Welcome to Maxx Sports Guides
Angler Fishing Tournament Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
The Ferocious Deep Sea Angler
from: Maxx Sports GuidesDeep sea angler fish are widely known for their cunning predatory technique. They're also infamous for the spine protrusion on their heads that have a lighted tip that flashes on and off and effectively serves as bait for prey. The light attracts suitable prey to swim closer, which will then be snapped ferociously by the angler's sharp teeth and overly wide mouth.
There are actually over 200 species of deep sea angler found all over the world, and experts are still looking forward to identifying more types that possibly inhabit the great ocean bottom where modern research seldom ventures.
Deep sea angler fish aren't contained in any of the special family or genera of fishes. Instead it's spread out into several different families but belong under the same order -- Lophiiformes. With its infamous natural lure, anglers are notorious for their ability to kill and consume prey without much effort, even those twice larger.
Its jaws can be distended in order to efficiently accommodate larger prey and its body also has thin, flexible bones, which allow its stomach to store larger food. Between its crafty enticement for its prey and highly adaptable body, even the fastest sea dweller can easily turn out to be yet another succulent dinner for the deep sea angler fish.
True to its name, deep sea angler fish inhabit the aphotic regions of the sea, so far down the sun's rays can't penetrate. It's interesting to know that the esca or the spine bait on its head is actually a product of a symbiotic relationship with a particular type of bacteria to produce light.
The bacteria colonize the esca and cause it glow in the dark waters, making it a wonderful example of bioluminescence. Since the deep-sea angler has a dark body color, a lot of other predatory fish naturally assume the lighted esca is suitable prey. This element of surprise makes angler fish very cunning, and the manmade baits are actually designed to follow the very same concept.
If you've seen pictures of the deep sea angler, you'd know right away that it's definitely not one of your docile fish. In fact, aside from its unique body structure, it also adapts an equally distinct method of reproduction. The male angler attaches itself to its female counterpart and lives off as a parasite, deriving nourishment from its host and at the same time fertilizes the egg cells for ovulation.
Angler Fishing Tournament News