Anglerfish in what water lives. Sea devils (anglers). What do sea devils eat

Anglerfish, or sea devils (Lophius) are very bright representatives of the genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the anglerfish family and the anglerfish order. Typical benthic inhabitants are found, as a rule, on a muddy or sandy bottom, sometimes semiburrowing into it. Some individuals settle among algae or between large rock fragments.

Description of the monkfish

On both sides of the angler's head, as well as along the edge of the jaws and lips, fringed skin hangs down, moving in the water and resembling algae in appearance. Due to this feature of the structure, anglers become hardly noticeable against the background of the ground.

Appearance

The European angler has a body length within a couple of meters, but more often - no more than one and a half meters.. The maximum weight of an adult is 55.5-57.7 kg. The aquatic inhabitant has a naked body, covered with numerous leathery growths and clearly visible bone tubercles. The torso is of a flattened type, compressed in the direction of the back and belly. The eyes of the monkfish are small, widely spaced. The dorsal area is brownish, greenish-brown or reddish in color with dark spots.

The American angler has a body length of no more than 90-120 cm, with an average weight in the range of 22.5-22.6 kg. The black-bellied anglerfish is a marine deep-sea fish, reaching a length of 50-100 cm. The body length of the West Atlantic anglerfish does not exceed 60 cm. The Burmese anglerfish, or Cape anglerfish, is characterized by a huge flattened head and a fairly short tail, which occupies less than a third of the total body length. The size of an adult individual does not exceed a meter.

It is interesting! The devil is a fish unique in appearance and lifestyle, capable of moving along the bottom with peculiar jumps, which are carried out due to the presence of a strong pectoral fin.

The total body length of the Far Eastern anglerfish is one and a half meters. The aquatic inhabitant has a large and wide flat head. The mouth is very large, with a protruding lower jaw, on which one or two rows of teeth are located. The skin of the monkfish is devoid of scales. The ventral fins are located in the throat area. Wide pectoral fins are distinguished by the presence of a fleshy lobe. The first three rays of the dorsal fin are isolated from each other. The upper part of the body is brown in color, with light spots surrounded by a dark border. The lower part of the body is characterized by a light color.

Character and lifestyle

According to many scientists, the very first sea anglers or sea devils appeared on our planet more than a hundred million years ago. Nevertheless, despite such a venerable age, the characteristic features of the behavior and lifestyle of anglerfish are currently not well understood.

It is interesting! One of the anglerfish's ways of hunting is to make jumps with the help of fins and then swallow the caught prey.

Such a large predatory fish practically does not attack a person, which is due to the considerable depth at which the anglerfish settles. When rising from a depth after spawning, too hungry fish can harm scuba divers. During this period, the monkfish may well bite a person by the hand.

How long do anglers live

The longest recorded lifespan of the American anglerfish is thirty years.. The black-bellied angler lives in natural conditions for about twenty years. The life expectancy of the Cape monkfish rarely exceeds ten years.

Types of sea devils

The genus Anglerfish includes several species represented by:

• American anglerfish, or American monkfish (Lophius americanus);
• Black-bellied anglerfish, or South European anglerfish, or Budegassa anglerfish (Lophius budegassa);
• West Atlantic anglerfish (Lophius gastrophysus);
• Far Eastern monkfish or Far Eastern anglerfish (Lophius litulon);
• European anglerfish, or European anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius).

Also known species are the South African anglerfish (Lophius vaillanti), the Burmese or Cape anglerfish (Lophius vomerinus) and the extinct Lorhius brachysomus Agassiz.

Range, habitats

The black-bellied angler has spread throughout the eastern Atlantic, from Senegal to the British Isles, as well as in the waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Representatives of the species West Atlantic anglerfish are found in the west of the Atlantic Ocean, where such an anglerfish is a bottom fish that lives at a depth of 40-700 m.

The American monkfish is an oceanic demersal (bottom) fish that lives in the waters of the northwest Atlantic, at a depth of no more than 650-670 m. The species has spread along the North American Atlantic coast. In the north of its range, the American angler lives at shallow depths, and in the southern part, representatives of this genus are sometimes found in coastal waters.

The European anglerfish is distributed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of Europe, from the Barents Sea and Iceland to the Gulf of Guinea, as well as the Black, North and Baltic Seas. The Far Eastern anglerfish belongs to the inhabitants of the Sea of ​​Japan, settles along the coastline of Korea, in the waters of Peter the Great Bay, and also near the island of Honshu. Part of the population is found in the waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Yellow Sea, along the Pacific coast of Japan, in the waters of the East China and South China Seas.

angler diet

Ambush predators spend most of their time waiting for their prey absolutely motionless, hiding on the bottom and almost completely merging with it. The diet consists mainly of a wide variety of fish and cephalopods, including squid and cuttlefish. Occasionally, the angler eats all kinds of carrion.

By the nature of their food, all sea devils are typical predators.. The basis of their diet is represented by fish that live in the bottom water column. In the stomach contents of anglerfish there are gerbils, small rays and cod, eels and small sharks, as well as flounder. Closer to the surface, adult aquatic predators are able to hunt mackerel and herring. There are well-known cases when anglers attacked not too large birds that sway peacefully on the waves.

It is interesting! When the mouth is opened, a so-called vacuum is formed, in which the flow of water with the victim quickly rushes into the mouth of the marine predator.

Thanks to the pronounced natural camouflage, the monkfish lying motionless on the bottom is almost invisible. For the purpose of disguise, an aquatic predator burrows into the ground or lurks in dense thickets of algae. Potential prey is attracted by a special luminous bait, located at the end part of a kind of fishing rod, represented by an elongated ray of the dorsal front fin. At the moment of close proximity of crustaceans, invertebrates or fish touching the esca, the lurking monkfish very sharply opens its mouth.

Reproduction and offspring

Individuals of various species become fully sexually mature at different ages. For example, male European anglerfish reach puberty at the age of six years (with a total body length of 50 cm). The maturation of females occurs only at the age of fourteen, when individuals reach almost a meter in length. European anglers spawn at different times. For all northern populations living near the British Isles, spawning is typical between March and May. All southern populations that inhabit the waters near the Iberian Peninsula spawn from January to June.

During the period of active spawning, males and females of representatives of the genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the anglerfish family and the anglerfish order descend to a depth of forty meters to two kilometers. Having descended into the deepest water, the female anglerfish begins to spawn, and the males cover it with their milk. Immediately after spawning, hungry mature females and adult males swim to areas of shallow water, where they feed intensively until the onset of the autumn period. Preparation of monkfish for wintering is carried out at a fairly large depth.

Eggs laid by marine fish form a kind of ribbon, richly covered with mucous secretions. Depending on the species characteristics of the representatives of the genus, the total width of such a tape varies between 50-90 cm, with a length of eight to twelve meters and a thickness of 4-6 mm. Such tapes are able to drift freely through the watery sea. A peculiar clutch, as a rule, consists of a couple of million eggs, which are separated from each other and have a single layer arrangement inside special slimy hexagonal cells.

Over time, the walls of the cells are gradually destroyed, and thanks to the fatty drops inside the eggs, they are prevented from settling to the bottom and floating freely in the water. The difference between the born larvae and adults is the absence of a flattened body and large pectoral fins.

A characteristic feature of the dorsal fin and ventral fins is represented by strongly elongated anterior rays. The hatched anglerfish larvae stay in the surface layers of water for a couple of weeks. The diet is represented by small crustaceans, which are carried by water currents, as well as larvae of other fish and pelagic eggs.

It is interesting! Representatives of the species European monkfish have large caviar and its diameter can be 2-4 mm. The caviar that the American angler throws is smaller, and its diameter does not exceed 1.5-1.8 mm.

In the process of growth and development, monkfish larvae undergo peculiar metamorphoses, which consist in a gradual change in body shape to the appearance of adults. After the anglerfish fry reach a length of 6.0-8.0 mm, they descend to a considerable depth. Sufficiently grown young individuals actively settle in the middle depths, and in some cases, juveniles move closer to the coastline. During the very first year of life, the rate of growth processes in monkfish is as fast as possible, and then the process of development of the marine life noticeably slows down.

The anglerfish belongs to the suborder Ceratioidei, the order Lophiiformes, which includes more than 100 species. It lives in the ocean column at depths from 1.5 to 3 km. Its body is spherical, flattened on the sides. The head is huge, occupying more than half of the total length. The mouth is awesome, with long sharp

teeth. The bare skin is dark in color, spines and plaques are characteristic only for some species. The "fishing rod", which gave the name to the detachment, is the modified first ray of the fin located on the back. It is found only in females.

There was an opinion that angler fish has ugly forms with bulging eyes. The photo shows her after lifting from the depths. In her typical environment, she looks completely different. And we are evaluating the consequences of a huge pressure difference (250 atmospheres) in the water column and on the surface.

The deep-sea anglerfish is an amazing creature. Females are hundreds of times larger than males. The females that we managed to catch and extract from the sea water turned out to be in the range from 5 to 100 cm in length, and the males - from 1.6 to 5 cm. This is one of the manifestations. It is worth noting that it ends with a luminous due to

bioluminescent bacteria "bait". An angler fish is able to “turn it on and off” by feeding a kind of gland with blood. The length of the illium varies from species to species. For some, it can lengthen and shorten, luring the victim directly into the hunter's mouth.

The nutrition of these fish is also amazing. Females eat crustaceans, occasionally mollusks. Their stomach can increase in size at times. There are cases when they swallowed victims much larger than themselves. Such greed led to death, because. the female was choking on her "lunch", but she could not let it out of herself, her long teeth were holding back. Males, given their small size, are also available with chaetognaths.

The anglerfish breeds in spring and summer. Females spawn small eggs, males fertilize them. From a depth, the eggs float to the near-surface layer (up to 200 m), where there is more opportunity to feed. This is where the larvae come in. By the time of metamorphosis, the grown juveniles descend to a depth of 1 km. After the transformation, the angler fish will go to even greater depths, where it will reach puberty and live its characteristic life.

The anglerfish is one of the manifestations of the diversity of the natural world. It is no coincidence that a wonderful way of existence that seems to us has been developed over the centuries. Much still remains unknown. Perhaps someday an explanation will be found.

The seas and oceans occupy more than half of the area of ​​our planet, but they are still shrouded in secrets for mankind. We strive to conquer space and are looking for extraterrestrial civilizations, but at the same time, only 5% of the world's oceans have been explored by people. But even these data are enough to be horrified by what creatures live deep under water, where sunlight does not penetrate.

The Howliod family has 6 species of deep-sea fish, but the most common of them is the common Howliod. These fish live in almost all waters of the world's oceans, with the exception of the cold waters of the northern seas and the Arctic Ocean.

The chaulioids got their name from the Greek words "chaulios" - open mouth, and "odous" - tooth. Indeed, in these relatively small fish (about 30 cm long), teeth can grow up to 5 centimeters, which is why their mouth never closes, creating a terrible grin. Sometimes these fish are called sea vipers.

Howliods live at a depth of 100 to 4000 meters. At night, they prefer to rise closer to the surface of the water, and during the day they descend into the very abyss of the ocean. Thus, during the day, fish make huge migrations of several kilometers. With the help of special photophores located on the body of the howliod, they can communicate in the dark with each other.

On the dorsal fin of the viperfish there is one large photophore, with which it lures its prey directly to the mouth. After that, with a sharp bite of needle-sharp teeth, howliodas paralyze the prey, leaving it no chance of salvation. The diet mainly consists of small fish and crustaceans. According to unreliable data, some individuals of howliods can live up to 30 years or more.

The longhorn sabertooth is another fearsome deep-sea predatory fish found in all four oceans. Although the sabertooth looks like a monster, it grows to a very modest size (about 15 centimeters in a dyne). The head of a fish with a large mouth occupies almost half the length of the body.

The long-horned sabertooth got its name from the long and sharp lower fangs, which are the largest in relation to the length of the body among all fish known to science. The terrifying appearance of the sabertooth earned him an unofficial name - "monster fish".

The color of adults can vary from dark brown to black. Young representatives look completely different. They have a light gray color and long spikes on their heads. The sabertooth is one of the deepest-sea fish in the world, in rare cases they descend to a depth of 5 kilometers or more. The pressure at these depths is enormous, and the water temperature is near zero. There is catastrophically little food here, so these predators hunt for the first thing that gets in their way.

The size of the deep-sea dragon fish absolutely does not fit with its ferocity. These predators, which reach a length of no more than 15 centimeters, can eat prey two or even three times its size. Dragon fish lives in the tropical zones of the oceans at a depth of up to 2000 meters. The fish has a large head and a mouth equipped with many sharp teeth. Like the Howliod, the dragonfish has its own prey bait, which is a long, photophore-tipped whisker located on the chin of the fish. The principle of hunting is the same as that of all deep-sea individuals. With the help of a photophore, a predator lures the victim to the closest possible distance, and then inflicts a deadly bite with a sharp movement.

The deep-sea angler is rightfully the ugliest fish in existence. In total, there are about 200 species of anglerfish, some of which can grow up to 1.5 meters and weigh up to 30 kilograms. Because of the terrible appearance and bad temper, this fish was nicknamed the sea-devil. Deep-sea anglerfish live everywhere at a depth of 500 to 3000 meters. The fish has a dark brown color, a large flat head with many spikes. The devil's huge mouth is studded with sharp and long teeth, curved inwards.

Deep-sea anglerfish have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females are ten times larger than males and are predators. The females have a rod with a fluorescent protrusion at the end to lure fish. Anglerfish spend most of their time on the seabed, burrowing into sand and silt. Due to the huge mouth, this fish can swallow whole prey, exceeding its size by 2 times. That is, hypothetically, a large anglerfish can eat a person; Fortunately, there have never been such cases in history.

Probably, the most strange inhabitant of the deep sea can be called a bagworm or, as it is also called, a large-mouthed pelican. Due to its abnormally huge mouth with a bag and a tiny skull in relation to the length of the body, the baghort looks more like some kind of alien creature. Some individuals can reach two meters in length.

In fact, sac-like fish belong to the class of ray-finned fish, but there are not too many similarities between these monsters and cute fish that live in warm sea backwaters. Scientists believe that the appearance of these creatures has changed many thousands of years ago due to the deep-sea lifestyle. Baghorts do not have gill rays, ribs, scales and fins, and the body has an oblong shape with a luminous process on the tail. If it were not for the large mouth, then the sackcloth could easily be confused with an eel.

Mesh shorts live at depths from 2000 to 5000 meters in three world oceans, except for the Arctic. Since there is very little food at such depths, sackworms have adapted to long breaks in food intake, which can last more than one month. These fish feed on crustaceans and other deep-sea counterparts, mostly swallowing their prey whole.

The elusive giant squid, known to science as Architeuthis Dux, is the largest mollusk in the world and can supposedly reach a length of 18 meters and weigh half a ton. At the moment, a live giant squid has not yet fallen into human hands. Until 2004, there were no documented cases of meeting with a live giant squid at all, and the general idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthese mysterious creatures was formed only by the remains thrown ashore or caught in the nets of fishermen. Architeutis live at a depth of up to 1 kilometer in all oceans. In addition to their gigantic size, these creatures have the largest eyes among living beings (up to 30 centimeters in diameter).

So in 1887, the largest specimen in history, 17.4 meters long, was thrown onto the coast of New Zealand. In the following century, only two large dead representatives of the giant squid were found - 9.2 and 8.6 meters. In 2006, the Japanese scientist Tsunemi Kubodera still managed to capture on camera a live female 7 meters long in her natural habitat at a depth of 600 meters. The squid was lured to the surface by a small bait squid, but an attempt to bring a live individual aboard the vessel was unsuccessful - the squid died from numerous injuries.

Giant squid are dangerous predators, and the only natural enemy for them are adult sperm whales. There are at least two reported cases of squid and sperm whale fighting. In the first, the sperm whale won, but soon died, suffocated by the giant tentacles of the mollusk. The second fight took place off the coast of South Africa, then a giant squid fought with a baby sperm whale, and after an hour and a half fight, he still killed the whale.

The giant isopod, known to science as Bathynomus giganteus, is the largest crustacean species. The average size of a deep-sea isopod ranges from 30 centimeters, but the largest recorded specimen weighed 2 kilograms and was 75 centimeters long. In appearance, giant isopods are similar to woodlice, and, like the giant squid, are the result of deep-sea gigantism. These crayfish live at a depth of 200 to 2500 meters, preferring to burrow into the silt.

The body of these terrible creatures is covered with hard plates that act as a shell. In case of danger, crayfish can curl into a ball and become inaccessible to predators. By the way, isopods are also predators and can eat a few small deep-sea fish and sea cucumbers. Powerful jaws and strong armor make the isopod a formidable foe. Although giant crayfish love to eat live food, they often have to eat the remains of shark prey that fall from the upper layers of the ocean.

The coelacanth or coelacanth is a large deep-sea fish whose discovery in 1938 was one of the most important zoological finds of the 20th century. Despite its unattractive appearance, this fish is notable for the fact that for 400 million years it has not changed its appearance and body structure. In fact, this unique relic fish is one of the oldest living creatures on planet Earth, which existed long before the advent of dinosaurs.

Latimeria lives at a depth of up to 700 meters in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The length of the fish can reach 1.8 meters with a weight of more than 100 kilograms, and the body has a beautiful blue tint. Since the coelacanth is very slow, it prefers to hunt at great depths, where there is no competition from faster predators. These fish can swim backwards or belly up. Despite the fact that the meat of the coeliant is inedible, it is often the object of poaching among local residents. Currently, the ancient fish is in danger of extinction.

The deep-sea goblin shark, or as it is also called the goblin shark, is the most poorly understood shark to date. This species lives in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean at a depth of up to 1300 meters. The largest specimen was 3.8 meters long and weighed about 200 kilograms.

The goblin shark got its name due to its creepy appearance. Mitzekurin has mobile jaws that move outward when bitten. The goblin shark was first accidentally caught by fishermen in 1898, and since then 40 more specimens of this fish have been caught.

Another relic representative of the sea abyss is a one-of-a-kind detritophage cephalopod, which has an external resemblance to both squid and octopus. The infernal vampire got its unusual name due to the red body and eyes, which, however, depending on the lighting, can also be blue. Despite their terrifying appearance, these strange creatures grow up to only 30 centimeters and, unlike other cephalopods, eat only plankton.

The hellish vampire's body is covered in luminous photophores, which create bright flashes of light that scare away enemies. In case of exceptional danger, these small mollusks twist their tentacles along the body, becoming like a ball with spikes. Hellish vampires live at depths of up to 900 meters, and can perfectly exist in water with an oxygen level of 3% or less, which is critical for other animals.

The anglerfish is the most extravagant-looking member of the Angler class. It lives at impressive depths due to its unique ability to withstand enormous pressure. We offer you to get to know this deep-sea inhabitant, which has amazing taste qualities, and learn some interesting facts about it.

Appearance

Let's get acquainted with the description of the monkfish - a marine fish that prefers deep crevices where sunlight never gets. The European anglerfish is a large fish, the body length reaches one and a half meters, about 70% falls on the head, the average weight is about 20 kg. The salient features of the fish are:

• A huge mouth with a lot of small but sharp teeth gives it a repulsive look. The fangs are located in the jaw in a special way: at an angle, which makes the capture of prey even more effective.
• Naked and scaleless head skin with fringes, tubercles and spikes also does not adorn the deep-sea dweller.
• On the head is the so-called fishing rod - a continuation of the dorsal fin, at the end of which is a leathery bait. This feature of the monkfish determines its second name - the anglerfish, despite the fact that the fishing rod is present exclusively in females.
• The bait consists of mucus and is a leathery bag that emits light due to the luminous bacteria living in the mucus. Interestingly, each type of anglerfish emits light of a certain color.
• The upper jaw is more mobile than the lower one, and due to the flexibility of the bones, the fish are able to swallow prey of impressive size.
• Small close-set round eyes are located on the top of the head.
• The color of the fish is inconspicuous: from dark gray to dark brown, which helps anglers to successfully disguise themselves on the bottom and deftly grab prey.

It is interesting how the fish hunts: it hides, putting out its bait. As soon as some careless little fish becomes interested, the devil will open his mouth and swallow it.

Habitat

Find out where the anglerfish (monkfish) lives. Habitat varies by species. So, European anglers prefer to live at a depth of up to 200 meters, but their deep-sea counterparts, of which more than a hundred varieties have been discovered, have chosen depressions and crevices for themselves, where there is a lot of pressure and no sunlight at all. They can be found at a depth of 1.5 to 5 km in the seas of the Atlantic Ocean.

Anglerfish are also found in the so-called Southern (Antarctic) Ocean, which combines the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, washing the shores of the white continent - Antarctica. The monkfish also lives in the waters of the Baltic and Barents, Okhotsk and off the coast of Korea and Japan, some species are found in the Black Sea.

Varieties

Sea devils are fish from the Anglerfish squad. Currently, eight species are known, one of them is extinct. Representatives of each of them have a characteristic awesome appearance.

• American angler. It belongs to the bottom varieties, the body length is impressive - adult females are often more than a meter. In appearance, they resemble tadpoles because of the huge head. The average life expectancy is up to 30 years.
• South European anglerfish or black-bellied. The body length is about a meter, the name of the species is associated with the color of the peritoneum, the back and sides of the fish are pinkish-gray. The average life expectancy is about 20 years.
• The West Atlantic anglerfish is a demersal fish reaching a length of 60 cm. An object of fishing.
• Cape (Burmese). The most noticeable part of his body is a giant flattened head, and a short tail is also characteristic.
• Japanese (yellow, Far Eastern). They have an unusual body color - brown-yellow, live in the Japan, East China Seas.
• South African. Lives off the southern coast of Africa.
• European. A very large anglerfish, whose body length reaches 2 meters, is distinguished by a huge crescent-shaped mouth, small sharp teeth resemble hooks in their shape. Rod length - up to 50 cm.

Thus, all types of anglers have common characteristics - a huge mouth with a large number of small but sharp teeth, a fishing rod with bait - the most unusual way of hunting among the inhabitants of the underwater depths, bare skin. In general, the look of the fish is really frightening, so the loud name is fully justified.

Lifestyle

Scientists believe that the first anglers appeared on the planet more than 120 million years ago. The shape of the body and the specifics of the lifestyle are largely due to where the angler prefers to live. If then it is practically flat, if the angler has settled closer to the surface, then it has a body compressed from the sides. But regardless of the habitat, the monkfish (angler fish) is a predator.

The devil is a unique fish, it moves along the bottom not like its other counterparts, but with jumps made thanks to a strong pectoral fin. From this, another name for a marine inhabitant is a frog fish.

Fish prefer not to expend energy, therefore, even swimming, they spend no more than 2% of their energy reserve. They are distinguished by enviable patience, they are able to not move for a long time, waiting for prey, they practically do not even breathe - the pause between breaths is about 100 seconds.

Nutrition

Previously, it was considered how monkfish hunt prey, attracting it with a luminous bait. It is interesting that the fish does not perceive the size of its victims, often large individuals larger in size than the angler itself come across in its mouth, so it cannot eat them. And because of the specifics of the device, the jaw cannot even let go.

The angler is famous for its incredible gluttony and courage, so it can even attack scuba divers. Of course, deaths from such an attack are unlikely, but the sharp teeth of a sea angler can disfigure the body of a careless person.

Favorite food

As previously mentioned, anglers are predators, preferring to use other deep-sea inhabitants of the seas as food. Monkfish's favorite treats include:

• Cod.
• Flounder.
• Skates are small.
• Acne.
• Cuttlefish.
• Squids.
• Crustaceans.

Sometimes mackerel or herring become victims of predators, this happens if a hungry anglerfish rises closer to the surface.

reproduction

Monk fish (angler) is amazing in almost everything. For example, the process of reproduction is very unusual for both marine life and wildlife in general. When the partners find each other, the male clings to the belly of his chosen one and tightly adheres to her, the fish seem to become a single organism. Gradually, the process goes even further - the fish have a common skin, blood vessels, and certain organs of the male - fins and eyes - atrophy as unnecessary. It is because of this feature that researchers have not been able to detect and describe the male anglerfish for a long time.

In males, only the gills, heart and genitals continue to function.

Having become acquainted with the description of the monkfish and the peculiarities of his lifestyle, we offer you to find out some interesting facts about this creepy fish:

Such is the monkfish - an unusual creation of nature, an inhabitant of the depths and an amazing predator using a trick that is not typical for other representatives of the fauna. Thanks to its tasty white meat, almost devoid of bones, the anglerfish is a fish of commercial importance.

Monk fish is another interesting representative of the underwater fauna of our planet.

They say that the devil is a fictional character ... But no! In the sea waters, among the dark depths, there lives a creature whose appearance is so terrible and ugly that, apart from the anglerfish, scientists have not come up with a name for it!

It is worth saying that in the aquatic fauna there is another monkfish - a mollusk, but now we will talk about a representative of ray-finned fish. Scientists attribute this marine inhabitant to the anglerfish order, which includes the anglerfish family and the anglerfish genus.

Currently, there are two types of monkfish on earth - European and American. Let's look at the photo of the monkfish and take a closer look at its appearance ...

Appearance of the angler

The first thing worth noting in the appearance of this unsightly fish is the “rod”. This is such an outgrowth on the head of a monkfish, which is really very similar to a fishing rod. With such a device, the fish lures its prey, as it were, “catches” it. That is why they gave these fish the name - anglers.

The body length of the monkfish is about 2 meters, while the animal weighs almost 20 kilograms. The body has a slightly flattened shape. In general, the anglerfish is not a very pleasant-looking fish. It is all covered with some kind of leathery outgrowths that look similar to snags and algae. The head is disproportionately large, huge and unpleasant in monkfish and mouth.

The skin color is brown, on the ventral part of the body it is lighter, almost white.

Where does the monkfish live?

The habitat of this fish is the Atlantic Ocean. The angler is found off the coast of Europe, off the coast of Iceland. In addition, monkfish have been found in the waters of the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, North Sea and Barents Sea.

Lifestyle and behavior of monkfish in nature

The depth at which these fish usually live is from 50 to 200 meters. Most often they are found at the very bottom, because there is nothing more pleasant for a monkfish than just lying quietly on the sand or silt. But it is only at first glance that the angler is idle. In fact, this is one of the ways to hunt. The animal freezes, waiting for its prey. And when she swims by, she grabs her and eats her.

The angler also knows how to hunt in another way - with the help of its fins, it jumps along the bottom and thus overtakes its prey.

What do sea devils eat?

The main food for these fish is other, usually smaller, fish. The monkfish menu consists of katrans, atherins, Kalkans, stingrays and others.

A gadget on the head in the form of a luminous fishing rod attracts small fish and leads it directly ... into the mouth of the angler.

How does anglerfish reproduce?

When the mating season begins for these fish, they descend to a depth of 2000 meters to lay eggs there. One female monkfish is capable of laying a clutch of about three million eggs. The whole accumulation of eggs forms a wide ten-meter ribbon, which is divided into hexagonal cells.

After a certain period of time, these honeycomb cells are destroyed. Freeing the eggs, which, in turn, float freely, being carried by the undercurrent.

After a few days, small larvae are born from the eggs, which, after 4 months, become anglerfish fry. After the fry grow up to 6 centimeters in length, they sink to the bottom, in shallow water.

Enemies of sea devils

This area of ​​monkfish life is still little studied.

Is the angler dangerous to humans?

In fact, monkfish are not in the habit of attacking humans. But if you accidentally prick your leg on the angler's thorn, you can hurt yourself painfully. In addition, the angler does not like "intrusive visitors" and can show all the sharpness of his teeth to those who are very zealously trying to get to know him!