Angler Fish, #1 oddest animal on Animal Planet's Most Extreme

[Aaron1100us]

I was just watching Animal Plantes Most Extreme and the Angler Fish is the oddest for some very odd reasons. They showed the female as how we usually recognize them, but it was the male that was so odd. The male Angler Fish is 40 times smaller than the female. But thats not the odd part. When it comes time to mate, the male finds the female and sinks his teeth into the female and slowly becomes a bump growing on the female and fuses to her, blood vessles and all, thats how the female gets fertilized. Weird huh?

[Mark_OR]

So, what happens after fertalization? Does the male split off, or stay as part of the female?

[Aaron1100us]

It didn't really go into much detail after that. But my take on it was that it stayed there and possibly fell off later or slowly disappeared. From what it showed, the male fish turned into what looked like just a bump on the side of the female. Very very strange. I'm going to try and find some more info on it. Does anyone else know about this and can help with facts? Thanks

[Aaron1100us]

Found some more info. "Once they meet, he is hers forever. Biting into her side with sharp, recurved teeth, he fuses to his lady love, taking his nourishment from her blood. His big eyes and big smell organs regress, turning into testes. He becomes her lover, her constant companion -- her literal parasite."
http://www.sunspot.net/sports/outdoo...ports-outdoors

"Mysterious Males Of The Deep-Sea Angler Fish
The most amazing and bizarre examples of the total reduction in the role of males are the deep sea angler fishes (including Borophryne, Lophius, and Ceratius of the Order Pediculati) living in the pitch-dark depths of the ocean. These incredible fish may live at depths reaching 200 to 600 fathoms (1200 to 3600 feet), or more. Because life is so sparse at these vast depths of the ocean, the angler fish must be well-adapted to capture the limited supply of prey that happen to swim its way. Some angler fish appear absolutely fierce (rivaling any T-Rex or velociraptor in facial appearance) with a huge mouth and long, needle-like teeth that instantly trap any animal that swims within range. Some species also have a slender, antenna-like projection extending above and in front of the massive mouths. The tip of this "fishing rod" device is bioluminescent (glowing in the dark), and attracts curious fish living in these vast regions of oceanic darkness to the ominous jaws of the angler fish. Angler fishes and other amazing deep sea creatures are discussed in a fascinating book by C. P. Idyll (Abyss: The Deep Sea and the Creatures That Live In It, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1976).

Because angler fish are so sparsely populated throughout the vast millions of cubic miles of ocean, chance mating encounters between males and females would be unlikely. In fact, when deep-sea anglers were first brought up in trawls they puzzled scientists because they were all females. Then someone noticed small "growths" on the female that turned out to be males. When a tiny male meets a female he bits into her flesh and literally fuses with her body. Like the linking together of web sites on the Internet, the two blood supplies also fuse together so that the male obtains nutrients and oxygen from the female. Without any need for most of his organ systems, such as eyes and digestive organs, the male's body degenerates into essentially a pair of sperm-producing testicles. Thus the female essentially becomes a hermaphrodite with up to six or more of these tiny male parasites attached to various parts of her body. Although functionally bisexual, the eggs and sperm come from genetically distinct parents, thus providing vital genetic variability through meiosis and genetic recombination. As a functional hermaphrodite she can have sex any time or place, without worrying about meeting a male in the dark abyss of the ocean. Clinging to her body like minute, blood-sucking parasites, the males have little interaction with the female, except to fertilize her eggs with sperm. This fascinating story (and many others) are nicely explained in a pictorial book entitled The Mating Game by Robert Burton (Crown Publishers, New York, 1976).A female deep-sea angler fish (Linophryne macrodon) with a stalked, luminous bait (above her huge jaws) and a strange barbel appendage on her under jaw. She also carries a minute, blood-sucking, parasitic male attached to her lower side. [Illustration by graphic artist Elaine M. Collins.

Although it is difficult to top the male gender exploitation of deep-sea angler fish, a microbiologist colleague informed WAYNE'S WORD of another bizarre example of the ultimate in male reduction and gender inequity. It is a minute male nematode worm that lives its entire adult life within the reproductive tract of its female host mate. The following example will conclude this essay on male gender inequity. It concerns the fig/fig wasp story, one of the most remarkable examples of coevolution between a plant and an insect."

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0701.htm

[M.Dandaneau]

Hi Aaron1100us.......this is another case where generalization can cause a LOT of confusion.

In at least one species of Deep Sea Anglerfish, the males are actually parasitic, with the male becomming a permanent "part" of the female once attached, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

The fish that was the focus of that particular segment is the Deep Sea Angler, only one member of a much larger family known as anglerfish, anglers, frogfish and fishing frogs, with many other synonyms probably also floating around out there.

Most anglerfish are much more normal in their breeding habits, although the female is often considerably larger than the male, often as much as two or three times larger.

Mike

[jwm2k3]

gutzilla.....I like that.

Arron1100, I bet some guys out there would love to be a male nematode worm....

[Wee Man]

it very important to remember that this only occurs in deep water species, ever since that show has aired everybody thinks the frogfishs at the stores are females cuz there big i have to explain to them the the most extreme basically lied to them. i also have to say the the reef frogfish are 10 times more interesting than the deepwater species.

[M.Dandaneau]

One thing to keep in mind Wee Man....if they ever perfect a method of raising some of the surprisingly abundant deep water species to the surface without drastically altering their body chemistry or exploding them, think of the fun they could be to watch and study! (plus, you'd never need to purchase another tank heater!)

There are a couple of local species of fish that are normally deep water but show up inshore during the couple colder months, and I've yet to keep one alive for more than a few days (they would probably require a chiller for successful maintenance), but it does make one aware of the possibilities and wonders that just aren't available yet.

Each time I watch a deep sea special I just sigh and think, "If only..........."

Mike

[votek]

Anglers are some of the coolest fish, bar-none. THey dont have the personality that lionfish have, but are still cool.

[M.Dandaneau]

Just out of curiosity, have any of you ever kept walking batfish?

Anatomically, they are so identical to the more "normal" anglers that I was shocked when I realized just how alike they are, even down to the lure, "walking leg" fins, color changing ability and speed of the strike at prey.

Another member that has always fascinated me is the Goosefish....when you've got an angler big enough to feed on ducks and geese WITH teeth, it has to be awesome (and yes, I already know I'm strange **grin**).

Mike

[jwm2k3]

Mike, locally here in the Northeast whild diving(before I came to my senses and realized the water temp is 40) I have seen a number of goosefish. They are UGLY. I have seen one in particular that was HUGE, easily able to swallow a fullsize duck or goose. Its mouth was 2 feet in width. I didnt want to get too close, although the underwater visability was 10 feet maybe.....

John

[M.Dandaneau]

Yes, I know they get huge, far too large for captivity, yet paradoxically, that's often the type of animal that turns the tables and captures OUR imaginations, occassionally to the point all common sense is thrown to the wind and we end up with a sutuation we truly regret.!

I've got several fish in excess of 12", but truly wasn't prepared for my stonefish. While maximum size is often never reached in captivity, or else takes years, this guy made a Panther grouper look like a slow growing, peaceful recluse, going from 3" to over 12" in about 9 months and weighing in at an estimated 2-3 pounds, enough to bend the handle of a traditional green 10" aquarium net almost in two when I tried to lift it from the water!

I've likewise never seen a fully grown Antennarius ocellatus, even thought they are a local species, but I imagine they too would span the gap between fascinating to horrendous in one gulp!

Mike

[Wee Man]

mike i saw a picture in one of your posts about a stargazer. man that was cool fish what are its special needs?

[M.Dandaneau]

The only special needs are a fairly large tank, as they reach about 18", plus a DSB (they are ambush hunters that remain buried and use their electronic senses to locate prey near the bottom).
They rarely swim much, or are even seen for that matter...they are the closest thing there is to an invisible fish.

Mike