Hairy angler
| Hairy Angler | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Not Evaluated | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Lophiiformes |
| Family: | Caulophrynidae |
| Genus: | Caulophryne |
| Species: | C. polynema |
| Binomial name | |
| Caulophryne polynema Regan, 1930 | |
The hairy angler (Caulophryne polynema) is a deep sea anglerfish.
The female is about 20 cm and its body is covered in long antennae, used to detect the movements of any prey nearby. The male is much smaller than the female.[1] He forms a parasitic relation with the female, attaching himself to her flesh, ultimately sharing in her blood circulation and becoming a dependable source of semen. It is thought that the extremely rare meeting of males and females would lead to such an arrangement.
The Hairy Angler has an expanding stomach so that it is capable of eating other fish bigger than itself — due to the scarcity of passing food. It lives in the aphotic zone, over 1000 metres (3,300 feet) below the surface of the ocean, so although its skin is red, this will actually render it invisible, as red light does not penetrate to this depth. Because of its deep habitat, very little is known about the Hairy Angler.
This fish was featured in the documentary series The Blue Planet.