Alright. I read the assignment and immediately thought of the fish with the light that dangles over it's head in the movie Finding Nemo. It's official name is a deep sea anglerfish. It is quite possibly the ugliest animal on the planet, and it lives in what is easily Earth's most inhospitable habitat: the lonely, lightless bottom of the sea. There are more than 200 species of anglerfish, most of which live in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans, up to a mile below the surface, although some live in shallow, tropical environments. Generally dark gray to dark brown in color, they have huge heads and enormous crescent-shaped mouths filled with sharp, translucent teeth. Their most distinctive feature, worn only by females, is a piece of dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths like a fishing pole. Tipped with a lure of luminous flesh this built-in rod baits prey close enough to be snatched. Their mouths are so big and their bodies so pliable, they can actually swallow prey up to twice their own size. The male has no need for such an adaptation, it has evolved into a permanent parasitic mate. When a young, free-swimming male angler encounters a female, he latches onto her with his sharp teeth. Over time, the male physically fuses with the female, connecting to her skin and bloodstream and losing his eyes and all his internal organs except the testes. A female will carry six or more males on her body. It's scientific name is Linophryne arborifera which literally means "toad that fishes with a net". Therefore it is of the family Linophryne.
Monday, April 26, 2010
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I can't believe what kinds of creatures actually live on earth. I find it really gross that the male latches on like that. So it just stays latched on? I will have to read more about this crazy fish. It's quite interesting. The female seems to be some kind of a super-woman: swallowing prey twice the size of herself, having six or more males latched on to her body...Very weird...this is some strong girl.
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