Monkfish is an angler fish with a repulsive appearance. Monkfish: description, habitat and interesting facts Fish with a spark

Seas and oceans occupy more than half the area of ​​our planet, but they are still shrouded in mysteries for humanity. 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 this data is enough to be horrified by what creatures live deep underwater, where sunlight does not penetrate.

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

Chauliodas got their name from the Greek words “chaulios” - open mouth, and “odous” - tooth. Indeed, these relatively small fish (about 30 cm in length) have teeth that can grow up to 5 centimeters, which is why their mouth never closes, creating a creepy grin. Sometimes these fish are called sea vipers.

Howliods live at depths from 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 hauliod's body, they can communicate with each other in the dark.

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

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

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

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

Dimensions deep sea fish- the dragon absolutely does not fit with his ferocity. These predators, which reach a length of no more than 15 centimeters, can eat prey two or even three times its size. The dragon fish lives in tropical zones The world's 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 Howlyod, the dragonfish has its own bait for prey, which is a long whisker with a photophore at the end, located on the fish's chin. The hunting principle is the same as for all deep-sea individuals. Using a photophore, the predator lures the prey to maximum close quarters, and then with a sharp movement inflicts a fatal bite.

The deep-sea anglerfish is rightfully the ugliest fish in existence. There are about 200 species of anglerfish, some of which can grow up to 1.5 meters and weigh 30 kilograms. Due to its creepy appearance and bad character this fish was nicknamed monkfish. Deep-sea anglerfish live everywhere at depths from 500 to 3000 meters. The fish has a dark brown color, a large flat head with many spines. The devil's huge mouth is strewn with sharp and long teeth, curved inward.

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

Probably the strangest inhabitant depths of the sea You can call it a bagmouth or, as it is also called, a pelican-shaped largemouth. Due to its abnormally huge mouth with a bag and a tiny skull in relation to the length of the body, the bagmouth looks more like some kind of alien creature. Some individuals can reach two meters in length.

In fact, bagmouths belong to the class of ray-finned fish, but these monsters do not have too many similarities with the cute fish that live in warm sea backwaters. Scientists believe that the appearance of these creatures changed many thousands of years ago due to their deep-sea lifestyle. Bagmouths have no gill rays, ribs, scales or fins, and the body is oblong with a luminous appendage on the tail. If it were not for the large mouth, the bagmouth could easily be confused with an eel.

Bagworms live at depths from 2000 to 5000 meters in three world oceans, except the Arctic Ocean. Since there is very little food at such depths, bagmouths have adapted to long breaks in eating, which can last more than one month. These fish feed on crustaceans and other deep-sea brethren, mainly swallowing their prey whole.

The elusive giant squid, known to science as Architeuthis dux, is the world's largest mollusc and is thought to reach a length of 18 meters and weigh half a ton. On this moment A live giant squid has never yet fallen into human hands. Until 2004, there were no documented sightings of live giant squid at all, and general idea about these mysterious creatures It was based only on the remains washed ashore or caught in fishermen’s nets. Architeuthis live at depths of up to 1 kilometer in all oceans. Besides gigantic size these creatures have the largest eyes among living creatures (up to 30 centimeters in diameter).

So in 1887, the largest specimen in history, 17.4 meters long, washed up on the shores of New Zealand. In the next century, only two large dead representatives of the giant squid were discovered - 9.2 and 8.6 meters. In 2006, Japanese scientist Tsunami Kubodera managed to capture on camera a living female 7 meters long. natural environment 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 specimen on board the vessel was unsuccessful - the squid died from multiple injuries.

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

Giant isopod, known to science, like Bathynomus giganteus, is the largest species of crustacean. 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 similar giant squid are a consequence of deep-sea gigantism. These crayfish live at a depth of 200 to 2500 meters, preferring to bury themselves in silt.

The body of these creepy 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 feast on a few small deep-sea fish and sea ​​cucumbers. Powerful jaws and strong armor make the isopod dangerous adversary. Although giant crayfish love to feast on 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 became 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 relict fish is one of the oldest living creatures on planet Earth, which existed long before the appearance of dinosaurs.

Coelacanth 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 and weigh more than 100 kilograms, and the body has a beautiful blue tint. Since coelacanth is very slow, it prefers to hunt at great depths, where there is no competition with faster predators. These fish can swim backwards or belly up. Despite the fact that the meat of the coelcanth is inedible, it is often the target of poaching among local residents. Currently ancient fish is in danger of extinction.

The deep sea goblin shark, or goblin shark as it is also called, is the most poorly studied shark to date. This species lives in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at depths 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 eerie appearance. Mitsekurina has movable 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 relict representative of the sea abyss is a one-of-a-kind cephalopod-detritus feeder, which has an external resemblance to both a squid and an octopus. The hellish vampire got its unusual name thanks to its red body and eyes, which, however, depending on the lighting, can be blue. Despite their terrifying appearance, these strange creatures They grow only up to 30 centimeters and, unlike other cephalopods, they eat exclusively plankton.

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

One of the most interesting inhabitants of the deep sea is the angler fish. Her repulsive appearance, unusual way of hunting and relationships with the opposite sex distinguish her noticeably from others. sea ​​creatures. The habitat of fish at great depths did not immediately make its study possible. Currently, ceratiform or deep-sea anglerfish include a dozen families and more than a hundred known species.

These fish live deep at the bottom

Appearance and varieties

According to one version, the fish's inconspicuous and intimidating appearance, as well as its habitat, gave the fish its nickname, deep-sea monkfish. Some individuals can reach a length of up to two meters. The fish has a disproportionate spherical body, the head occupies more than half of the body. The color helps it camouflage perfectly. Anglerfish are dark brown and black, but their bellies are usually white.

The monkfish's mouth is huge, decorated with a row of sharp, inwardly curved teeth. There may be moving leathery folds around the mouth, which also help the fish to successfully hide in the algae at the bottom and wait for prey.

The fish has no scales, but in some species the bare skin is covered with scales transformed into spines. The anglerfish has very poor vision and sense of smell, and its eyes are very small. A fish raised to the surface looks completely different from what it does at its usual depth. A bloated body and bulging eyes are a consequence of excess internal pressure.

There are 11 families of monkfish

Anglerfish can be divided into 11 families:

• Caulofrines;
• Centrifrines;
• Ceratiaceae;
• Diceratiaceae;
• Long probe;
• Hymantolophaceae;
• Linofrine;
• Melanocetes;
• Novoceratiaceae;
• Oneiridae;
• Thaumatichthaceae.

Another one characteristic feature this type is a fishing rod (illicium). In fact, this is an overgrown dorsal fin, namely the first ray. The species Ceratias holboelli can hide the illicium by drawing it inside the body, while in Galatheathauma axeli it is located directly in the mouth.

In most species, the fishing rod is directed forward and hangs directly towards the mouth, luring in prey. At the end of the illicium there is an esca or bait. The eska is a leather pouch - it is a gland filled with mucus with bioluminescent bacteria, due to which the bait glows. Usually the glow is a series of flashes. Fish can cause and stop glowing, controlling the process by expanding and constricting blood vessels, since the iron needs blood flow, and bioluminescent bacteria need oxygen.

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism refers to differences in anatomy between females and males of the same species. This is especially pronounced in angler fish. For a long time, scientists could not understand what a male angler fish looked like, because they classified males and females as two different species.

Distinctive feature– there is illusion

The sizes of females vary from 5 cm to 2 meters, and their weight reaches 57 kilograms. These predatory fish have a wide mouth and a highly stretchable stomach. They prey on other deep-sea fish. Compared to them, males are simply dwarfs, because they reach a length of no more than 4 cm.

Another difference is the presence of illicium. Only females of this fish have a fishing rod. The deep-sea anglerfish also holds other surprises. Unlike females, males have developed eyes and senses of smell, which they need to find a female.

Habitat and food

The deep-sea anglerfish lives in the waters of the World Ocean. The fish is adapted to live at depths of up to 3 kilometers. The anglerfish is especially common in the Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of Iceland to the Sea of ​​Guinea, preferring cool waters.

Females hunt other deep-sea fish - gonostomidae, chauliodae, melamphae, and also feed on crustaceans and sometimes cephalopods.

The hunting process is as follows. The anglerfish lies on the bottom, hidden in the mud and algae. He turns on the glow of the eski and twitches it so that it looks like the movement of a small fish. To catch prey, the female patiently waits for it to swim to her. It pulls small prey into itself, sucking it in along with the water. It takes a few milliseconds to swallow a curious fish. Sometimes, using its developed pectoral fins or releasing jets of water through its gills, the anglerfish can jump forward, attacking prey.

The anglerfish is an extremely voracious fish; it can attack prey that is three times its size. Although the fish's stomach stretches to impressive sizes, such a meal ends in death for the fish. Since her teeth are curved inward, she cannot spit out her prey and gags.

Monkfish hunting methods are quite extraordinary

There have been cases when a species related to the anglerfish, monkfish, swallowed seabirds with the same outcome. As a rule, the monkfish floats to the top when it eats intensively after spawning. At such moments, he can attack a person.

• Caulofrines;
• Linofrine;
• Ceratiaceae;
• Novoceratiaceae.

Possessing good eyesight and smell, males detect the female by emitted pheromones, which persist for a long time in the still water column. To determine whether a female belongs to their species, males visually evaluate the shape of the fishing rod and the frequency of flashes, which varies among all species. Having made sure that the female is of the same species, the male swims up to her and tightly clings to her side with his teeth.

Having attached itself to the female, the male anglerfish loses its independence. After some time, it fuses with the female’s tongue and lips. Its organs atrophy, in particular, the eyes, teeth, jaws, olfactory organs, fins, and stomach. He becomes one with the female, feeding himself through a system of common blood vessels.

Males find a female easily with the help of pheromones

Reproduction

Like most species, the deep-sea anglerfish reproduces in the spring and summer, although no breeding occurs at greater depths. seasonal changes. The ribbon of caviar can reach 10 meters. Millions of fertilized eggs rise to the upper layers of water, to a depth of no more than 30 – 200 meters. There the larvae hatch and for some time are eaten by crustaceans and bristlejaws, accumulating strength before the upcoming metamorphosis.

Larvae of deep-sea anglerfish feel good in warm waters. They can be found in tropical and warm temperate ocean zones where surface water temperatures can reach 20 degrees.

By the time metamorphosis occurs, the fry descend to a depth of 1 km. Sexually mature anglers descend to their usual depth of habitat - 1500 – 3000 meters. Currents can carry anglerfish even into subarctic and subantarctic waters.

Eating

The European anglerfish or monkfish refers to commercial species fish and is even considered a delicacy. Monkfish is caught in especially large quantities in Great Britain and France, but in general it is caught all over the world - in America, Africa, and East Asia.

The fish gained its popularity due to its dense, boneless meat, although quite tough. The tail part of the anglerfish is eaten, and soup is made from the head. The tail is prepared in many ways. Monkfish dishes are especially appreciated in France.

In this video you will learn more about this fish:

Sea devils are a group of angler fish. They live at great depths, can withstand enormous pressure and have an extremely unattractive appearance.

But you knew, for example, how anglerfish reproduce. In order for eggs to be fertilized, two different fish - a male and a female monkfish - must fuse into one organism.

When a male anglerfish finds itself suitable pair, he digs into the female’s stomach and tightly clings to her. Over time, the two fish merge into a single creature with common skin, common blood vessels, etc. At the same time, some organs of the male atrophy - eyes, fins, etc.

It is precisely because sea devils live most life, in the form of such a monster creature, scientists at first could not find male anglerfish in nature - they only came across females. It turned out that the males (or rather, what was left of them) were “hiding” inside.

Let's find out more about this fish...

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Are there many people in Russia who can boast that they ate the devil? Apparently, there are no such people at all. And this pleasure is quite accessible to the average European. The fact is that angler although disgusting in appearance, it is a tasty fish. It also lives off our coasts, including in the Barents and even the Black Sea, but here no one specifically catches it.

Angler, or European anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius), is a large fish up to one and a half meters long, two-thirds of which is on the head, and weighs up to 20 kilograms. The mouth is outrageously large and lined with a palisade of sharp teeth. The bare skin with a fringe of leathery lobes gives the fish an extremely disgusting appearance. On the head there is a fishing rod - the first ray of the dorsal fin moved forward, from which hangs an appetizing “bait” - a small leathery bulb. All day long the devil lies motionless on the bottom and patiently waits for some fish to be tempted by his bait. Then, without hesitation, it opens its mouth and swallows the prey.

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European angler belongs to the family of angler fish. They live at a depth of 50-200 meters and are considered quite common inhabitants of coastal waters. Only recently has it become known that their close relatives live in the depths of the ocean. They were called deep-sea anglers. About 120 species are now known. These amazing creatures are classified as small or very small fish. Females range in length from 5-10 to 20-40 centimeters, only the ciracy grows up to a meter, and males are dwarfs measuring 14-22 millimeters.

Only females have a fishing rod. Often this gear is clearly divided into a rod, a fishing line and a line suspended at its end. glowing bait. For each type of angler, the bait has a shape and size unique to these fish and emits light rays of a strictly defined color. The bait is a bag filled with mucus in which glowing bacteria live. In order to emit light, bacteria need oxygen. When the anglerfish has had lunch and is busy digesting food, it no longer needs light. It can attract attention to the anglerfish large predator. Then the devil squeezes the blood vessels of the fishing line and temporarily extinguishes his flashlight.

Photo 4.

The rod, located above the fish's head, is directed upward and forward, and the bait dangles near the mouth. This is where gullible game is lured. Gigantaxis have a rod with a fishing line that is 4 times longer than the fish itself. This allows you to cast the bait far and, teasing the prey, lure it to its mouth, which is always ready to open. Each type of bait attracts a very specific game. This is confirmed by the fact that in the stomachs of some anglers there are constantly found fish that are rarely caught in deep-sea trawls and are considered very rare.

Everything about deep-sea anglerfish is unusual, especially reproduction. Males and females are so different from each other that they were previously considered different species of fish. When the male becomes an adult, he goes in search of a female. Suitors have large eyes and an impressive olfactory organ to help locate the female. For a tiny fish, finding a bride is a difficult task. Nobody knows how much time they spend on this. It is not surprising that, having found a bride, the male immediately sinks his teeth into her.

Soon the male’s lips and tongue grow onto his wife’s body, and she takes her husband as her full dependent. Through the vessels grown into his body, the female supplies him with everything he needs. The male no longer needs the jaws, intestines and eyes, and they atrophy. In the male’s body, only the heart and gills continue to work, helping to supply oxygen to his body, and even the testes. During breeding, the female spawns eggs, and the male regularly waters them with milk.

Spawning takes place at great depths, but the eggs are lighter than water and float to its surface. Here they hatch into larvae. They feed intensely, grow quickly and gradually drown until they return to their homeland in their favorite depths.

Photo 6.

Some species of deep-sea anglerfish are considered edible. They are caught in the USA, Africa and East Asia. Especially popular in North America meat from the tail of an anglerfish, called Monkfish or Goosefish. It tastes like lobster meat. In Japan and Korea, goose fish liver is a delicacy.

White, dense, boneless and extremely tender meat of this fish can do honor to anyone. festive table. It is suitable for frying in pieces and opened in the shape of a butterfly, or for grilling, cut into cubes and placed on skewers, as well as for boiling and stewing. Monkfish is especially popular in France, where the meat from its tail is prepared in many ways, for example with boiled vegetables, and the head, if you can get it, is used for soup.

Photo 7.

Why is monkfish called "tail fish"
The fishermen quickly deal with the monster's head. All that remains of the fish is practically only an edible tail, which goes on sale without the skin. Therefore, monkfish is often called the “tail” fish, whose white, dense, boneless and extremely tender meat can do honor to any holiday table. Being a master of camouflage, the monkfish, with its dark, often spotted, top part body, almost invisible against the background of the bottom of small coastal reservoirs, among stones, pebbles and fucus. There he usually likes to lie, watching for prey. On both sides of the head, along the edges of the jaw and lips, fringed patches of skin hang down, moving in the water like algae. On the sides of the body there are wide fins, and on the back there are thin spines with a spherical thickening at the end, which lure prey. This sea ​​monster can reach 2 m with a weight of 30-40 kg. Smaller specimens usually go on sale. But even a monkfish of this size can swallow quite large fish. They say that in the belly of one monkfish, 65 cm long, a young cod, 58 cm long, was found. Angler found in many seas, mainly in the Atlantic and North Sea, up to Iceland.

Photo 8.

The monkfish is also called a “frog” because it can jump
Sometimes during a hunt, the monkfish moves in a very unusual way: it jumps along the bottom, pushing off with its pectoral fins. For this they called him “frog”.

Photo 9.

In one species of monkfish, the “fishing rod” is retracted into a special channel on the back. The fish regulates the glow of the bubble by narrowing or expanding the walls of the arteries. And in the bottom-dwelling Galatetauma, the “fishing rod” is generally located in the mouth. Another species uses glowing teeth as bait.

To hunt, the angler just needs to swim or rest quietly on the sand, from time to time opening his mouth and swallowing an overly curious fish. She has no chance to escape: the monkfish’s mouth sucks in water along with everything that swims nearby: mollusks, crustaceans, sometimes even stingrays and sharks. A very hungry anglerfish can catch a waterfowl. However, in this case, he often chokes on the feathers and dies.

Photo 10.

The monkfish does not know how to compare the size of its prey with the feeling of hunger. Ichthyologists have more than once observed cases where a predator caught and bit a large fish, much larger than itself, but could not let go due to the structural features of the teeth.

Anglerfish breed as unusually as they hunt. Males do not have “fishing rods” at all, and they themselves are very tiny. While females often reach two meters in length, males rarely exceed 5 millimeters. Each female carries several males: they dig into her, grow together and gradually turn into genitals.

Hungry sea devils are dangerous for scuba divers. They have very poor vision, which is compensated by courage and gluttony, so it is better to stay as far away from a hungry anglerfish as possible.

Photo 11.

However, where does such a big name come from? According to one version, this fish received it for its, to put it mildly, extravagant appearance, even against the generally bright and diverse background of the inhabitants of the depths of the sea. A flat body, a huge ugly head with a huge mouth, in some species making up two-thirds of the total length, crowned with a palisade of sharp teeth, evokes a feeling of horror. These teeth are capable of turning prey into a mess of torn tissue and bones.

Photo 12.

In general, the monkfish is incredibly voracious and therefore boldly rushes even at a seemingly obviously unattainable goal. And in “hungry” moments, a large anglerfish, suffering from an almost complete lack of vision, rises to the upper layers of water from the depths and at such moments it is capable of attacking scuba divers.

You can meet such an inhabitant of the deep sea just at the end of summer, after a grueling hungry spawning, the “devils” go to shallow water, where they eat intensively until the fall, after which they go to wintering in greater depths.

However, compared to sharks, barracudas and octopuses, true sea devils or anglerfish do not pose an immediate danger to humans. Be that as it may, their terrible teeth can disfigure the hand of an unwary fisherman for life. However, the monkfish causes much more damage not to humans, but to other commercial fish species. Thus, there are legends among fishermen that, having fallen into a fishing net, he ate the fish that got there while he was there.

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Photo 20.

Whatever they are called - sea devils, sea scorpions, angler fish, and European anglerfish. However, there are also several varieties of this miracle fish. And in terms of originality of appearance, each of the types is not inferior to each other. People have never seen devils, but the sea monsters that have risen from the depths resemble creatures from the underworld.

In fact, it's simple sea ​​fish- a predator fish with an amazing, unlike anything else appearance.

These fish belong to the ray-finned fish, to the order Anglerfishes, to the family Anglerfishes, to the genus Anglerfishes. Now in the watery depths of the earth there are two varieties of monkfish:

• European anglerfish (lat. Lophius piscatorius);
• American anglerfish (lat. Lophius americanus).

External appearance of the sea angler

At the first glance at this creature, a remarkable organ immediately catches your eye - the “fishing rod”. The modified fin really resembles a fishing rod with a luminous float. This ugly monster, sometimes reaching up to two meters in length and 30-40 kilograms, can itself regulate the glow of its float. But there is nothing supernatural about this. In fact, the float is a kind of skin formation, in the folds of which amazing bacteria live. In the presence of oxygen, which they draw from the blood of the anglerfish, they glow. But if the monkfish just had lunch and lay down to take a nap, he does not need a glowing flashlight, and it blocks the access of blood to the fin-fishing rod, and the float goes out until the start of a new hunt.

The entire appearance of the monkfish reveals that it is an inhabitant of the depths of the sea. Elongated body, with an unnatural big head, everything is covered with some kind of growths, vaguely reminiscent of either algae, or tree bark, or some kind of twigs and snags.

The sight of a monkfish going out hunting with an open mouth full of sharp teeth certainly makes an indelible impression. The skin on top is bare brown, covered with dark spots, sometimes with a reddish tint, and a light, almost white belly, serve as a good camouflage for the creature on the dark seabed.

Monkfish habitat

Fish of this species are found in seas and oceans around the world. Although its main refuge is still Atlantic Ocean. Monkfish are also found off the coast of Europe and Iceland. In addition, it is caught in the Black and Baltic, and even in the cold Northern and Barents Seas. This fairly unpretentious bottom fish can easily exist in water at temperatures from 0 to 20 degrees.

Anglerfish can live at different depths from 50 to 200 meters. True, there are also specimens that prefer depths of up to 2000 meters.

Hunters from the deep sea

The best way to spend time for an anglerfish is to lie calmly and well-fed on the seabed in sand or silt. But don't let his motionless body fool you. This is a very voracious but patient creature. sea ​​scorpion can lie motionless for hours, tracking and waiting for the appearance of its prey. As soon as some curious fish swims past, the angler instantly grabs it and immediately stuffs it into his mouth.

It should be noted that this fish has an excellent appetite. Very often it feeds on prey that is almost as big as it. Because of this gluttony, unpleasant and even fatal cases occur when anglerfish choke on prey that does not fit in their stomach, although its size is truly enormous. Sometimes they rise to the surface of the water and hunt birds, whose feathers, getting stuck in the mouth, can lead to suffocation. After all, having grabbed the victim, the anglerfish can no longer release it due to the specific structure of its teeth.

Monkfish also have another type of hunting. It literally jumps along the bottom with the help of its lower fins and, overtaking the prey, eats it.

Monkfish is a predator, the subject of its hunt are:

• small fish;
• small sharks - katrans;
• small stingrays or their babies;
• a variety of waterfowl.

Family life and reproduction of angler fish

Female monkfish are many times larger than males. The role of males is reduced to just fertilizing the eggs. Moreover, they have become so lazy that when they find a female, they cling to her with sharp teeth and remain with her for the rest of their lives. Over the years, some of their organs atrophy, and they become simply appendages of the female that do not need to hunt because they feed through the female’s blood. Sometimes several males pester a female to fertilize more eggs.

When it comes mating season, the females descend to the depths and release a ribbon of eggs up to 10 meters long. The tape is divided into small hexagonal cells with eggs. It should be noted that a female monkfish can simultaneously lay a clutch of about three million eggs. After some time, the eggs are released and travel on their own. sea ​​waters. Turning into larvae, they live closer to the surface of the water for up to four months, and only when they reach a length of 6-8 cm do they sink to the bottom.

Monkfish as a gastronomic dish

Despite its external ugliness, monkfish meat is very tasty. In Spain and France, dishes made from it are considered a delicacy. Most chefs use only the tail of the fish, but often in restaurants they cook monkfish from the head delicious soup from seafood. Anglerfish meat is prepared in different ways:

• grilled;
• cooked for soups and salads;
• stewed with vegetables.

It is white, almost boneless, dense and tender at the same time, reminiscent of lobster meat.

The depths of the ocean hide a large number of unusual creatures. They have a frightening appearance, unusual behavior. A fish with a flashlight on its head is called a monkfish. She has a very repulsive appearance, which does not prevent her from eating meat of this species. In European and Asian countries, this fish is considered a delicacy. She received such recognition for her high taste qualities.

Monkfish has a very repulsive appearance, but is still used in cooking

general characteristics

There's one more thing the name of the fish with a flashlight on its head is an angler fish. This is a predator that belongs to the order of anglerfish and the class of bony fish. Lives at the bottom of the sea. It reaches two meters in length. Average weight - 20 kg. Large individuals weighing 57 kg are also known.

The body is flattened, compressed in the abdominal direction. The mouth is several times larger than the head.

The anglerfish's jaw is inactive, the mouth is several times larger than the head

A distinctive feature of the monkfish is its slightly protruded lower jaw. She is inactive. The mouth is decorated with sharp teeth that are slightly curved inward. The jaws have flexible and thin bones that allow the anglerfish to swallow large fish. There are small eyes at the top of the head.

A separate process grows from the dorsal fin. It is shifted to the upper jaw and represents a fishing rod. There is a leathery formation on it - it serves as bait and is a bag of mucus, in which glowing bacteria live. The angler can turn off the light for a while so as not to attract the attention of large predators.

The habitat of deep sea flashlight fish is varied. It can be found in countries such as:

• Canada;
• Japan;
• Korea.

Some representatives of the species are found in the waters of the Black and Yellow Sea. It can live at different depths.

Angler fish can live at different depths

Main representatives of the species

Ichthyologists distinguish several varieties of anglerfish. In addition to the American monkfish, there are European anglerfish. His body is flattened from back to belly. It grows up to two meters, its weight exceeds 20 kg. He has a huge crescent-shaped mouth. Powerful pectoral fins allow him to bury himself in the sand. The most common individuals are brown in color. Lives only in the Atlantic Ocean.

Black-bellied anglerfish are similar to their closest relatives. They have a wide head and small sizes body (individual length 50 cm). Characteristic feature is the wide abdominal part. Painted in gray or beige colors. There is no rod on the head.

The Burmese monkfish is distinguished by its flattened head and short tail. The length of the individual does not exceed one meter. The body is covered with leathery fringe. The lower part of the body is white, the upper part is dark.

The terrible appearance of anglerfish has given rise to a lot of superstitions. Many people believe that monkfish attack swimmers. During periods of hunger, fish rise to the top layer of water and can bite a person. At other times, the anglerfish lives on the bottom and does not collide with the drivers.

Due to its high taste, monkfish meat has become popular, so environmentalists have proposed a ban on fishing to preserve the species. It has been illegal to harvest anglerfish in the UK since 2007.

Nutritional Features

A fish with a flashlight on its head is a predator. Therefore, its main food is other marine inhabitants. The monkfish rises to the upper layer of water, where herring and mackerel become its prey. Ichthyologists noted a case when an anglerfish attacked birds that landed on the water.

The anglerfish is a predatory fish that feeds on other types of fish.

Basic diet:

• cod or sand lance;
• stingrays;
• sharks;
• acne;
• crustaceans;
• shellfish

A fish with a lantern on its head is an ideal hunter. She can sit in ambush for hours. Natural coloring allows you to blend in with the soil or plants. The monkfish puts out its fishing rod and waits for its prey. As soon as the fish grab the bait, they immediately swallow it. A special feature of the anglerfish is the ability to hold its breath for several minutes.

Reproduction of anglerfish

Representatives of this species are distinguished by special reproduction. Females and males are very different from each other and ichthyologists have long considered them to be different fish. When the male reaches the age of sexual maturity, he goes in search of a life partner. A large olfactory organ and huge eyes help him in this.

Ichthyologists do not know how long the search takes. Once a female is discovered, the male latches onto her with his jaws. His tongue and lips completely grow into the bride's body. She takes him into complete dependence and supplies him through ingrown vessels nutrients. The male's intestines, jaws and eyes atrophy. The gills and heart work in his body - they supply the body with oxygen.

Female and male anglerfish have long been considered representatives different types

During spawning, the female lays eggs, and the male inseminates her with milk. This happens in winter and spring. The caviar comes out in the form of a strip. Its length can reach 9 meters. Young fish switch to a bottom lifestyle when their body length is 6 cm. Before this, they live in top layer water and feed on small crustaceans and fry. It is noteworthy that females can carry up to four males at a time.