This morning’s sketch from the Random Object Randomogrifier brought up the anglerfish, one of the strangest residents of the deep sea.
Sketch & Coffee, Live! is streamed daily at 5:30am, Texas Time, at the YouTubes
At just about a foot long, roughly the size of a house cat, it does not need to be a giant to earn its sea-monster reputation. What makes the anglerfish stand out is the illicium and esca, the little fishing rod and glowing bait that grow out of the female’s head. Bioluminescent bacteria gather inside the esca, creating a lure in a world without sunlight. Any fish, shrimp, or squid that wanders too close gets a mouthful of sharp teeth snapping shut.
The females are the ones with this glowing lure, and they live with a bizarre form of sexual dimorphism. Tiny males find a female in the dark and never let go, fusing into her body and dwindling until only their reproductive organs remain. A single female can carry several of these males at once. Anglerfish have been around for over 100 million years, though their soft bodies leave little fossil trace, so most of what we know comes from genetic studies and deep-sea expeditions.
Scientists began dredging them up in the 1800s, fueling sea monster legends when their distorted bodies reached the surface. Today, submersibles like Woods Hole’s Alvin can observe them alive in their natural depths. National Geographic even sent actor Will Smith down for a dive, where lights were turned off to reveal the glowing bioluminescent world these fish inhabit. Anglerfish still remain a mystery, with over 200 known species scattered from shallow monkfish and goosefish to the strange predators of the abyss. They have inspired movie monsters from Finding Nemo to Star Wars and Aquaman, and their glowing lures continue to capture our imagination as much as they capture prey.
Click here to watch this episode of Sketch & Coffee, Live!
Also, if you or a teacher friend are in need of a 20-30 minute lesson plan about anglerfish, feel free to download and share this one:
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