The lines have knoblike lures at the end. Monkfish have hairlike threads hanging in front of their eyes that act as fishing line. Physical characteristics: Monkfish have a very large, wide, flattened head and an enormous mouth armed with long, sharp, cone-shaped teeth. ∎ MONKFISH ( Lophius americanus): SPECIES ACCOUNTS Sargassumfish and people: Sargassumfish have no importance to people.Ĭonservation status: Sargassumfish are not threatened or endangered. They even eat other sargassumfish.īehavior and reproduction: Sargassumfish release eggs in an egg veil 35 to 47 inches (90 to 120 centimeters) long and 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) wide. Sargassum is a brown seaweed that is a type of algae (AL-jee), plantlike growths that live in water and have no true roots, stems, or leaves.ĭiet: Sargassumfish eat anything they can swallow, including fishes as long as or longer than they are. Habitat: Sargassumfish live only in open warm water on the surface in sargassum. Geographic range: Sargassumfish live in the western Atlantic, western Pacific, and Indian oceans. The fish are usually camouflaged with streaks, spots, and mottling of brown, olive, and yellow, making them nearly impossible to detect in the seaweed in which they hide. Physical characteristics: Sargassumfish have a short fishing rod and smooth skin. SARGASSUMFISH ( Histrio histrio): SPECIES ACCOUNTS The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists one species of anglerfish as Critically Endangered, or facing extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. The Sargasso Sea is a huge floating island of seaweed (2 million square miles) in a calm area of the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda. In the old days in England the word angle meant "fish hook." Angling is the sport of catching fish with a hook, as opposed to a net or one's hands. Some anglerfishes are caught for their meat and for the liver. The males of some deep-sea anglerfishes are tiny and permanently attach themselves to the bodies of females. This veil can be as long as 39 feet (12 meters) and as wide as 5 feet (1.5 meters) and has been estimated to contain more than 1.3 million eggs. Eggs are released from female anglerfishes embedded in a long ribbonlike veil of mucus. Larvae are animals in an early stage and must change form before becoming adults. Scientists believe that the larvae (LAR-vee) of all anglerfishes drift in open water. Little is known about the reproduction and early life of anglerfishes. The entire open, suck, and swallow takes four to seven milliseconds. When the prey reaches the strike zone, the anglerfish opens its mouth rapidly and widely, creating strong suction, which draws in the prey. When it senses prey, the anglerfish uses its fishing rod to attract the prey to within reach. During a typical ambush, the anglerfish remains motionless (either on the bottom or in open water) until it detects prey. BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTIONĪnglerfishes ambush their prey. A few anglerfishes feed mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, animals without backbones. DIETĪnglerfishes eat fishes and other animals attracted by the lure. A few anglerfishes enter shallows, and many live in coral reefs. Some live in open water in middle depths. Most anglerfishes live in the deep ocean. GEOGRAPHIC RANGEĪnglerfishes live all over the world. The length ranges from a few inches (centimeters) to several feet (about 2 meters). Many bottom-dwelling anglerfishes have camouflage coloring, but the midwater forms are usually very dark brown or black. The color and size of anglerfishes vary greatly. The pectoral fins are the front pair and correspond to the front legs of four-footed animals. The bases of the pectoral (PECK-ter-uhl) fins of anglerfishes are so long that the fins appear to be at the end of long, jointed arms. In forms that live in sunlit regions, the lure may resemble a shrimp or even a fish. In many deep-sea anglerfishes, the lure glows. In some anglerfishes the lure may be a simple bulb, but in others it is quite elaborate. The fishes use muscles at the base of the rod to move it rapidly, thrashing the lure above or in front of the anglerfish's mouth. The dorsal fin is the one along the midline of the back. The first spine of the dorsal (DOOR-suhl) fin of anglerfishes serves as a fishing, or angling, rod and lure for attracting prey, animals hunted and caught for food. ANGLERFISHES: Lophiiformes SARGASSUMFISH ( Histrio histrio): SPECIES ACCOUNTS MONKFISH ( Lophius americanus): SPECIES ACCOUNTS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
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