Anglerfish

Depth: 1,500 m · Midnight Zone

The deep-sea anglerfish carries a glowing lure right on top of its head. The light comes from tiny bacteria. Other fish swim curiously toward the light and end up as prey.

For scientists

In the deep-sea anglerfish the males are tiny and bite onto the much larger female; in some species they even fuse with her and share a bloodstream. The glow of the lure comes from symbiotic light-producing bacteria the fish keeps in a skin organ. This saves energy and draws prey right in front of its mouth in total darkness.

Source: Smithsonian Ocean

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