The Weirdos | Angler Fish | Monster of the midnight zone
This is the Anglerfish. They have a small dorsal fin and many thin hair-like structures, far longer spread out from its body to all directions, which act as Mechanoreceptors. They sense the movement in the water by these projections. They have sharp and extremely long teeth in the ratio to its body size. They are Carnivorous and are called "Monsters of the Midnight Zone" for a reason. It lives in the midnight zone.
The word ocean in our minds depict vast stretches of blue scapes and water touching the horizon in every direction.
But oceans are more than that. From about shallow waters to trenches, Mangrove forests to Kelp forests, from the surface level to the depths one can't imagine.
Midnight Zone (About I mile deep)
This is where light stops passing through the water, it gets so dark that many fish around this depth have evolved eyeless or their own light source. At this depth it's hard to hunt and chase prey as there is no abundant source of light. So, these fish instead lure the prey with their esca producing light from with the help of bacterium. They swing their Esca (the appendage on their head with glowing light) and lure the prey. For many fish this is attractive as they do not experience of sighting such bright light in their lives.
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| The long thin structures from it's body in all directions are the mechano-receptors. Also observe the Esca on it's head glowing. It has a endo - symbiotic relationship with the bacteria trading food and shelter for light from them.( Although also females have them and males just fuses with the females during mating forever. they are quite small than females often look like a different species ) |
Anglerfishes are also solitary and only meet in the mating season. Even with the lure there is no sufficient prey therefore the anglerfish makes use of every possible opportunity. They eat fishes larger than their size and swallow too. Their stomach expands and their lower placed in front of the upper one distending lower creating a wider mouth span for swallowing bigger fishes.
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