English name: Deep Sea Angler (深海钓鱼者) or Common Black Devil (普通黑魔鬼)
Latin name: Melanocetus johnsoni Size: about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters)
Habitat: worldwide
Habitat. >Habitat depth: 3,000 feet (914 meters)
This fish belongs to the order Monkfish, and its official Chinese name is Deep Sea Monkfish, but many people commonly refer to it as the lanternfish. This deep-sea fish looks a bit strange, its round body looks like a basketball, and from its big mouth, it also seems to be able to easily swallow a basketball into it. Its mouth is filled with long, sharp fangs, which have given the fish its Western name of "black devil," but despite its vicious looks, the deep-sea monkfish only grows to about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters).
The fish has the following characteristics:
1. it has no ribs, so its stomach can be so large that it can eat fish larger than itself;
2. its teeth are strong and inwardly barbed, so that any prey that enters its mouth cannot escape;
3. it does not have gill slits, but gill holes instead, which are located just below the bases of its pectoral fins;
4. the pectoral fins are located just below the base of the pectoral fins;
5. it has no gill slits;
6. it has no gills;
7. it has no gills. p>
4. the pectoral fins often have fleshy stalks that allow them to crawl on the sea floor;
5. deep-sea anglerfish are generally black, while shallow-sea ones are more brightly colored, often conforming to their environment as a protective color.
Both the Chinese name "lanternfish" and the English name "deep-sea angler" come from its long, specialized spine and a light-emitting organ at its tip, which, like many deep-sea fishes, is used to attract small fish. Small fish are attracted to this "lure" by swinging it back and forth like a fishing rod, flashing it constantly, and once the prey is attracted close enough to the "lure", the "angler" swallows the fish with its Once the prey is attracted close enough to the bait, the "angler" swallows it with its large powerful jaws.
One of the peculiar things about this deep-sea fish is that the males are much smaller than the females and look different. The males of this species are just a finger long and have small hooked teeth that are utilized to allow them to attach themselves to the females. Once attached, the male's circulatory system is linked to the female's, and he spends the rest of his life as a parasitic organism, taking all his nourishment from her. If the male is unable to find a female to cling to, he will eventually starve to death. For this reason, these males don't care if the other females have husbands or not, and it's important to find a wife first.