Features of the angler fish, or is the monkfish so terrible? Monkfish Habitat of monkfish.

Angler - predatory fish detachment of anglerfishes. This species received the name "monkfish" because of its very unattractive appearance. The fish is edible. The meat is white, dense, without bones. Especially popular "monkfish" in France.

Whatever they call them - and sea devils, and sea scorpions, and anglerfish, and the European anglerfish. However, there are also several varieties of this miracle fish. And for originality appearance, each of the species is not inferior to each other. People have never seen devils, but the sea monsters that have risen from the depths resemble creatures from the underworld.

It is worth saying that in the aquatic fauna there is one more angler- a mollusk, but now we will talk about a representative of ray-finned fish.

In fact, it's just a sea fish - a predatory fish with an amazing, unlike anything appearance. These fish belong to the ray-finned fish, to the anglerfish order, to the anglerfish family, to the anglerfish genus. Right now in water depths land there are two varieties of monkfish.

Appearance

At the first glance at this creature, a remarkable organ, the “fishing rod”, immediately catches the eye. The modified fin really resembles a fishing rod with a luminous float. An ugly freak, sometimes reaching up to two meters in length and 30-40 kilograms, he can regulate the glow of his float. But there is nothing supernatural in this. In fact, the float is a kind of skin formation, in the folds of which amazing bacteria live. In the presence of oxygen, which they draw from the anglerfish's blood, they glow. But if the monkfish just had lunch and went to take a nap, he does not need a luminous flashlight, and he blocks the access of blood to the fishing fin, and the float fades before the start of a new hunt.

The whole appearance of the monkfish betrays a resident in him sea depths. An elongated body, with an unnaturally large head, everything is covered with some kind of growths, remotely resembling either algae, or tree bark, or some kind of knots and snags.

The body length of the monkfish is about 2 meters, while the animal weighs almost 20 kilograms. The body has a slightly flattened shape. In general, the anglerfish is not a very pleasant-looking fish. It is all covered with some kind of leathery outgrowths that look similar to snags and algae. The head is disproportionately large, huge and unpleasant in monkfish and mouth.

Habitat

The habitat of this fish is the Atlantic Ocean. The angler is found off the coast of Europe, off the coast of Iceland. In addition, monkfish have been found in the waters of the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, North Sea and Barents Sea.

The depth at which these fish usually live is from 50 to 200 meters. Most often they are found at the very bottom, because there is nothing more pleasant for a monkfish than just lying quietly on the sand or silt. But it is only at first glance that the angler is idle. In fact, this is one of the ways to hunt. The animal freezes, waiting for its prey. And when she swims by, she grabs her and eats her.

Food

The main food for these fish is other, usually smaller, fish. The monkfish menu consists of katrans, atherins, Kalkans, stingrays and others.

In general, the monkfish is incredibly voracious and therefore boldly rushes even at a seemingly obviously unattainable goal. And in “hungry” moments, a large anglerfish suffering from an almost complete lack of vision rises to the upper water column from the depths and at such moments it is able to attack scuba divers. You can meet such an inhabitant of the deep sea just at the end of summer, after an exhausting hungry spawning, the "devils" go to shallow water, where they intensively eat off until autumn, after which they go to wintering at great depths.

However, compared to sharks, barracudas and octopuses, real monkfish or anglers do not pose an immediate danger to humans. Be that as it may, their terrible teeth are capable of disfiguring the hand of a careless fisherman for life. However, the monkfish does much more damage not to a person, but to others. commercial species fish. So, there are legends among fishermen that, having got into a fishing net, during his stay there, he ate the fish that got there.

reproduction

The male and female anglerfish are so different in appearance and size that until some time experts attributed them to different classes. Monkfish breeding is as special as their appearance and way of hunting.

The male anglerfish is several times smaller than the female. To fertilize the eggs, he needs to find his chosen one and not lose sight of her. To do this, the males simply bite into the body of the female. The structure of the teeth does not allow them to free themselves, and they do not want to.

Over time, the female and male grow together, forming a single organism with a common body. Part of the organs and systems of the "husband" atrophies. He no longer needs eyes, fins, stomach. Nutrients come through the blood vessels from the body of the "wife". It remains only for the male to fertilize the eggs at the right time.

They are swept out by the female usually in the spring. The fecundity of the sea anglerfish is quite high. On average, the female spawns up to 1 million eggs. This occurs at a depth, looks like a long (up to 10 m) and wide (up to 0.5 m) ribbon. The female can carry several "husbands" on her body so that they right time fertilized a large number of eggs.

It should be noted that the female monkfish can simultaneously lay a clutch, which has about three million eggs. After some time, the eggs are released and travel on their own to sea waters. Turning into larvae, they live closer to the surface of the water for up to four months, and only reaching a length of 6-8 cm, they sink to the bottom.

Monkfish are not able to compare the feeling of hunger with the size of the prey. There is evidence of anglers catching fish larger than themselves but unable to release them due to the structure of their teeth. It happens that a monkfish catches a waterfowl and chokes on feathers, which leads to his death.

Monkfish in cooking

Monkfish is suitable both for frying in pieces, and for frying in layers on a grill on a grill, or diced and put on skewers on a grill. Monkfish are boiled and stewed. The fish is especially popular in France, where the meat of its tail is prepared in many ways, for example with blackcurrant jam or sweet yam, and the head of the devil is used for a rich, fatty, spicy soup.

Monkfish meat is highly valued in Japan. Not only meat is eaten, but also liver, fins, skin and stomach.

Chinese monkfish prefer to cook in a wok. The fillet is fried in oil with rice vinegar and soy sauce, sprinkled with ginger and chili. Then the wok is removed from the fire, the fish is covered with coriander and green onions, mixed, served with rice. Everyone who has tried this dish finds it slightly smoky. All this is a game of spices and features of the wok. The fish is tender and very juicy thanks to the quick frying.

In America, monkfish are cooked mainly on the grill. The fish is cut into pieces along with the skin and vertebral bone. Marinated with salt olive oil and rosemary. The oil coats the fish pieces and prevents them from drying out. Served with grilled vegetables seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil.

In the same America, they cook carrot puree with monkfish fillet meatballs. Carrots are boiled until soft, then stewed in heavy cream, chopped with the addition of coriander and salt. Monkfish fillets are crushed, mixed with salt and spices, and molded into meatballs the size of Walnut, steam them. Puree is served in deep bowls, with a dozen meatballs in each and sprinkled with fresh herbs.

In Korea they make monkfish the National dish Khe and cook a sweet-spicy soup, to which they add a lot of vegetables and fried monkfish (fillet) in batter. Monkfish meat, seasoned with hot spices, is put into rice dough (pancakes) and fried in a large amount of oil. Served fish with soy sauce.

In gourmet restaurants in a number of countries, you can find dishes where monkfish fish is presented in the following form. The fish is fried and served with sweet and sour sauce, poached fish with lemon and lemon zest, as well as poached and served with parsley or spinach sauce with cheese. The fish is fried with chili, smoked paprika and ginger, simmered in white wine, creamy sauce, milk, baked with tomatoes, fried, strung on rosemary sprigs.

Monkfish are baked in the form of a roll. The fillet is laid out in a layer on a film, the filling is placed on top, for example, broccoli, rolled up. The ends of the film are tied, the roll in this form is lowered into water and the fish is boiled for 10 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 86`C. With this method, the fillet remains soft and juicy, but keeps its shape perfectly. The fish is served with a creamy sauce and potato medallions fried in oil.

In the free sale, the monkfish is not often, because. already mentioned above, the fish is under state protection and its catch is limited. Monkfish in non-frozen form can be found in large hypermarkets at a very high price in a certain season or in the market from private sellers (this is in Europe and America). The rest of the time, if they sell fish, it is frozen, but its price is just as high - 20 euros per 1 kg.

It has an extremely unattractive appearance. According to one version, that is why it was named that way. It lives on the bottom, hiding in the sand or between stones. Feeds on fish and various crustaceans, which it catches using the dorsal fin as a fishing rod with a bait dangling in front of the mouth itself.

Description

Monkfish belongs to the anglerfish order, the ray-finned family. It is also known as the European anglerfish. It grows up to 1.5 - 2 m in size, can weigh up to 20 kg or more. In catches, it is usually found up to 1 m long and weighing up to 10 kg. The body is flattened, disproportionate, the head occupies up to two thirds of its length. The color of the upper part is spotty, brown with a greenish or reddish tinge. The belly is white.

The mouth is wide, with sharp, inwardly curved large teeth. The skin is bare, without scales. The eyes are small, sight and smell are poorly developed. The angler fish has leathery folds around its mouth that constantly move like algae, which allows it to hide and camouflage in the benthic vegetation.

The anterior dorsal fin in females plays a special role. It consists of six rays, three of which are isolated and grow separately. The first of them is directed forward and forms a kind of fishing rod hanging down to the very mouth. It has a base, a thin part - a "line", and a leathery luminous lure.

Habitat and varieties

The monkfish is found in fishermen's catches in many seas. The European anglerfish is common in the Atlantic. Here it lives at depths ranging from 20 to 500 m or more. It can be found in the seas along the coast of Europe, in the waters of the Barents and North Seas.

The Far Eastern species of monkfish lives off the coast of Japan and Korea. Occurs in the Sea of Okhotsk, Yellow, South China Seas. Usually inhabits depths from 40-50 to 200 m. southern regions more common in the coastal zone. It can be found at depths up to 600 m with a wide range of water temperatures (0 - 20 °C).

Juveniles hatched from eggs differ in appearance from adults. At the beginning of their lives, they feed on plankton, live for several months in the upper layers of the water, and upon reaching a length of 7 cm, they change their appearance, sink to the bottom, and become predators. Intensive growth continues during the first year of life.

Not so long ago, related species of monkfish were discovered in the depths of the ocean. They were called deep sea anglers. They can withstand enormous water pressure. They live at depths up to 2000 m.

Food

Monkfish spends a lot of time in ambush. It lies motionless at the bottom, buried in the sand or disguised among rocks and aquatic vegetation. "Hunting" can take him 10 hours or more. At this time, he actively plays with bait to attract a curious victim. The leathery bulb surprisingly accurately copies the movements of a fry or shrimp.

When an interested fish is nearby, the monkfish opens its mouth and sucks in water along with the victim. It takes a matter of milliseconds, so there is practically no chance to escape from sharp teeth. AT special occasions An anglerfish can jump forward by pushing off with its fins, or use the reactivity of a jet of water released through its narrow gill slits.

Most often, stingrays, eels, gobies, flounders and other demersal fish predominate in the diet of monkfish. He also does not disdain shrimp and crabs. During intense zhora after spawning, it can rise to the upper layers of the water and, despite poor eyesight and smell, attack mackerel and herring. Monkfish have been reported hunting for waterfowl. It can be dangerous at such moments for a person.

Monkfish: breeding

The male and female anglerfish are so different in appearance and size that until some time experts attributed them to different classes. Monkfish breeding is as special a moment as its appearance and way of hunting.

They are swept out by the female usually in the spring. The fecundity of the sea anglerfish is quite high. On average, the female spawns up to 1 million eggs. This occurs at a depth, looks like a long (up to 10 m) and wide (up to 0.5 m) ribbon. The female can carry several “husbands” on her body so that they fertilize a large number of eggs at the right time.

Monkfish (see photo above) are not able to compare the feeling of hunger with the size of the prey. There is evidence of anglers catching fish larger than themselves but unable to release them due to the structure of their teeth. It happens that a monkfish catches a waterfowl and chokes on feathers, which leads to his death.

"Rod" is only in females. Each species of these fish has a peculiar bait peculiar only to them. It differs not only in form. Bacteria living in the mucus of the leathery bulb emit light of a certain range. For this they need oxygen.

The angler can adjust the glow. After eating, he temporarily compresses the blood vessels leading to the bait, and this reduces the flow of oxygen-enriched blood there. The bacteria stop glowing - the flashlight goes out. It is temporarily not needed, besides, the light can attract a larger predator.

Monkfish, although nasty in appearance, the meat is tasty, and in some regions it is considered a delicacy. The courage and voracity of this predator give reason for fear to divers and scuba divers. From a hungry anglerfish, especially a large one, it is better to stay away.

Whatever they are called - and sea devils, and sea scorpions, and anglerfish, and European anglerfish. However, there are also several varieties of this miracle fish. And in terms of originality of appearance, each of the species is not inferior to each other. People have never seen devils, but the sea monsters that have risen from the depths resemble creatures from the underworld.

In fact, this is just a sea fish - a predatory fish with an amazing, unlike anything appearance.

These fish belong to the ray-finned fish, to the anglerfish order, to the anglerfish family, to the anglerfish genus. Now in the water depths of the earth there are two varieties of monkfish:

European anglerfish (lat. Lophius piscatorius);
American anglerfish (lat. Lophius americanus).

The appearance of the sea anglerfish

At the first glance at this creature, a remarkable organ is immediately evident - the "fishing rod". The modified fin really resembles a fishing rod with a luminous float. An ugly freak, sometimes reaching up to two meters in length and 30-40 kilograms, he can regulate the glow of his float. But there is nothing supernatural in this. In fact, the float is a kind of skin formation, in the folds of which amazing bacteria live. In the presence of oxygen, which they draw from the anglerfish's blood, they glow. But if the monkfish just had lunch and went to take a nap, he does not need a luminous flashlight, and he blocks the access of blood to the fishing fin, and the float fades before the start of a new hunt.

The whole appearance of the monkfish betrays in him an inhabitant of the deep sea. An elongated body, with an unnaturally large head, everything is covered with some kind of growths, remotely resembling either algae, or tree bark, or some kind of knots and snags.

The sight of a monkfish that went hunting, with an open mouth full of sharp teeth, of course, makes an indelible impression. The skin on top is bare brown, covered with dark spots, sometimes with a reddish tinge, and a light, almost white belly, serve as a good camouflage against the dark seabed.

monkfish habitat

Fish of this species are found in the seas and oceans around the world. Although its main refuge is still the Atlantic Ocean. Monkfish are also found off the coast of Europe and Iceland. In addition, it is caught in the Black and Baltic, and even in the cold North and Barents Seas. This rather unpretentious bottom fish can easily exist in water at temperatures from 0 to 20 degrees.

Anglerfish can live at different depths from 50 to 200 meters. True, there are also such specimens that prefer a depth of up to 2000 meters.

Hunters from the depths of the sea

The best pastime for the angler will be a calm and well-fed lying on the seabed in the sand or silt. But don't let his immovable body fool you. This is a very gluttonous, but patient creature. The sea scorpion can lie still for hours, tracking and waiting for the appearance of its prey. As soon as some curious fish swims by, the angler immediately grabs it and immediately stuffs it into his mouth.

It should be noted that the appetite of this fish is excellent. Very often he feeds on prey, which is almost not inferior to him in size. Because of this gluttony, unpleasant and even deaths when anglers choke on prey that does not fit in their stomach, although its size is truly enormous. Sometimes they rise to the surface of the water and prey on birds whose feathers, stuck in their mouths, can lead to suffocation. After all, having grabbed the victim, the angler can no longer release it due to the specific structure of its teeth.

Monkfish also have another type of hunting. He literally jumps along the bottom with the help of the lower fins and, overtaking the victim, eats it.

Monkfish - a predator, the subject of his hunt are:

small fish;
small sharks - katrans;
small stingrays or their cubs;
variety of waterfowl.

Family life and reproduction of anglerfish

Monkfish females are many times larger than males. The role of males is reduced to nothing more than fertilization of eggs. Moreover, they have become lazy to the point that when they find a female, they cling to her with sharp teeth and remain with her for life. Over the years, some of their organs atrophy, and they become just appendages of the female, which do not need to hunt because they feed on the blood of the female. Sometimes several males stick to the female to fertilize more eggs.

When it comes mating season, females descend to the depth and release a ribbon of caviar up to 10 meters long. The tape is divided into small hexagonal cells with eggs. It should be noted that the female monkfish can simultaneously lay a clutch, which has about three million eggs. After some time, the eggs are released and they themselves travel in sea waters. Turning into larvae, they live closer to the surface of the water for up to four months, and only reaching a length of 6-8 cm, they sink to the bottom.

Monkfish as a gastronomic dish

Despite the outward ugliness, monkfish meat is very tasty. In Spain and France, dishes from it are considered a delicacy. Most cooks use only the tail of the fish, but the head of the monkfish is often boiled in restaurants. delicious soup from seafood. Anglerfish meat is cooked in different ways:

grilled;
boiled for soups and salads;
stew with vegetables.

It is white, almost boneless, dense and tender at the same time, reminiscent of lobster meat.

Fried medallions and delicate pate, fragrant fillet with cheese sauce and sweet soup - these and many other monkfish delicacies are offered to visitors of expensive European and Asian restaurants. Light, with pinkish streaks, low-calorie meat has decent taste.

Behind the strange name "monkfish" lies most interesting representative class of ray-finned fish (anglerfish detachment). The inhabitant of the oceanic and sea depths received the name for a rather terrible appearance, deceit and incredible gluttony.

Description

The anglerfish order consists of 11 known to science families, including about 120 species of fish. Monk fish is one of the large predators. In catches, individuals up to 1 meter long and weighing up to 10 kg are usually found, but two-meter giants weighing up to 40 kg also come across.

The entire detachment of anglerfish has a disproportionate body: the narrow rear part is flattened laterally, and the wider front part (including the head) is flattened in the dorsal-abdominal direction.

A wide mouth with a slightly protruding lower jaw can open almost along the entire circumference of a huge head, which is up to 2/3 of the length of the fish

The structure of the upper and lower jaws (in particular, flexible bones and a movable upper jaw) allow monkfish to swallow prey that is much larger than it is.

Complementing the unsightly picture are sharp teeth of various lengths bent inward.
The unique dorsal fin deserves special attention. It is divided into two independent parts. The back is of no scientific interest: it is soft, located near the tail, its rays are connected by a membrane.

The anterior part of the fin consists of six spiny rays. One of them is on top of the head, just above the jaw.

The beam (scientifically illitium or trapping outgrowth) is directed forward and looks like a kind of rod

Thanks to the trapping outgrowth, the monkfish has another name - the anglerfish. In some species, illicia can be drawn into a special hole on the back. The fish lures food with its own flashlight. It is called "eska", is located at the end of the illitium and is a leathery outgrowth.

In fact, the esca is a gland filled with mucus, which is inhabited by living microorganisms. Bacteria have bioluminescence that requires the presence of oxygen. In the process of hunting, the angler fish expands the walls of the arteries, providing oxygen to the gland.

Bacteria glow, creating a series of successive flashes that attract potential prey

Having sated, the angler narrows the walls of the vessels, and the glow stops.

For this feature monkfish are sometimes called lanternfish.

Another nickname for the angler is associated with the fins - the frog fish.

Powerful muscular pectoral fins, reinforced with skeletal bones, allow the monkfish to move along the bottom like an amphibian: with special jumps or crawling, alternately rearranging the fins

Interesting fact! Nature endowed only the female monkfish with a fishing rod with a flashlight.

Sexual dimorphism and reproduction features

Anatomical differences are manifested not only in the absence of illition with esca in males, that is, the main adaptations for obtaining food. Dimorphism is primarily expressed by a significant difference in the growth of males and females. If the average length of females, depending on the species, varies from 0.5 to 1.5 meters, then the male anglerfish have a height of 16 mm to 4 cm.

Scientists have long puzzled over why only female specimens of the mysterious fish fall into the nets of fishermen. Males were even credited with some semblance of intelligence, allowing them to avoid captivity.

Gradually, the male fuses with the female with the tongue and lips, and a little later with the blood vessels. He loses vital organs (teeth, intestines, eyes) and becomes an appendage of the female, feeding on her blood.

In the photograph, the arrow indicates the male attached to the female. The picture gives an idea of the dimorphism of individuals of different sexes.

Being almost completely dissolved in the female, the male fertilizes the eggs at the right time.

The only function that the male retains is the ability to produce sperm. For this reason, the female often carries up to 4 males.

The females are very fertile. In the spring-summer period, they spawn up to 3 million eggs. Spawning takes place at a depth of at least 900 m. The eggs are connected in a ribbon-like masonry up to 12 meters long. The mucus-covered ribbon is free-floating until the cell walls begin to disintegrate. The hatched larvae live in the surface layer of the reservoir for 2–3 weeks, feeding on pelagic caviar, copepods, and fry of other fish. Only having reached a length of 8 cm, the anglerfish juveniles descend to a depth.

The range of the most common species

Observation of the monkfish is difficult due to the great depths of its habitat. Of the 120 species included in the anglerfish order, five are the most studied:

european monkfish: distributed in the Black, Baltic, Barents, North Seas, in the European part Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel. It lives at a depth of 18 to 550 meters, where it grows up to 2 meters;
black-bellied monkfish(other names: budegass anglerfish, southern European anglerfish): differs from its European counterpart in more modest sizes: 0.5–1 meter. Distribution zone of the species - East End Atlantic Ocean from Great Britain to Senegal (habitat depth 300–650 m). Fish can be found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas at a kilometer depth;
american monkfish: lives in the waters of the northwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of up to 670 meters. The maximum length of the American anglerfish is 1.2 meters, weight is about 23 kg;
far eastern monkfish(yellow or Japanese anglerfish): a one and a half meter monster has chosen the water area of \u200b\u200bJapanese, Yellow, Seas of Okhotsk. Rarely found in the Pacific Ocean around Japan. Feels comfortable at a depth of 50 meters to 2 kilometers;
Burmese monkfish(Cape angler): lives in the western part of the Indian and southeastern Atlantic Oceans at a depth of up to 400 meters. The size of the largest individual does not exceed 1 meter.

All types have commercial value. If earlier monkfish were caught as bycatch, now valuable fish purposefully mined with the help of networks. Amateurs catch the angler with bottom gear on live bait.

How and who the monkfish hunts

Small, close-set eyes are located on the head of the anglerfish, but deep-sea fish cannot boast of visual acuity. However, she does not need to chase prey. Monkfish prefer to ambush near the bottom.
Natural camouflage contributes to successful hunting.

Constantly moving long leathery folds around the angler's mouth mislead gullible fish. They take them for algae

The fish has no scales. Her body is covered with plaques, spikes, bumps and similar growths. Bare skin dyed according to general background the bottom of the habitat. Usually it is brown, black, dark gray, in some species light spots are randomly scattered over the body.

Interesting fact! In anticipation of the prey, the angler is able to remain motionless for a long time and even hold his breath. Pauses between breaths can reach 2 minutes.

As soon as the inhabitants of the reservoir, attracted by the glow, come close to the eske, the angler sharply opens its huge mouth and, together with the flow of water, draws in the prey. The victim does not have time to resist: the whole process lasts no more than 6 milliseconds.

The diet of monkfish is made up of various crustaceans, as well as: flounder, eel, stingray, and sometimes medium-sized sharks. During the period of zhora, the angler may leave the usual depth. Then cod, mackerel, herring become its prey.

There have been cases of fish attacking waterfowl. True, such gluttony costs the life of the angler himself: he dies from feathers stuck in his mouth

The frightening appearance of the monkfish has given rise to many superstitions and legends. It is widely believed that anglerfish attack swimmers. The statement is only partly true. During the period of zhora, the fish rises to the surface of the reservoir and can really bite a person. The rest of the time, the monkfish prefers to stay at depths that are not accessible to divers.

In the UK, since 2007, there has been a ban on the sale of monkfish meat in supermarkets. So environmentalists are trying to save a unique fish.

Anglerfish, or sea devils (Lophius) - very prominent representatives genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the anglerfish family and the anglerfish order. Typical benthic inhabitants are found, as a rule, on a muddy or sandy bottom, sometimes semiburrowing into it. Some individuals settle among algae or between large rock fragments.

Description of the monkfish

On both sides of the angler's head, as well as along the edge of the jaws and lips, fringed skin hangs down, moving in the water and resembling algae in appearance. Due to this feature of the structure, anglers become hardly noticeable against the background of the ground.

Appearance

The European angler has a body length within a couple of meters, but more often - no more than one and a half meters.. Maximum weight an adult is 55.5-57.7 kg. water dweller has a naked body, covered with numerous leathery growths and clearly visible bony tubercles. The torso is of a flattened type, compressed in the direction of the back and belly. The eyes of the monkfish are small, widely spaced. The dorsal area is brownish, greenish-brown or reddish in color with dark spots.

The American angler has a body length of no more than 90-120 cm, with an average weight in the range of 22.5-22.6 kg. The black-bellied anglerfish is a marine deep sea fish, reaching a length of 50-100 cm. The body length of the West Atlantic anglerfish does not exceed 60 cm. The Burmese anglerfish, or the Cape anglerfish is characterized by a flattened head huge size and a fairly short tail, which takes up less than a third of the total body length. The size of an adult individual does not exceed a meter.

It is interesting! The devil is a fish unique in appearance and lifestyle, capable of moving along the bottom with peculiar jumps, which are carried out due to the presence of a strong pectoral fin.

The total body length of the Far Eastern anglerfish is one and a half meters. The aquatic inhabitant has a large and wide flat head. The mouth is very large, with a protruding lower jaw, on which one or two rows of teeth are located. The skin of the monkfish is devoid of scales. The ventral fins are located in the throat area. Wide pectoral fins are distinguished by the presence of a fleshy lobe. The first three rays of the dorsal fin are isolated from each other. The upper part of the body is brown in color, with light spots surrounded by a dark border. The lower part of the body is characterized by a light color.

Character and lifestyle

According to many scientists, the very first sea anglers or sea devils appeared on our planet more than a hundred million years ago. However, despite such a venerable age, characteristics behavior and lifestyle of anglerfish on this moment not well studied.

It is interesting! One of the anglerfish's ways of hunting is to make jumps with the help of fins and then swallow the caught prey.

Such a large predatory fish practically does not attack a person, which is due to the considerable depth at which the anglerfish settles. When rising from a depth after spawning, too hungry fish can harm scuba divers. During this period, the monkfish may well bite a person by the hand.

How long do anglers live

The longest recorded lifespan of the American anglerfish is thirty years.. The black-bellied angler lives in natural conditions for about twenty years. The life expectancy of the Cape monkfish rarely exceeds ten years.

Types of sea devils

The genus Anglerfish includes several species represented by:

American anglerfish, or American monkfish (Lophius americanus);
Black-bellied anglerfish, or South European anglerfish, or Budegassa anglerfish (Lophius budegassa);
West Atlantic anglerfish (Lophius gastrophysus);
Far Eastern monkfish or Far Eastern anglerfish (Lophius litulon);
European anglerfish, or European anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius).

Also known species are the South African anglerfish (Lophius vaillanti), the Burmese or Cape anglerfish (Lophius vomerinus) and the extinct Lorhius brachysomus Agassiz.

Range, habitats

The black-bellied angler has spread throughout the eastern Atlantic, from Senegal to the British Isles, as well as in the waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Representatives of the species West Atlantic anglerfish are found in the west of the Atlantic Ocean, where such an anglerfish is a bottom fish that lives at a depth of 40-700 m.

The American monkfish is an oceanic demersal (bottom) fish that lives in the waters of the northwest Atlantic, at a depth of no more than 650-670 m. The species has spread along the North American Atlantic coast. In the north of its range, the American angler lives at shallow depths, and in the southern part, representatives of this genus are sometimes found in coastal waters.

The European anglerfish is distributed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of Europe, from the Barents Sea and Iceland to the Gulf of Guinea, as well as the Black, Northern and Baltic Seas. The Far Eastern anglerfish belongs to the inhabitants Sea of Japan, settles off the coastline of Korea, in the waters of Peter the Great Bay, and also near the island of Honshu. Part of the population is found in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Yellow Sea, along the Pacific coast of Japan, in the waters of the East China and South China Seas.

angler diet

Ambush predators spend most of their time waiting for their prey absolutely motionless, hiding on the bottom and almost completely merging with it. The diet consists mainly of a wide variety of fish and cephalopods, including squid and cuttlefish. Occasionally, the angler eats all kinds of carrion.

By the nature of their food, all sea devils are typical predators.. The basis of their diet is represented by fish that live in the bottom water column. In the stomach contents of anglerfish there are gerbils, small rays and cod, eels and small sharks, as well as flounder. Closer to the surface, adult aquatic predators are able to hunt mackerel and herring. There are well-known cases when anglers attacked not too large birds that sway peacefully on the waves.

It is interesting! When the mouth is opened, a so-called vacuum is formed, in which the flow of water with the victim quickly rushes into oral cavity sea predator.

Thanks to the pronounced natural camouflage, the monkfish lying motionless on the bottom is almost invisible. For the purpose of disguise, an aquatic predator burrows into the ground or lurks in dense thickets of algae. A potential victim is attracted by a special luminous bait located at sea devils on the end of a kind of rod, represented by an elongated ray of the dorsal front fin. At the moment of close proximity of crustaceans, invertebrates or fish touching the esca, the lurking monkfish very sharply opens its mouth.

Reproduction and offspring

Fully sexually mature individuals various kinds become at different ages. For example, male European anglerfish reach puberty at the age of six years (with a total body length of 50 cm). The maturation of females occurs only at the age of fourteen, when individuals reach almost a meter in length. European anglerfish spawn in different time. For all northern populations living near the British Isles, spawning is typical between March and May. All southern populations that inhabit the waters near the Iberian Peninsula spawn from January to June.

During the period of active spawning, males and females of representatives of the genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the anglerfish family and the anglerfish order descend to a depth of forty meters to two kilometers. Having descended into the deepest water, the female anglerfish begins to spawn, and the males cover it with their milk. Immediately after spawning, hungry mature females and adult males swim out to areas of shallow water, where they feed intensively until the onset of the autumn period. Preparation of monkfish for wintering is carried out at a fairly large depth.

Eggs laid aside sea fish, a kind of ribbon is formed, abundantly covered with mucous secretions. Depending on the species characteristics of the representatives of the genus, the total width of such a tape varies between 50-90 cm, with a length of eight to twelve meters and a thickness of 4-6 mm. Such tapes are able to drift freely through the watery sea. A peculiar clutch, as a rule, consists of a couple of million eggs, which are separated from each other and have a single layer arrangement inside special slimy hexagonal cells.

Over time, the walls of the cells are gradually destroyed, and thanks to the fatty drops inside the eggs, they are prevented from settling to the bottom and floating freely in the water. The difference between the born larvae and adults is the absence of a flattened body and large pectoral fins.

A characteristic feature of the dorsal fin and ventral fins is represented by strongly elongated anterior rays. The hatched anglerfish larvae stay in the surface layers of water for a couple of weeks. The diet is represented by small crustaceans, which are carried by water currents, as well as larvae of other fish and pelagic eggs.

It is interesting! Representatives of the species European monkfish have large caviar and its diameter can be 2-4 mm. The caviar that the American angler throws is smaller, and its diameter does not exceed 1.5-1.8 mm.

In the process of growth and development, monkfish larvae undergo peculiar metamorphoses, which consist in a gradual change in body shape to the appearance of adults. After the anglerfish fry reach a length of 6.0-8.0 mm, they descend to a considerable depth. Sufficiently grown young individuals actively settle in the middle depths, and in some cases, juveniles move closer to the coastline. During the very first year of life, the rate of growth processes in monkfish is as fast as possible, and then the development process marine life noticeably slows down.