“Angling” for a better deal?

The deep sea anglerfish lives very, very deep in the ocean. As in, the pitch-black nearly lifeless depths of 3000 feet. Ever see the Disney movie Finding Nemo? Remember that incredibly ugly fish with the little blue light dangling on an antennae thingy that tried to eat Marlin and Dory? That’s what I’m talking about. Anywho, I was reading up on the anglerfish (don’t ask me why!), and come to find out, the ugly fish I’m used to seeing is only the female form of this bizarre fish. Here’s a quote from this website:

“The deep sea anglerfish has an extremely unusual method of reproduction. The male angler is much smaller than the female and completely different in appearance. It is about the size of a small finger and black in color. When a male angler matures, its digestive system degenerates, making it impossible for it to feed on its own. It must now find a female or die of starvation. The male angler has small hook teeth, which it uses to attach itself to the female. Once he bites into her skin, he releases an enzyme that dissolves the skin of his mouth and that of her body. The two become fused together and their blood vessels join as one. The male will spend the rest of its life joined to the female like a parasite, getting all of his nourishment from her body. A female can carry up to six males on her body at a time. This bizarre method of reproduction helps to ensure that when the female is ready to spawn, she has a mate instantly available.”

Random thought: this male fish sure reminds me of the male pinecone I wrote about in my previous post.

Back to the point at hand: I assume that the anglerfish’s astounding mating method is a near necessity considering the breeding ground’s lack of light and very vast space. Otherwise, finding a mate during spawning season would be as difficult as finding cute heels in a size 11.5. And I tell you what, don’t feel sorry for that tiny little lump of a male stuck to his woman; he gets free food, a free ride, and doesn’t have to look at her ugly mug at breakfast every morning.