Anglerfish

Anglerfish, like its name suggests, has an angler on its head. Here, let me show you:

Ugly huh? Well, this post oni focuses on the group Ceratiidae, or Sea Devils.

Well, while most of them have luminous tips of the angler for luring prey, some has elaborated anglers, like this Linophryne type:

Here's the true colour picture:

Then there is another, which is the opposite - it's angler is hung below its mouth:

The true colour picture of this is up up above this post, the last row, the centre one.


Now, I could have written a very long article on this. But, no, I won't. I don't want this to be long. So, I am going to get to the point, no more ketam-ing (crapping). OK, here it is.

When scientists have been collecting Ceratiidae, they are puzzled to find out that only female specimens are found. And there are always parasites found attaching, sometimes more than one, on the underbelly of the fish.

After several examination, the scientists realised that the parasites are actually male fish!

At birth, the male fish is equipped with extremely sensitive olfactory organs to sense female and their sole destiny is just to find the female fish (Awww!) The digetive and alimentary canals of the male is already stunted.

When the male found the female, it will secrete an enzyme to digest the skin of his mouth and her skin after biting on her. (Ouch!) And fuses the pair down to blood vessel till two become one (Awww!)

Then the male atrophies its organs, first is its digestive tract, the brain, hearts and eyes till all that's left is just the male gonads, or reproductive organs, some develop huge testes (@@) which release sperm in response to hormones in the female's bloodstream indicating egg release.

So whenever the female needs to reproduce, her partner is ready for sex. Ever ready. Ever...

Strange?