Saturday, January 22, 2011

Humpback blackdevil, a real sea monster in miniature

The name sounds bad and a picture of this fish looks even worse (right). Yikes. This is a sea monster I hope to never see underwater.

Except...wait...it's only a couple of inches long, whew.

But imagine having to meet this thing on it's own terms as a prey species. Look at those teeth.


The ‘humpback blackdevil’ anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsoni), dangles a bioluminescent light from its forehead in order to lure prey within gulping range. Because this method of feeding is so effective, this fish has little need of swimming muscles and hence the tiny body in relation to its ferocious-looking head.
Of course, don't forget the most interesting thing about anglerfish, the "parasitic male" mating strategy.

The scary fish above is a female, and if you look carefully you might find the parasitic male looking like a small bump or appendange on the body of the female.

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