Wild Harris

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Is this the ugliest fish in the sea?

A massive head with an enormous mouth, protruding eyes, a small thin body, and a fringe of skin flaps around its edge won't win any beauty contests, in fact its so ugly fishmongers often remove the head before putting it on sale in case it frightens the customers! Despite its fearsome appearance it is extremely tasty, its creamy white flesh has been compared to the finest scampi. Angler fish, also known as monkfish, are the most amazing ambush predators. Lying perfectly still its camouflage renders it almost invisible, and the skin flaps break up its outline and ensures it casts no shadow. Not quite motionless - one of its dorsal spines has a little lure on the end of it, and like a human angler it flicks this bait in an enticing way to attract unsuspecting fish. Once a fish comes over to investigate, the angler fish suddenly opens its cavernous jaw, so fast that the poor fish is sucked inside. Row upon row of sharp needle like teeth trap the helpless prey, and since they all point backwards towards the throat there is no going back. Sometimes the angler will bite off more than it can chew - one was once found with a duck stuck in its throat. In a nightmarish scene it had grabbed the duck from below, but was unable to spit it out when it realised it was too big to swallow, sealing the fate of both fish and duck. If provoked the angler fish will inflate itself with water and swim around with its mouth wide open, a bit like the tropical puffer fish, to make it harder to swallow. Its cousins, the deep sea angler fish, live in perpetual darkness and use light-emitting lures to attract their prey.

Angler Fish    (Photo: Paul Tyler)

A master of camouflage, the angler fish lies motionless except for the flicking of its 'fishing rod' - a modified dorsal fin that lies between its eyes. The frilly edges of the fish break up its outline and hides any shadow that might give it away. 

Angler Fish    (Photo: Paul Tyler)

This angler fish is camouflaged against a pale coloured seabed. If you look carefully you can see its lure - the hinge is just above the top jaw, the rod lies between the eyes and the 'bait' is a flap of skin just behind the bulging eye. You can also see its needle-like teeth! 

by Paul Tyler

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Link to Soft Seabed Animals