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Deep Water
This chapter is in the book Deep Water
132Much like the giant squid, anglerfish are iconic creatures of the deep. Few animals seem to encapsulate the nature of their environment quite like these toothy, bioluminescent fish that look like little more than swimming mouths. Yet, as researchers have gotten to know them, these fish have proved remarkable examples of how life can adapt to suit extreme and stringent conditions. 2,000 metresAnglerfishEven as they might inspire nightmares of glowing teeth in the ocean dark, anglerfish are beautifully adapted to their deep, dark home.Even though the humpback anglerfish, Melanocetus johnsonii, might be the best-known anglerfish, it’s hardly the only one. Anglerfish belong to a group of fish called lophiiformes, and fossil evidence indicates that they’ve been around for at least 130 million years – about as long as birds with beaks. Different anglerfish species live at various depths – the red-lipped batfish is found in the shallows off Costa Rica and the striated frogfish is primarily found in the Photic Zone around equatorial coasts – but the most striking of all are those who spend their entire lives in darkness. Of the more than 200 anglerfish species known, most of them live deep.Naturally, anglerfish get their name from the characteristic lure jutting out from above their mouths. The lure is really a modified fin ray with a decorative, luminescent end. Specialized bacteria live within this organ, which gives the lure an ability to glow and catch the attention of unwary prey. Anglerfish can even twitch and wiggle their lures, adding just that little bit more enticement to their deadly trap.But there is more to life in the deep sea than feeding. Depictions of deep-sea anglerfish almost always display the females. That’s not because we don’t know what the males look like, but because they are practically parasites that live off the female’s body.Just like finding food in the deep sea can be a challenge, so is finding a mate. Anglerfish don’t school, and so meetings between two anglers of the same species is a relatively rare occurrence. To get around this problem, some anglerfish – like those in a group called the ceratiidae – evolved a different way of mating. Instead of resembling each other, the males and females are wildly different. The females are the anglerfish that match our visual impressions, relatively large and toothy, while the males are much smaller in comparison. The only objective in the male’s life is to find a female to attach to – otherwise, he perishes.Opposite Not only do anglerfish have large jaws, but their stomachs can expand to hold prey twice as large as the anglerfish itself.
© 2023 University of Chicago Press

132Much like the giant squid, anglerfish are iconic creatures of the deep. Few animals seem to encapsulate the nature of their environment quite like these toothy, bioluminescent fish that look like little more than swimming mouths. Yet, as researchers have gotten to know them, these fish have proved remarkable examples of how life can adapt to suit extreme and stringent conditions. 2,000 metresAnglerfishEven as they might inspire nightmares of glowing teeth in the ocean dark, anglerfish are beautifully adapted to their deep, dark home.Even though the humpback anglerfish, Melanocetus johnsonii, might be the best-known anglerfish, it’s hardly the only one. Anglerfish belong to a group of fish called lophiiformes, and fossil evidence indicates that they’ve been around for at least 130 million years – about as long as birds with beaks. Different anglerfish species live at various depths – the red-lipped batfish is found in the shallows off Costa Rica and the striated frogfish is primarily found in the Photic Zone around equatorial coasts – but the most striking of all are those who spend their entire lives in darkness. Of the more than 200 anglerfish species known, most of them live deep.Naturally, anglerfish get their name from the characteristic lure jutting out from above their mouths. The lure is really a modified fin ray with a decorative, luminescent end. Specialized bacteria live within this organ, which gives the lure an ability to glow and catch the attention of unwary prey. Anglerfish can even twitch and wiggle their lures, adding just that little bit more enticement to their deadly trap.But there is more to life in the deep sea than feeding. Depictions of deep-sea anglerfish almost always display the females. That’s not because we don’t know what the males look like, but because they are practically parasites that live off the female’s body.Just like finding food in the deep sea can be a challenge, so is finding a mate. Anglerfish don’t school, and so meetings between two anglers of the same species is a relatively rare occurrence. To get around this problem, some anglerfish – like those in a group called the ceratiidae – evolved a different way of mating. Instead of resembling each other, the males and females are wildly different. The females are the anglerfish that match our visual impressions, relatively large and toothy, while the males are much smaller in comparison. The only objective in the male’s life is to find a female to attach to – otherwise, he perishes.Opposite Not only do anglerfish have large jaws, but their stomachs can expand to hold prey twice as large as the anglerfish itself.
© 2023 University of Chicago Press

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter 1
  2. Contents 4
  3. Timeline of Discovery 6
  4. Introduction 8
  5. Zones of the Ocean 12
  6. How Much of the Deep Sea is Unexplored? 16
  7. Nutrient Cycling 20
  8. Bioluminescence 26
  9. Frilled Shark 32
  10. Biogenic Sediment 36
  11. Megamouth Shark 40
  12. Coelacanths 44
  13. Azoic Hypothesis 50
  14. Cambrian Creatures 52
  15. Giant Spider Crab 58
  16. Ophthalmosaurus 62
  17. Vampire Squid 66
  18. Nautilus 70
  19. Stromatolites 74
  20. Bathysphere 80
  21. Diel Vertical Migration 84
  22. Goblin Shark 88
  23. Giant Squid 92
  24. Cookie-Cutter Shark 98
  25. Giant Oarfish 100
  26. Lanternfish 104
  27. Big Red Jelly 108
  28. Viperfish 110
  29. Whalefalls 114
  30. Hagfish 118
  31. Gulper Eels 122
  32. Orange Roughy 126
  33. Brachiopods 128
  34. Anglerfish 132
  35. Hydrothermal Vents 136
  36. Yeti Crabs 140
  37. Methanogenic Bacteria 142
  38. Giant Tube Worms 144
  39. Chimaeras 148
  40. Blubber 152
  41. Cuvier’s Beaked Whale 156
  42. Paleodictyon 160
  43. Foraminiferans 164
  44. DSV Alvin 168
  45. Abyssal Plain 174
  46. Sea Squirts 176
  47. Sea Spiders 182
  48. Dumbo Octopus 186
  49. Giant Isopods 192
  50. HMS Challenger 196
  51. Crinoids 202
  52. Trieste 208
  53. Mariana Trench 212
  54. Glossary 216
  55. Index 218
  56. Picture Credits 223
no recommendation found
https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226827339-032

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter 1
  2. Contents 4
  3. Timeline of Discovery 6
  4. Introduction 8
  5. Zones of the Ocean 12
  6. How Much of the Deep Sea is Unexplored? 16
  7. Nutrient Cycling 20
  8. Bioluminescence 26
  9. Frilled Shark 32
  10. Biogenic Sediment 36
  11. Megamouth Shark 40
  12. Coelacanths 44
  13. Azoic Hypothesis 50
  14. Cambrian Creatures 52
  15. Giant Spider Crab 58
  16. Ophthalmosaurus 62
  17. Vampire Squid 66
  18. Nautilus 70
  19. Stromatolites 74
  20. Bathysphere 80
  21. Diel Vertical Migration 84
  22. Goblin Shark 88
  23. Giant Squid 92
  24. Cookie-Cutter Shark 98
  25. Giant Oarfish 100
  26. Lanternfish 104
  27. Big Red Jelly 108
  28. Viperfish 110
  29. Whalefalls 114
  30. Hagfish 118
  31. Gulper Eels 122
  32. Orange Roughy 126
  33. Brachiopods 128
  34. Anglerfish 132
  35. Hydrothermal Vents 136
  36. Yeti Crabs 140
  37. Methanogenic Bacteria 142
  38. Giant Tube Worms 144
  39. Chimaeras 148
  40. Blubber 152
  41. Cuvier’s Beaked Whale 156
  42. Paleodictyon 160
  43. Foraminiferans 164
  44. DSV Alvin 168
  45. Abyssal Plain 174
  46. Sea Squirts 176
  47. Sea Spiders 182
  48. Dumbo Octopus 186
  49. Giant Isopods 192
  50. HMS Challenger 196
  51. Crinoids 202
  52. Trieste 208
  53. Mariana Trench 212
  54. Glossary 216
  55. Index 218
  56. Picture Credits 223
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