image credit: David Shale, thedeepbook.orgHabitat: deep, lightless waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans
So I just finished watching Silence of the Lambs, which always thoroughly scares the bajeepers out of me, and I decided I was in the mood to write about a scary creature. Little did I know that my search would lead me to the Fanfish Seadevil. I regret making that decision more than you could know, because on top of images of Hannibal Lecter eating human faces I now have this embedded in my mind.
This type of anglerfish is distinguished from others by its lack of an expanded escal bulb – the bioluminescent lure that anglerfish use to entice their prey towards their jagged-toothed mouths – and by the very long dorsal & anal fin rays.
They also like little guys, as the male only gets to be a 1/2 inch long, while the female is 8 inches or more. I’ll never understand that attraction.
Well, off to some gruesome nightmares!
