Angler Fish

Learning More about the Angler Fish

There are thousand of fish species that are out in the ocean that are colorful and very interesting to learn about. Of the thousands, one of the most interesting types is the anglerfish. An angler fish is a bony fish from the order called Lophiiformes. The angler fish is named for its unique mode of predation.

Angler fish are found worldwide but the most prominent ones are found off the Great Britain coasts as well as in Europe. The angler fish species that are normally caught in the Northern American region are called the Lophius americanus and the ones caught in the Europe region are the Lophius piscatorius. Likewise, other species are found in the Mediterranean and they are called the Lophius budegassa, while the ones found in the coast of Japan and China are the Lophius setigerus.

Angler fish are named for its characteristic methods of predation. An angler fish normally has three long filaments that sprout from the middle part of its head. The first and the longest filament of the angler fish is called the illicium. Its main spine protrudes right above its eyes, and terminates in a growth of a flesh that is irregular just at the very tip of the fish’s spine. This said spine can be moved in almost any direction, and its esca, the flesh that irregularly grows above its eye, can actually be wiggled strikingly resembling an animal prey. On the other hand, a deep-sea angler fish is mostly found on an ocean’s aphotic zones, wherein the water is very deep, sufficient enough for sunlight to positively penetrate, making sure that photosynthesis occurs.

The wide-mouth angler fish basically extends its whole anterior circumference of the fish’s head, while both of its jaws are armed with long pointed teeth bands that are inclined inwards. Furthermore, these bands can also be depressed so it can offer no impediments to any forms of objects that glide towards the stomach of the fish.  An angler fish can surprisingly distend its stomach and its jaw to larger sizes, this is because its bones are very flexible and extremely thin. By doing this, an angel fish can actually swallow a prey that is even twice as much as its own body.

Truly, an angler fish is one of its very kind. With its very exceptional characteristic, as well as its unique appearance, it is but important that you learn a lot of things about an angler fish. Who knows, one day, while you are having fun with your outdoor fishing activities, you might surprisingly encounter an angler fish?

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