Fish with a flashlight: what an anglerfish looks like and why a monkfish shines with a light bulb, description
Deep-sea lanternfish are some of the most amazing species that inhabit the oceans of our planet. These creatures have special organs that emit light to help them navigate the darkness of the deep waters. Some of these fish species never see the light of the sun and live at depths of more than 1000 meters. Because of their unusual appearance and luminous body, these fish have always attracted the attention and interest of scientists and marine life enthusiasts.
Description of the fish
Monkfish or a fish with a flashlight on its head, has an unpleasant appearance, but this does not prevent people in Europe and Asia from considering its meat a delicacy. It is in high demand due to its exquisite taste.
Predator is quite common in Atlantic and Indian waters, preferring cool ambient temperatures. Thanks to ocean currents, some representatives are able to even be in the subarctic territories. Each of the subspecies of this fish chooses its habitat.
Looks like
The nickname "monkfish" arose because of its discouraging appearance. At the first glance at the photograph of this terrible creature, the disproportion of his body is immediately evident. The head seems to be larger than half of its rounded torso, and the wide-open mouth with sharp, curved teeth is larger than the head itself.
This "design" allows the deep-sea hunter to absorb massive prey. A prominent element in the anglerfish's physique is its protruding lower jaw, and it almost always remains practically motionless. As a "decoration" of his mouth are sharp, inward-curved teeth.
The color of the monster is inconspicuous (brown, gray or black), so it is difficult to notice. Its mouth is surrounded by skin folds similar to marine vegetation, which helps it blend in with deep-sea algae. Thanks to this, he arranges ambushes for prey. The anglerfish has smooth skin without scales, although some species have small spiny spines.
This fish with a lantern on its head belongs to the class of bony fish. This is a 100% predator that lives in the depths of the sea. The angler is able to reach 2 meters in length and usually weighs about twenty kilograms. Larger specimens were also found, weighing up to fifty-seven kilograms.
A distinct process sprouting from the dorsal fin. It is directed towards the upper jaw, this is the rod. There is a leathery bag on it, which is used by fish as bait.This pouch contains mucus with glowing bacteria living inside. The anglerfish can instantly "turn off the lights" to avoid being detected by larger predators.
The most remarkable thing about the lantern fish is the huge disparity in size between the male and female fish. The female grows up to 2 meters in length. Her eyesight and sense of smell are limited, so she is only able to detect large objects. For comparison, males do not exceed four centimeters in length, but have developed sensory organs that help them in finding a mate.
Fish with a flashlight have an unusual way of moving, they jump on the seabed, pushing off the seabed with their powerful pectoral fins.
What does it eat
Angler fish is a predator, so it mainly feeds on other marine life. He often emerges in the upper layers of the water, where he preys on herring and mackerel. Researchers have recorded cases when anglers attacked birds that landed on the water.
The typical diet of these terrible deep-sea monsters includes cod rays, sharks, eels, various shellfish.
The flashlight fish is an exceptionally talented predator. It has the ability to remain inconspicuous for extended periods of time due to its camouflage features. The monkfish puts out his rod and patiently waits for his catch. When the prey grabs the bait, it is immediately swallowed by the monkfish. This monster differs from other fish in that it is able to hold its breath for several minutes.
Popular species
Ichthyologists distinguish between several types of anglerfish, for example, American and European. The latter is distinguished by a body flattened from the back to the abdomen, reaching 2 m in length and more than twenty kilograms in weight. It has a huge crescent-shaped mouth, and powerful pectoral fins allow it to burrow into the sand.The most common specimens are colored brown and are found only in the waters of the Atlantic.
Black-bellied bulb fish share features with their closest relatives. They have a broad head and a small body size (each about fifty centimeters in size). The defining feature of this species is the breadth of its abdominal part, the color of which is gray or beige. However, they do not have a characteristic fishing rod on their heads.
The Burmese variety has a flattened head and a short tail, the maximum length of an individual reaches 100 cm. Its body is covered with a leathery skin, the lower half is white and the upper half is dark.
The frightening appearance of this fish has given rise to a lot of superstitions. Many people believe that monkfish like to hunt swimmers. During periods when the fish is hungry, it floats to the surface and is really capable of biting a person. More often than not, however, fish with flashlights remain on the bottom and do not come into contact with humans.
The anglerfish's popularity among gourmets due to the delicious taste of its meat has prompted environmentalists to put forward a ban on catching this fish to protect the species. In England, its fishing has been banned since 2007
Why does a fish need a lightbulb
The ocean floor is a battlefield for survival, as conditions here are far from ideal for living beings: cold, dark and high pressure with low oxygen levels. The edible creatures that inhabit this area are few and need to be vigilant not to become prey.
To find food, the predator has to somehow contrive. To do this, the monkfish has a light source at the end of a long dorsal fin, which is called the illium. This light is created in a sac filled with mucus. It contains luminescent bacteria. The fish is able to control the brightness of light by expanding and contracting its vessels; when compressed, they deprive the bacteria of oxygen and "extinguish" them, and when expanded, they allow them to glow again.At the same time, the process resembles Morse code signals - these are several short and long flashes.
The hunter also benefits from the difference in external and internal pressure, which creates a strong current of water that draws prey right into his mouth. If the prey keeps a distance out of self-preservation, the predator is able to jump far from its hiding place, using the power of the streams of water ejected through the gills.
This monster is constantly hungry. It is capable of absorbing prey that is three times its own size. His stomach adjusts to the right size, but it is not bottomless. In some cases, the hunter dies trying to swallow too much prey, and the inward-pointing teeth do not allow him to regurgitate it out of himself.
During the spawning period, when the fish with the bulb is actively gaining weight, it rises to the surface of the water. There are cases when an anglerfish jumped out of the water to devour a large sea bird, but then could not digest food and died as a result.
The junction of the luminescent pouch with the body varies in different species of anglerfish. The Greenland Ceratia is able to draw it inside its body when necessary so that it does not impede movement. Axel's Thaumatiht holds a flashlight in his mouth.
Methods of reproduction
Representatives of this species are distinguished by unique mating behavior. Male and female wispfish are quite different from each other, which led ichthyologists to classify them as two separate fish species for many years. When the male reaches adulthood, he goes on a journey in search of a mate. And his well-developed sense of smell and big eyes help him in this.
Ichthyologists don't know exactly how long it takes to find a female. As soon as the male succeeds, he bites her, firmly digging his jaws into the body of his girlfriend. His mouth and lips completely merge with the body of the betrothed. It absorbs nutrients from the bride's body through the vessels that have sprouted into her body.The male's eyes and jaws, as well as the intestines, stop working. Only the heart with gills remains functional - oxygen flows through them.
During spawning, which occurs in winter and spring, the female lays eggs, and the male fertilizes them at the same time. The eggs come out in a long chain that can reach nine meters in length.
When the young are about six centimeters long, the fish move on to life at depth. Before that, they stay in the upper layers of the water and feed on small crustaceans and larvae.
Interesting: a female anglerfish can hold up to 4 males on her body at the same time.
Can I keep it in an aquarium
Aquarists are showing interest in small anglerfish that belong to the clownfish family. They live in the subtropical and tropical waters of the Atlantic, as well as in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.As a rule, they stay near the surface of reefs at a depth of up to three hundred meters. On average, these fish grow up to twenty centimeters in length, although their main range is from five to forty centimeters.
As a rule, this fish in an aquarium is relatively inactive and often spends time at rest or in search of food. Despite the lack of movement, it still manages to feed successfully thanks to a bait-like protrusion on its head that attracts prey, after which it is quickly sucked into its mouth.
It's important to remember that clowns need their own aquarium. Other species will become prey to predators. In addition, anglerfish have delicate spines on their skin that can be damaged by other fish or corals.
One fish should have about three hundred liters of water. Fresh fish is the ideal food for these pets, as frozen or specialized food is difficult to introduce into their diet. The amount of food for each fish will have to be calculated separately, but keep in mind that they are not able to stop on their own, so you should not give too much.
Interesting facts
The name "monkfish" came from Spanish explorers who crossed the Atlantic and believed they encountered a sea devil because of the awesome shape of this creature. Now these fish are also called so in scientific circles.
An extension of the dorsal fin, commonly referred to as a "rod" , emits light due to its specific bacteria content.
Deepwater fish move along the bottom by jumping thanks to the coordinated movement of the pectoral and pelvic fins. They can also jump by forcing water through their gills.
The European species of anglerfish is caught in large numbers. According to reports, more than twenty thousand tons of this fish are taken out of the water every year. It is considered a delicacy because its unusual taste stands out from other types of fish, and also due to the fact that there are practically no bones in the fillet.
When a monkfish opens its mouth, it creates a suction force that rapidly draws prey and water inside. The jaw of this fish is used exclusively for swallowing food, as its teeth are too fragile to allow chewing and biting.
The anglerfish's shape changes when caught. This is due to a sudden change in air pressure, which causes the fish's body to expand, making the eyes appear more bulging and the lower jaw sticking out more.
The males of these fish are different from all other creatures due to their unusual style of parasitism. To fertilize a female, the male attaches itself to her body and transforms into a sperm-producing organ.
