One of these following facts about the Angler Fish might definitely give you much information about what kind of animal the Angler Fish is. The Angler Fish(es) are members of the teleost order Lophiiformes. They are bony fishes named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a fleshy growth from the fish’s head (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure. Anglerfish are also notable for extreme sexual dimorphism seen in the suborder Ceratioidei, and sexual parasitism of male anglerfish. In these species, males may be several orders of magnitude smaller than females. Furthermore, to get to know more about this animal, here are some facts about the Angler Fish you might consider interesting.
Facts about the Angler Fish 1: Name
Anglerfish is named after its characteristic method of predation. According to ecology, predation can be defined as a biological interaction where a predator [an organism that hunts] feed on its prey. The act of predation ends up in the death of the prey in most cases and it may not be to the predator’s benefit.
Facts about the Angler Fish 2: Evolution
Ranging in color from dark gray to dark brown, these carnivores have huge heads that bear enormous, crescent-shaped mouths full of long, fang-like teeth angled inward for efficient prey grabbing. Their length can vary from 20 cm (8 in) to over 1 m (3 ft) with weights up to 45 kg (100 lb).
Facts about the Angler Fish – Angler Fish
Facts about the Angler Fish 3: Female Angler Fish
emale anglerfish bear a piece of dorsal spine, which have a projecting structure above its mouth. This dorsal spine is similar to a fishing pole and it contains a lucent flesh at its tip, which makes it a perfect and natural tempter for preys. This kind of predation of the fishes is considered as analogous to angling and thus the fish is called ‘angler fish’.
Facts about the Angler Fish 4: Anatomy
Most adult female ceratioid anglerfish have a luminescent organ called the esca at the tip of a modified dorsal ray (the illicium, or “fishing rod”). The organ has been hypothesized to serve the obvious purpose of luring prey in dark, deep-sea environments, but also serves to call males’ attention to the females to facilitate mating.
Facts about the Angler Fish – Female Angler Fish
Facts about the Angler Fish 5: Male Angler Fish
The male anglerfish, in contrast, is not really ‘macho’ and is not equipped with any such luring organ like the female one. It is also comparatively small to the female ones. The only purpose of the male anglerfish’s life is to find a female angler and mate with it.
Facts about the Angler Fish 6: Deep-sea Dwellers
Many anglerfish species are deep-sea dwellers, which poses a challenge to ecologists who hope to study and observe the fish. Anglerfish morphology reflects the value of energy conservation for these organisms which often live in extremely prey-scarce environments.
Facts about the Angler Fish – Frogfish
Facts about the Angler Fish 7: Searchers
The male anglerfish is a searcher in a sense because it needs a female anglerfish to keep itself alive. It is equipped with well-developed olfactory organs from the birth. These special organs help the male anglerfish to get the odors in the water. As the male fish attains the maturity, its digestive system begin to degenerate, which makes it hard for it to feed on its own. Thus, it is forced to find a female anglerfish in order to prevent its death.
Facts about the Angler Fish 8: Reproduction
Some anglerfish, like those of the ceratioid group (Cerartiidae, or sea devils), employ an unusual mating method. Because individuals are locally rare, encounters are also very rare.
Facts about the Angler Fish – Humpback Anglerfish
Facts about the Angler Fish 9: Diet
Any fish which passes before the angler fish’s eyes can be its prey. Anglerfish’s diet is filled with various genres of fishes. They eat almost all kind of sea worms, batfish, clams, copepods, and marine snails. The predator fish eats even the fishes, which are almost double the size of it.
Facts about the Angler Fish 10: Human Consumption
One family is of commercial interest with fisheries found in north-western Europe, eastern North America, Africa, and the Far East. In Europe and North America, the tail meat of fish of the genus Lophius, known as monkfish or goosefish (North America), is widely used in cooking, and is often compared to lobster tail in taste and texture.
Facts about the Angler Fish – Skeleton
Hope you would find those Angler Fish facts really interesting, useful and helpful for your additional reading in your daily routine.
