With its beady eyes, giant mouth and jagged teeth, the blackdevil anglerfish is one of the scariest fish in the sea. But don't be fooled by its sinister smile- this predator is only about two inches long. With so little food available in its deep-sea habitat, the blackdevil can't be picky. Its huge mouth enables it to devour just about anything it can find.
Very A-Luring: Like a dangling, glowing eyeball, a fishing lure on an anglerfish's forehead attract prey. The lure is lit by glow-in-the-dark bacteria, so it is always "on," which helps the fish's chances of catching a meal.
Fork It Over: Blackdevil anglerfish can have up to 200 thin, sharp teeth. The fish doesn't use its pointy teeth to chew; it uses them like a fork to hold prey in place as it swallows its meal whole.
That's a Mouthful[]
The blackdevil anglerfish is often called the "swimming mouth."
The blackdevil anglerfish's huge mouth is key to its survival. Sharks and other shallow-water predators bite off pieces of their prey when they eat ,often leaving much of the meal to scavengers. But the anglerfish can't afford to leave anything behind it its food-poor environment, so it swallows its prey whole. Its giant mouth allows the blackdevil to eat a wide range of prey-of any size-and ensures that not a single bit of the food is lost.
Self-Made Man: Male blackdevil anglerfish are much smaller than females and have only a few teeth at the tips of their upper and lower jaws. Unlike other deep-sea anglerfish, the male blackdevil does not live off the female as a parasite.
Spine Tingling: The blackdevil anglerfish's body is covered with tiny spinules that are made of bone. Scientists believe the spinules are sensory organs that help the fish detect prey.
All You Can Eat[]
Food is extremely scarce thousands of feet below the surface, so blackdevil anglerfish instinctively eat anything they can, every chance they get. As long as the fish can find prey, its highly elastic stomach will expand to fit the meal- no matter how big it is (left).
