7 Sea Animals So Weird You Won't Believe They're Real

The Deadly Deep-Sea Anglerfish

Anglerfish refers to an order of bony fish named for its characteristic method of predation. These deep sea dwellers use a modified spine that grows a glowing fleshy mass which acts as a lure for their prey. Wikimedia Commons Various species of anglerfish exist, some of them inhabit shallower depths than others. Some deep sea anglerfish live several miles below the surface.Hans Ho via WIRED A live female fanfin angler recorded around Portugal's Azores islands in 2018. It is one of the very rare footage of live deep sea anglerfish that exists.Rebikoff Foundation The head of a Linophryne Polypogon anglerfish species. About 160 different species have been identified in the world.Peter David via WIRED A female specimen of Himantolophus Appelii anglerfish species.Theodore W. Pietsch via WIRED Species of deep sea anglerfish are known for their extreme sexual dimorphism between males and females. Theodore W. Pietsch via WIRED Male anglerfish are usually much more smaller in size compared to their female counterparts. MBARI The tiny male anglerfish act like "parasites" latching onto their female mate's body and fuse theirselves together. Researchers have speculated this parasitic mating method is part of the deep sea anglerfish's survival strategy.Theodore W. Pietsch via WIRED A researcher holding a specimen of fanfin anglerfish.Natural History Museum/YouTube The x-ray scan of an anglerfish specimen shows its peculiar structure as well as the skeleton of its last meal. Natural History Museum/YouTube The insides of another anglerfish specimen examined through high-tech x-ray scans.Natural History Museum/YouTube 7 Real-Life Sea Animals That Look Like H.P. Lovecraft Creations View Gallery

Deep-sea anglerfish are perhaps among the most fascinating and weird ocean creatures known to humans and are likely the first that comes to mind when we think about marine creatures living in the deepest parts of the ocean.

When researchers talk about anglerfish, they are referring to an order of bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, during which the fish's modified spine grows its own glowing fleshy mass that acts as a lure for other fish.

There are numerous species of anglerfish, and among them are the deep-sea species that thrive several miles below the surface. Such deep sea-dwelling species include the humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii), the triplewart seadevil (Cryptopsaras couesii), and Diceratias trilobus. About 160 different species have been identified by scientists so far.

Rare footage of the anglerfish swimming far below the ocean's surface.

Deep-sea anglerfish use their bioluminescent "lure" to bait and capture prey under the cover of darkness. They hardly ever survive a journey toward the surface, making them difficult animals to research. What has been learned about deep-sea anglerfish has largely come from scientists studying dead specimens that have been caught in fishing trawls.

The closest researchers came to observing a live deep-sea anglerfish in its natural habitat was during a 2018 expedition around Portugal's Azores islands. The remarkable video showed a female fanfin angler with bioluminescent lights and whisker-like body features projecting from her exterior.

The unique mating process of the anglerfish.

Even more remarkably, the video captured the peculiar mating process of the deep-sea anglerfish. The female anglerfish captured on the video showed how its mate, a tiny male anglerfish, attached to the side of its body. As it turns out, male anglerfish act like "parasites" during reproduction as they latch onto the female's skin and fuse with her. The couple will share even a circulatory system between them.

Researchers have speculated that this parasitic mating method among deep-sea anglerfish benefits both parties, as the male easily receives nutrients from the female while the female receives a constant supply of sperm to fertilize her eggs.

"An anglerfish couple requires about half of the amount of food they would if the male was the same size as the female. [The male] is stripped down to the absolute bare essentials," according to ichthyologist James Maclaine of London's Natural History. "The idea is basically that it's a deep-sea economy measure."

Due to this bizarre method of reproduction, perhaps the anglerfish can be considered the strangest sea animal on this list.

Now that you've checked out some scary ocean animals, learn about these 19 otherworldly fish and insects that featured in "Animal Crossing". Then, see some more of the scariest sea creatures courtesy of photographer Roman Fedortsov.

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