Deep-sea anglerfish are strange and elusive creatures that are very rarely observed in
their natural habitat. Fewer than half a dozen have ever been captured on film or video by
deep-diving research vehicles. This little angler, about 9 cm long, is named Melanocetus.
It is also known as the Black Seadevil and it lives in the deep dark waters of the Monterey
Canyon. We believe that this is the first video footage ever made of this species alive
and at depth.
Anglers have a remarkable apparatus on their heads -- a fishing pole with a luminous lure
at the tip -- which they use to attract their prey. In the darkness of deep water they flash
the light to attract prey and draw them near the angler's mouth. When a fish or a squid swims
up, it is quickly inhaled by the angler's huge mouth and trapped by its long, sharp
teeth. Given the shape of this angler's body, it is pretty clearly not designed for speed.
Instead, these are ambush predators, lurking in the darkness to grab an unwary meal.
Another thing we can tell from the shape of the body is that this is a female. In this
species the males are much smaller and they lack the fishing pole and lure. Males are
ill-equipped for feeding and their sole responsibility appears to be to find a female and mate with
her as soon as possible.
When we came upon this specimen, at a depth of about 600 m, we noted that she has a broken
tooth, you can see it on the left side of her lower jaw. We have no idea whether it
will be replaced by another after it falls off. So far as we know, there is no tooth
fairy in the deep ocean. You can see that the eyes of this angler are quite small. In
their dark habitat anglerfish rely more on feeling the movements of other animals in
the water around them than on vision. The tiny pale dots you see along the sides of
the fish and on its head are organs very sensitive to the slightest movements and they function
very effectively in the dark.
The deep-sea is filled with surprises and wonderful creatures. Humans have only just
begun to explore this vast realm and we can only imagine what discoveries are yet to be
made.