James RickardJapan's deep sea creatures
August 12th 2009 00:17
This is a pretty cool clip from YouTube depicting some of the sea life off the coast of Japan which has been discovered thanks to deep sea diving technologies.
Since this blog is called Angling Fish, I though it was appropriate to feature this clip since it shows an Angler Fish. Truth be told, I've wanted to do this for a long time but I've had trouble finding a good shot of the anglerfish.
Although most anglerfish are only a foot or less, around 20 cm. or 8" in length, some of the over 200 species can grow to a meter in length. Despite the fact they are usually found in the depths of the Atlantic or Antarctic oceans (and now off the coast of Japan) at over a mile down, these creatures have a surprising array of coloration which can be grays, browns, or varying shades combining the colors!
Their most obvious feature, aside from being extremely ugly, is part of their dorsal spine which protrudes from their head like a fishing rod—hence the name. But it gets better--this "fishing rod" is tipped with a luminous lure made up of tiny bioluminicent bacteria that draw prey close enough to the fish's jaws which are triggered by a reflex action when prey barely touch the projections atop the anglerfish's head. This sound like a perfect eating machine because its mouth and body are so pliable they can actually swallow prey up to twice their own size!
The anglerfish in the video is part of the variety that uses its pectoral fins to actually walk across the ocean floor rather than swim where it then hides amongst the sand or seaweed to wait for unsuspecting prey.
Like most bottom dwellers, you'd hardly want to eat any of the specimens found in this study and angling for them is out of the question. Still, considering how much of the Earth's surface is ocean and how the the seas relate to Man, findings like these are imperative to our survival.
Remember to take the hooks outta yer pocket before ya sit down!
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