Long-spined Anglerfish

Bony Fish

Identification & Biology

• IdentificationBizarre, extremely flattened body with a massive, rounded head and enormous upward-facing mouth. Brown, mottled body covered in fringed skin flaps. A modified dorsal spine forms a fishing rod (illicium) tipped with a fleshy lure above the mouth.
• SizeUp to 200 cm total length and 57 kg, commonly 50 to 100 cm.
• Social HabitSolitary and strictly bottom-dwelling. Lies motionless on the seabed, relying on camouflage and its lure to attract prey.
• HabitatSandy, muddy, and mixed bottoms from the shallows to great depths.
• Depth20 to 1,000 m, most common between 50 and 500 m.
• Feeds OnFish of considerable size, lured within striking distance by the illicium and engulfed by the cavernous mouth.
• DistributionEastern Atlantic from the British Isles to West Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea.
• DescriptionThe fabled monkfish or anglerfish, one of the sea's most bizarre predators. It lies flat on the seabed, perfectly camouflaged, waving a fleshy lure on a 'fishing rod' above its enormous mouth. When a curious fish investigates the lure, the anglerfish strikes in milliseconds, engulfing the prey in one gulp. A prized food fish in many cuisines.