their terrifyingly monstrous appearance. The female of the species are much larger than males, and have the distinctive appendage and bioluminescent light. The appendage looks like a “fishing rod” protruding from their foreheads. The light lures in fish and squid in search of a meal. The curious creatures then become the Angler fish prey and it’s next meal.
Where Do Angler Fish Live?
Angler Fish are well adapted to survive the obscure, frigid, high pressure environments where sunlight fails to penetrate. The Angler fish typically inhabits depths ranging from 650 to 16400 feet in depth. Below you can see the depth range of the Angler Fish as it is compared to deep wrecks and the deepest place on earth, in the Marianas Trench (Challenger Deep).
What is special about the Angler Fish?
The Angler fish does not have to expend much energy chasing prey. The prey comes to it and quickly becomes its meal while drawn to the light. Thus the Angler fish thrive in the perpetual darkness of the deep, as its meals come to it.
This was depicted in the Disney Movie “Finding Nemo” when the main character Nemo swam deep, only to find an Angler Fish. The little Clown fish and buddy did avoided being eaten, after a chaotic chase. The little fish did eventually get away.
Their gaping mouths and sharp teeth are perfectly adapted to snare unsuspecting victims like small fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. With a stomach capable of expanding, they can consume prey nearly equal to their own size.
How big does the Angler Fish Get?
Angler fish vary greatly in size depending on the species. Most deep-sea angler fish range from 8 to 40 inches in length, with females being significantly larger than males. Some species, like the black seadevil, can grow up to 3.3 feet long, while males often measure only a few centimeters.
Mysterious Habitat
Anglerfish are primarily found in the Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans. These regions are characterized by nearly perpetual darkness, frigid temperatures, and crushing pressure. In these extreme conditions, anglerfish have adapted remarkable survival strategies, making the deep ocean’s depths their ideal habitat.
While anglerfish typically remain at crushing ocean depths, they can occasionally be found closer to the surface. This upward migration can occur due to environmental changes such as volcanic activity. When underwater volcanoes erupt, they warm the surrounding water, potentially drawing these creatures to shallower cooler waters. A small Angler Fish surfaced recently off the coast of Africa, off Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands.
Do Angler Fish Pose a Threat to Humans? (Do Angler Fish Eat Humans?)
Angler Fish do not pose a threat to humans due to the fact that they live in depths that humans can never reach and survive. Encounters with humans are extremely rare, angler fish are not dangerous to humans, nor do they eat them. Watch the video above of a recent encounter of a surfacing Angler Fish. After surfacing the Angler fish did die, possibly due to illness, or effects from the change in pressure.
Enigmatic Bioluminescence
The Anglerfish’s most defining feature is its bioluminescent lure. A long appendage with a light-producing organ, known as an esca, perched atop its head. This natural glowing bulb entices unsuspecting prey in the inky pitch darkness of the deep. Smaller fish, crustaceans, and other prey are lured in close by the light. As the prey gets near, the angler fish snaps its enormous jaws, and needle sharp teeth, catching and consume them in an instant.
Today the use of underwater lights to attract and catch fish, is a technique used by fisherman everywhere. If you go deep sea fishing you can increase the chances of attracting and catching your targeted species by using underwater lights, to enhance your lure and bait offerings.
A Norwegian company, Esca , invented a bioluminescent lure. The lure does not use batteries, it uses the salt water to produce an electric current. The current then powers a small light. This light / lure is added to deep dropped lures targeting fish that live in the dark depths. The light works like the angler fish’s light does attracting prey. Using biomimicry the fish are captured by fisherman just like prey fall to Angler Fish.
Adaptations for Survival
Aside from its bioluminescent adaptation, the anglerfish have a massive mouth, equipped with needle sharp fanged teeth and extendable stomach. These features ensure that it can lure, catch, hold and consume prey nearly its own size. This is vital for survival in an environment where meals are scarce.
Fascinating Facts
1. Mating Rituals: How do angler fish reproduce?
Some species of anglerfish exhibit a unique parasitic mating ritual. The much smaller male attaches himself to the female, eventually fusing itself into her body permanently. The male then lives attached to the female and shares a circulatory system, and becomes sperm provider.
2. Varied Species: Over 200 different species of anglerfish exist, each with variations in size, color, and lure characteristics.
3. Longevity: Anglerfish can live up to 20 years, using minimal energy to thrive in a resource-scarce environment.
If you are planning on deep sea trolling, or deep drop bottom fishing trip, read my Offshore Fishing Prepare like a Pro, article where I go over specialized gear, including the use of electric reels. The depths are so extreme it becomes necessary to use these specialized reels. Electric reels make the reeling in of the hundreds to thousands of feet of line easier than manual reels. The article’s main focus is the importance of Offshore fishing checklists, plan your trip. I include several checklist versions insuring you are ready for your trip a prepared fisherman is a successful fisherman.
Despite the darkness surrounding their world, angler fish illuminate the mysteries of the deep sea. Equipped with their unique adaptations and hunting strategies they are formidable predators. Creatures like the anglerfish enriches our knowledge of marine life and how they adapted using biodiversity throughout their evolution to overcome the harshest environments lurking in the ocean’s depths.
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