Once the males latch on to females (described in the reproductive section below), they are dependent on the female’s food intact to survive. When males reach adulthood, their digestive systems no longer work. Other prey includes shrimp, fish, snails, and crustaceans. The female, in particular, is capable of eating larger prey. They will usually eat whatever they come upon. They are not picky eaters, but all anglerfish are carnivores. Scientists believe it’s used in order to lure prey through the darkness of the deep levels of the ocean.Īngler fish eat live and dead prey that sinks to the seafloor, such as squid, turtles, and more. The fish can move the light gland, known as an esca. The fish have a distinctively long filament sprouting from the middle of their heads, known as an illicium. It’s mouth is filled with sharp, see-through teeth Some females can reach 3.3 feet in length, and males are far smaller, usually less than a foot long. The latter is filled with sharp, see-through teeth. These fish are normally dark brown to grey in color and have large heads and mouths. This is mostly due to the fact that the fish is commonly featured in underwater documentaries and depictions of deep-sea fish. In some species, this pumping action can be used to "jet-propel" the anglerfish through the water.The angler fish is one of the easiest fish to recognize. This behaviour allows the fish to appear motionless to any prey animal attracted by the movement of the lure. These gill openings contract and expand rhythmically, pumping water in through the mouth and out of the gill openings. The small, tubular gill openings of the Striped Anglerfish are located behind and below the arm-like pectoral fins. Juvenile Sargassum Anglerfish are sometimes found with their algal raft, floating close to the beaches of Sydney. The colouration and appendages of this species closely resembles the drifting seaweed. The Sargassum Anglerfish, lives in seaweed (often Sargassum) rafts drifting in the ocean. Others are brightly coloured, mimicking the sponges they live among. Most anglerfishes have warts, lumps, bumps or whisker-like filaments on the body, further increasing their camouflage. As the image on the right shows, some are heavily striped, while other Striped Anglerfish have broken stripes or spots, or lack stripes entirely. The colouration of the Striped Anglerfish is extremely variable, ranging from red, orange and yellow, through to green, brown or black. The large mouths and extendable stomachs of anglerfishes means they can eat very large prey. The whole process may happen so fast, it is impossible to see without the aid of high speed video. This is one of the fastest known feeding mechanism of any vertebrate animal. If the prey moves in to investigate the moving lure, the anglerfish rapidly opens its large mouth and sucks in its prey. When a potential prey animal approaches, the Striped Anglerfish stays motionless with the exception of the lure. The Striped Anglerfish uses deception and camouflage to catch its prey. A fish that is trying to attract prey, swings the lure forward in front of the mouth. When the lure is not being used it is held back against the head, as in the image above. The esca of the Striped Anglerfish has between two and seven worm-like appendages (view image). The anglerfish moves the lure, mimicking the animal it is copying. In most species, the esca looks like potential prey, such as a worm, crustacean, or even a fish. The "design" of the lure varies among genera. The lure comprises a stalk - the illicium, Latin for "lure" or "inducement" and a bait - the esca. Striped Anglerfishes are extremely variable in form and colour, and even fish from the same area can look quite different.Īnglerfishes attract their prey with a "fishing lure". They have extraordinary adaptations including a lure for attracting their prey, a large mouth and "hidden gill openings". CharacteristicsĪnglerfishes include some of the best camouflaged of all fishes. The Striped Anglerfish is known from estuarine water less than 1 m in depth to marine waters more than 200 m deep. They are found from the shallow littoral zone down to the abyssal depths of the oceans. HabitatsĪnglerfishes occur in many different habitats including sponge gardens, silty substrates, rocky and coral reefs. The smallest, growing to 6 cm in length is the Dwarfed Frogfish Antennarius pauciradiatus, while the largest, the Roughhaw Frogfish Antennarius avalonis, grows to about 45 cm in length. The Striped Anglerfish grows to 20 cm in length.Īnglerfishes in general are small. The use of "anglerfish" on this page refers only to fishes in the family Antennariidae. The common name "anglerfish" is also used for several related families of deepwater fishes known for their angling behaviour. Striped Anglerfish Common Name: Striped Anglerfish Scientific Name: Antennarius striatus Description
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