The Angler Fish is one of the strangest creatures that live in salt water. It is a species among several species. It belongs to the ray-finned chordates phylum. The species share the presence of a dorsal fin that attracts fish to it as bait for the angler fish to eat immediately. It lives in deep oceans all over the world, specifically in dark places. This fish is known as (Abu Al-Shas). It is one of the most amazing marine fish, because it has a large and huge head and a wide and wide mouth. There is a bait on its head that tempts small fish to catch it.
Let’s learn more about it from teketrek.
The amazing adaptations of the angler fish: What is so special about an angler fish?
The Angler Fish has many characteristics that distinguish it from others. It is a strange, scary and terrifying fish. It also has a unique way of attracting its prey to eat it, as it does the following:
- The Angler Fish is called Abu Al-Shas because it has a protruding appendage above its head, which it uses to catch food. It resembles the bait that is placed in the hook of the fishing rod to attract fish.
- This fish is a real nightmare for divers in the seas and oceans, due to its terrifying and frightening appearance. It also lives in dark places at the bottom of the ocean and does not see sunlight.
- This fish is distinguished by its strange way of hunting its prey by using the luminous bait on its head to attract small fish from its mouth, then swallows them with its wide mouth immediately and sharp teeth.
- The appendage on its head glows and swells due to the presence of a special type of bacteria that emits light in a dark environment, making it easy to attract fish to it.
- This strange fish lives in the depths of the ocean at a distance of up to 3300 feet, which is a great distance and equal to three times the height of the Eiffel Tower, so it never sees sunlight.
Angler Fish Diet and Fishing Methods
The amazing Angler Fish has a unique way of fishing and eating food. It has lived in the depths of the oceans for thousands of years, and it still exists today. Therefore, we can learn about its special diet, which is as follows:
- The Angler Fish has its own diet, which is a diverse system and depends on eating everything it can find. It feeds on all kinds of marine creatures that live underwater.
- It eats crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, sea snails, and small fish, and tries to eat large fish by expanding its wide mouth. It lives on squid, octopus, and all kinds of different fish.
- The Angler Fish feeds on living and dead creatures, and also eats turtles and seabirds.
- The angler fish can live up to 25 years, and its size varies depending on the species and gender, and its weight can reach 34 kilograms, and its length reaches 1.8 meters.
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Reproduction and behavior of the angler fish
The angler fish is like other fish, feeding, coexisting and fighting for survival in a savage and predatory environment under the ocean floor, but this fish is completely different from other fish in the way it reproduces and mates, as it is characterized by the following:
- The angler fish lays its eggs in a different way than other fish, as it lays a gelatinous layer filled with eggs, and this layer is then fertilized by the male angler fish before leaving it to float in the water.
- Once fertilized, the angler fish larvae hatch and the fish emerge from the gelatinous layer.
- At that moment, the angler fish begin to feed on small plankton until they grow and dive into the depths of the oceans.
- The female angler fish is larger and stronger than the male because of its ability to hunt using a luminous fin, as the male does not have this fin, and therefore needs the female to survive.
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The role of the angler fish in the ecosystem: its impact on marine balance
All living organisms on land, underwater and above the sky have a great role in maintaining the balance of the environment, and the angler fish has a great role in maintaining the ecosystem, and it has its unique role in marine balance, which is as follows:
- There are more than 200 species of angler fish in the oceans, most of these fish tend to be dark gray or brown.
- These fish have a large head and a wide mouth and have sharp teeth, and most of these species are frightening and terrifying to humans.
- The angler fish live underwater in far and deep distances until the sunlight disappears, as they live in the darkness of the ocean.
- Female angler fish have a luminous fin to attract prey, as they spread luminous bacteria to hunt by attracting marine creatures to them.
- It eats all fish and marine creatures to feed on them, but it may also be a satiated prey for other species of larger and larger fish due to the radiation of light to see and eat it immediately.
- Therefore, it is a prey and a predator at the same time, and therefore it maintains the marine balance.
The importance of preserving these species and the challenges they face
The angler fish has great importance that helps preserve it from extinction, as it faced multiple challenges at the bottom of the oceans that would have led to its extinction for life, and its importance is as follows:
- The angler fish is a nutritious fish that can be eaten in more than one way, as the Japanese people catch this fish in the winter, and it is cooked with fresh vegetables until it is cooked to be eaten as a satiating meal.
- Although the shape of this fish is frightening, it has multiple health benefits, as it is rich in protein, collagen and nutritional minerals necessary for building muscle.
- One of the worst challenges faced by the anglerfish is that its immune system is not normal, unlike many vertebrates. To support the integration process, the fish developed a new type of immune system the immune system can recognize males.
- It can host more than eight males at a time, and it is called anatomical fusion or sexual parasitism, which is a fusion unknown to humans.
In conclusion, the anglerfish is one of the most cunning and amazing sea creatures, thanks to its unique hunting tactics and its fearsome appearance that blends in with its harsh environment in the deep ocean. This fish is not only a skilled predator, but also a living example of the wonders of nature and its ability to adapt and evolve. If you are interested in the mysterious world of sea creatures, the anglerfish deserves to be on your list of discoveries!
